THE United Party for National Development (UPND) members in Chifubu Ward in Chifubu Township have pledged to vote for the MMD candidate Frank Ng’ambi in the August 5 Chifubu Constituency by-elections.
The decision comes at a time when Patriotic Front (PF )leader Michael Sata launched a scathing attack against UPND president Hakainde Hichilema putting the future of the pact in serious doubt.

Addresssing a meeting held at Chachitika Lodge in Chifubu Township, Chifubu Ward UPND Chairperson, Pyphius Chibangula said he and his members had decided to back Mr Ng’ambi instead of the PF-UPND pact candidate Susan Kawandami because he was a more credible candidate of the two.

Mr Chibangula who was with most members of his executive committee that included the women’s chairperson Janet Sakala and youth chairperson Darius Mbewe said they were not happy that the pact had fielded Ms Kawandami whom they did not believe could deliver development to the area.

He said it was time the Chifubu Constituency electorate voted for a candidate who would bring development to the area and not vote along party lines.

“We don’t even know what Mrs Kawandami is capable of doing and the PF did not widely consult us on their candidate, because if they had, we could have advised them differently,” Mr Chibangula said.

He said he hoped the other members of UPND in Chifubu Constituency would follow their lead and support Mr Ng’ambi in the upcoming by-election.

Mr Chibangula pledged to bring on board other members of UPND in Chifubu Township.

And MMD Copperbelt taskforce Coordinator Prince Robert Mushili, who is part of the campaign committee for MMD candidate in the Chifubu by-election, has predicted victory for their candidate Mr Ng’ambi.

He said the party in Government was committed to bringing development to Chifubu, which was why the people of constituency would vote for Mr Ng’ambi.

Former PF constituency chairperson and now Masaiti MMD secretary Patrick Zulu said PF was losing ground in the constituency.

“People are beginning to realise what’s going on in the pact. It was borne out of selfishness not to serve the people of Zambia,” he said.

He said time had come for the people of Chifubu Constituency to vote for the MMD, as it was a party with practical development agenda.

[Times of Zambia]

Vice President George Kunda has urged MMD members in Western Province to ignore recent developments in the Patriotic Front-United Party for National Development (PF-UPND) pact and concentrate on strengthening the ruling party.

Mr Kunda said this yesterday when he addressed scores of MMD supporters and Mongu residents who welcomed him at the airport.

The Vice-President is in Mongu to grace this year’s Kufuluhela traditional ceremony for the Litunga of Western Province.

He is also in the area to drum up support for MMD candidate in the August 5 Luena parliamentary by-election, Mwangala Maopu.

“Those who read newspapers, you must have heard an in-depth analysis of what is going on in the pact. There are certain developments in the pact which are of interest to the nation.

“But President Banda who has sent me here has given us instructions that we should not be bothered or concerned with what is happening in the pact. What is happening in the pact is very interesting and it is like you’re reading a novel,” Mr Kunda said.

The Vice-President said instead of paying attention to the emerging cracks in the pact, the MMD should concentrate on strengthening and mobilising the ruling party because it believes in order, peace and tranquility.

Mr Kunda said the MMD considers Western Province as its stronghold.

He said the PF and UPND are using political rejects to sell the pact in the province.

Mr Kunda said the UPND is using its vice-president for political affairs Francis Simenda who failed when he served as Mongu Central member of Parliament (MP) from 2001 to 2006.

“Because he (Mr Simenda) failed, you rejected him here in Mongu. And yet this is the man Mr Hakainde Hichilema is using to sell the pact in Western Province,” Mr Kunda said.

He said the PF is also doing the same by using the reject to sell the pact in Western Province.
[pullquote]“Those who read newspapers, you must have heard an in-depth analysis of what is going on in the pact. There are certain developments in the pact which are of interest to the nation.

“But President Banda who has sent me here has given us instructions that we should not be bothered or concerned with what is happening in the pact. What is happening in the pact is very interesting and it is like you’re reading a novel,” Mr Kunda said.[/pullquote]

Mr Kunda called on people of Western Province to be united because the area has produced formidable leaders who are currently serving both in the ruling party and Government.

