PATRIOTIC Front vice- president Guy Scott has said PF president Michael Sata is the most suitable and widely accepted leader to assume the Republican presidential candidature for the PF-UPND pact.

Dr Scott said the results of the recent opinion poll were consistent with the 2008 presidential election results in which Mr Sata got twice higher votes than his partner Hakainde Hichilema who trailed in a distant third.

Mr Hichilema has viciously condemned the research results and accused CPD of receiving funding from the MMD to discredit the pact formed last year with the main objective of fielding one candidate in the 2011 presidential elections.

The opinion poll, conducted in Lusaka, Southern, Copperbelt, Luapula and Northern provinces—PF/UPND pact strongholds—found that Mr Sata was the most preferred candidate compared with Mr Hichilema and that the alliance was not sustainable because of the politics of ethnicity.

Dr Scott said it would not make sense to disregard the research findings having observed the previous election results where the PF leader had always garnered the highest number of votes than Mr Hichilema.

“The research shows that nothing much has changed in terms of the popularity of the two candidates,” Dr Scott said in an interview.

The PF vice-president said the technical committee in the pact would not select the candidate on the basis of the CPD research findings but form the basis of factors to be considered in its search for a candidate.

“That cannot come as a surprise to anyone because Mr Sata got twice as much as Mr Hichilema in the 2008 presidential elections. But we cannot make a decision on the basis of the research we will continue talking,” Dr Scott said.

Dr Scott said the results could not have changed because the same people who voted in 2008 were the same ones who were contacted during the research.

The Lusaka Central MP said Mr Sata was clearly the most popular leader between the two leaders and that such results would always reflect in any future election.

During the 2008 presidential by-election held after the death of president Levy Mwanawasa, Mr Sata got 38.13 per cent (683,150) while Mr Hichilema received 19.70 per cent (353,018).

The election was scooped by President Banda who got 40 per cent of the total votes cast representing 718,359 votes.

Meanwhile, United Liberal Party secretary general Langton Sichone has said the anger expressed by Mr Hichilema against the opinion poll results was not the solution to the issues raised.

Mr Sichone said ethincity would always be a factor in the sustainability of the pact because of its history and also the history of the two political parties.

He said Mr Hichilema should avoid burrying his head in the sand but seek solutions to the findings of the opinion poll.

[Times of Zambia]

THE LAW Association of Zambia (LAZ) has reprimanded senior Lusaka lawyer Roger Chongwe over his recent public attacks on the Judiciary. This comes a week after former Patriotic Front (PF) secretary general Edward Mumbi challenged LAZ to rise above petty politics and stop its members like Dr Chongwe from attacking the judiciary.

Mr Mumbi said last week that LAZ should stop Dr Chongwe from attacking High Court judge Evans Hamaundu over his ruling on the registration of former president Chiluba’s London High Court judgment.

LAZ president Stephen Lungu said in Livingstone yesterday that the association had written to Dr Chongwe to reprimand him over his recent attacks on the judiciary and warned that it would not take kindly to lawyers that willingly attacked the judiciary in public.

Mr Lungu was answering questions at the on-going state advocates workshop being held at Livingstone’s Protea hotel. He said it was sad that senior legal practitioners like Dr Chongwe had continued to attack the judiciary which they were part of.

“As for the case of Dr Roger Chongwe in the case involving Sebastian Zulu, I want to say that it was unfortunate for Dr Chongwe to go public and talk against the judiciary. We, as an association have since written to him reprimanding him over the action. We have rules and regulations as a legal entity and we expect senior lawyers, of all practitioners to adhere to them.

“The association will not take kindly to lawyers insulting the judiciary. It is baffling and annoying for lawyers to speak against the judiciary in public like that. “When you insult the judiciary, you are insulting yourself,” he said.

He warned lawyers and other legal practitioners against issuing derogatory remarks or insulting the judiciary saying the association would not spare them once found out.

Mr Lungu said whichever lawyer attacked the judiciary in public would face the wrath of the association. He urged lawyers to always maintain a good relationship with the judiciary.