He cited Mulobezi MP Michael Mabenga who is also Deputy Minister of Lands and in charge of the MMD countrywide.

Mr Kunda said other formidable leaders the province has produced are Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokotwane, Minister of Communications and Transport Geoffrey Lungwangwa and Speaker of the National Assembly Amusaa Mwanamwambwa.

“We also have Minister of Community Development and Social Services Michael Kaingu who is doing a fantastic job when it comes to empowering women and this is the leadership which Western Province has produced for Zambia and we treasure all these MPs and ministers,” he said.

Mr Kunda said the advantage of having such leaders is that the province will receive a fair share of national resources to provide accelerated development.
He said Government will continue implementing development projects in all parts of the country.

“We shall build schools, hospitals, roads and we shall explore for oil and minerals,” he said.

Mr Kunda said this is the kind of leadership Government is providing and asked the people in the province why they should accommodate rejects.

He said Mr Hichilema is under siege in Southern Province because people there have rejected him and he wants to export that confusion to Western Province.
“Don’t allow that kind of a situation. As for Milupi, I won’t say much because I am going in the field and explain his weaknesses. We know what he is made of.

We have been with him in Parliament and for those who want to know more about him, I have a detailed dossier on Milupi,” he said.

Earlier, Western Province Minister Sikwibele Mwapela said the people of Western Province are solidly behind the MMD Government and President Banda.

Mr Mwapela said this is because people can see development projects like construction of major roads, district hospitals, the Farmer Input Support Programme, the Food Security Pack and empowerment programmes provided by the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission and the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services.

Mr Mwapela said the MMD has already done ground work in Luena where it is conducting a peaceful campaign without any name-calling.

He said the PF-UPND pact has not made any impact in Luena constituency.
[ Zambia Daily Mail ]

Mtendere residents in Lusaka have complained that prostitution at UNIP’S trading area is alarming and has since called on the Lusaka City Council to move in and restore sanity immediately.

Speaking to ZANIS in Lusaka today, group spokesperson Lameck Phiri said bar owners in the area are now using bars as brothels and described the situation as alarming.

Mr. Phiri said the area committee reported the matter to the council but the council has failed to take action.

He said some bar owners are pretending to be selling alcohol when in the actual sense were using the rooms as brothels during the night.

He said as an elderly person, he was so much concerned about the development which is putting young people at risk.

Another resident Siamusa Wadoda urged government should move in to control the situation saying the place become a hub of bandits at night who are terrorizing people.

And when contacted for a comment, Lusaka City Council Public Relations Manager Chanda Makanta refereed the queries to Assistant Public Relations Officer Henry Kapata who could not be reached by press time as the phone went unanswered.

ZANIS

A 29 year old man of Mansa today appeared in Mansa Magistrate court to answer a charge of registering as a voter more than once and obtaining two voters’ cards.

Before Magistrate Class Two, Penstone Chiluba, was Douglas Steven Okonya Musakanya, charged with the case of obtaining two voters’ registration cards, contrary to Regulation 60 (b) of the Electoral Registration of voters Amendment regulations of 2001 of the Laws of Zambia.

When Magistrate Chiluba read the case to Musankaya, the accused pleaded guilty to the offence.

Facts before the court were that, on unknown day between 1 January 2005, and 1 July 2010, Musakanya, being a person qualified to register as a voter, willfully and unlawfully did register twice.

The court heard that on July 1, 2010, Musakanya went to Mansa Council offices where he said he wanted to have his lost voters’ card replaced.

When Musankanya’s national registration card was presented to the registration officer, and later passed through the detecting machine, it was discovered that the accused had registered twice as a voter, and had in his possession, two voters’ cards numbered 3495679 and 3050961 respectively.

It was at that point when the Assistant Registration Officer reported the case to the police who were at the scene.

And in admitting the charge, Musakanya said he had registered twice as a voter in two different places, namely Mansa, and Lukwesa in Mwense District.

Magistrate Chiluba adjourned the case and set July 26, 2010, as the day for continued judgment.