“A lawyer once admitted, becomes an officer of the court and has a responsibility of protecting the court and ensuring that the rule of law is maintained at all times. If you insult the judiciary, you are insulting yourself,” he said.

Earlier in his presentation, Mr Lungu said his association placed great emphasis on the education of lawyers to ensure those who aspired to become lawyers attained the requisite standards.

He said LAZ would continue to emphasise on the upholding of the rule of law and compliance to the Constitution of the country.

[Times of Zambia]

Community Development and Social Services Minister Michael Kaingu has  disclosed    that the funds that the First Lady was distributing to women clubs was not Government money but that she received donations.

He said the First Lady had received enough donations from corporate firms both within and outside the country for distribution to intended beneficiaries.

Mr Kaingu took a swipe at politicians who were criticising First Lady Thandiwe Banda for distributing funds to women clubs in Northern and Luapula provinces respectively.

ZANIS reports that Mr Kaingu said it was unfortunate that some disgruntled politicians would be attacking the First Lady when she was merely doing her job of empowering vulnerable women with funds that would help them come out of poverty.

He said poverty alleviation in the country was not a fight for Government or the First Lady alone but was for all well meaning Zambians committed to ensuring that poverty levels in the country were reduced.

The Minister told journalists in Lusaka today in an interview that it was unfortunate that some people would be criticising the First Lady when the funds she was distributing were meant to economically empower vulnerable women.

ZANIS

Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) has today launched the 2010-2012 Tripartite Electoral Strategy aimed at advocating for free and fair elections in the country.

Speaking during the launch in Lusaka today, FODEP Executive Director Charity Musamba said a credible electoral process was key to achieving poverty eradication and good governance in any democratic country.

ZANIS reports that Dr Musamba said there was need to have a credible electoral process that could help in attaining objectives set in national initiatives such the National Development Plans, Vision 2030, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Gender Equality, and Decentralisation policy among others.

She explained that FODEP believed that the country had changed greatly in the past decade and the recent general elections marked a political millstone that left Zambia with many new observations and lessons that could help in refining the current electoral process and system.

She added that the new perception on the electoral process and system needed to be equally considered in a bid to improve the way in which elections were conducted in Zambia.

Dr Musamba noted that FODEP had decided to launch the 2010-2012 Electoral Strategy as a result of to the lessons and observations learnt from the past general elections that have been held in the country.

She cited high prevalence of electoral malpractices, disputes and litigations, abuse of public resources, high incidences of electoral violence, voter apathy and wasted votes and non adherence to the electoral code of conduct as some of the key issues.

She explained that the 2011 tripartite elections would be a defining moment for Zambia and a test to the integrity and credibility of the country’s electoral process.

Dr Musamba stated that this was because since the 1996 elections there had been contention of election results which cast a doubt on the integrity and credibility of the electoral system.

She, however, expressed hope that the forthcoming elections may be different from the previous ones adding that this was because some concerns that affected the electoral process have been addressed in the new draft constitution.

She also disclosed that her organisations would engage political parties to ensure that they offered issue based campaigns and discourage vote buying to ensure free and fair elections that could enhance the country’s democracy.

Dr Musamba has also urged Zambians to register as voters, if they were to be part of the decision making in the 2011 elections.

[ ZANIS ]

United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema says Second Republican President, Fredrick Chiluba’s smile following the Lusaka High Court ruling on the London Judgment is an indication that the fight against corruption in the country is over.

Mr Hichilema said the focus should not be on Dr Chiluba but rather on the judiciary and the MMD government which he says allows a dual justice system to exist in the country.

The UPND leader said the blame should be on the justice system which favours those who are friends with the MMD government.

Mr Hichilema called on the judiciary to examine itself and its relevance to society.

He said he could not see any value in the judiciary when Zambians have nowhere to go when they were aggrieved.

Mr Hichilema said the fight against corruption in Zambia is over and called on Zambians to understand and accept the matter at hand.

Dr Chiluba told journalists in an interview that he is genuinely smiling following the Lusaka High Court ruling on the London Judgment.
[ QFM ]