ZANIS

By Elias Munshya wa Munshya

When some of our people expressed serious reservations about the so called UPND-PF Pact, they were met with severe intellectual attacks. Both Sata and Hichilema, decided to promote an idea of the Pact that they both were not fully committed to. They both were singing a song that they were not truly committed to. The Pact was going to work, not because the people of Zambia wanted it to work. The only people that were going to make it work are two: Hichilema and Sata. And it is the two that have made the Pact to fail. Sata and Hichilema were both naïve. They thought that somehow, the main issue in the Pact was going to resolve itself. They encouraged everyone around them to unite and convalescence around an ideal of a Pact, and yet they were the two gentlemen that never united in the first place. This so called Pact was a failure right from the start. It would be unnecessary to belabour the reasons why it would not work, but for the sake of argument we must revisit these reasons so that we may learn from them and hopefully posterity will judge our activities.

The first reason why the Pact was doomed to fail from the very beginning is a fundamental issue to do with our constitutional republican system. Zambia’s republican system impedes the subsistence of a coalition government. This is because; the President or the Executive is not elected by parliament but directly by the people through universal suffrage. As such, in our system a parliamentary coalition just cannot exist. Coalitions only work in parliamentary systems like the UK, Israel, Canada, or South Africa. In these systems the President or the Prime Minister is not popularly or directly elected by the people, but rather is chosen from parliament, or from the party with the most seats. It is the leader of the party that has the most seats in parliament that heads the State or the government. If no party has taken the most seats, the parties then can jostle with each other and form coalitions so that they can form a parliamentary majority to form a government. Contrasted with the Zambian situation, the leader of the Zambian government and Head of State is not elected from among the MPs, but through direct universal suffrage. As such, parliamentary seats are irrelevant to the presidential question in Zambia. It does not matter how many seats the president’s party has won in parliament, all that matters in forming the next government is whether a particular candidate has won the presidential election. It is after he wins the presidential election that he can now choose his Cabinet from among the MPs. And he can choose any MPs from any political party to form his cabinet. In Zambia, the President is the Executive, he is the government. This fact was stated very clearly by President Mwanawasa when he fired Nevers Mumba. Levy told Mumba bluntly, “I am the Government.” The UPND/PF Pact framed themselves on the basis of a coalition. A coalition that is alien to the Zambian political system—it was indeed a deceased idea before it even started.

Second, to build on the item above, a clear definition of who was being earmarked to become the president was an essential question that the Pact needed to answer right from the start. But in their wisdom, both Sata and Hichilema somehow thought this issue will resolve itself. We all knew that the Pact would only succeed to the extent that both Sata and Hichilema make it work. Additionally, before even defining the perimeters of their relationship these two leaders started presenting themselves for candidacy to stand on the Pact’s ticket. Nothing is more concerning to me, than for intelligent people to make decisions based not on fact but on illusions. HH when coming back from his overseas trip, thought that Zambia was as mature as the USA or UK, by claiming, right at the airport, that he should be considered for Pact’s presidency on account of his age. His political illusions led to yet another even more concerning delusion—the fact that the Pact’s presidential election is a free and fair matter that anyone can openly campaign for. Sata at least did not react immediately to HH’s insinuations, instead he waited until now to tell off Hichilema, in the words of the song, “age aint nothing but a number”.

Third, the Pact has failed because these two parties have radically different manifestos and philosophies. Sata is anti-Chinese investment, and has promised that he would grab ZAMTEL back from the Libyans when he assumes office. HH on the other hand is pro-business and pro-market enterprise. In fact, HH is more acquiescent to Chinese investment. On the constitution making process, HH’s party accepted to be part of the Constitutional Conference, whereas participation in the NCC was the reason why Sata fired 16 of his MPs. With such radical differences between the two, only time would tell whether they would go anywhere. Interestingly, there are several commonalities between the UPND and the MMD. Could this be the reason why a Pact between UPND and MMD is being floated as more realistic than the present one?

Fourth, the corporate structures of the two parties also were radically different. UPND has three vice-presidents and they are searching for a fourth, while PF only created the position of Vice-President for political expediency—to create room for former Secretary General Guy Scott. UPND at least has even had the decency to pretend to hold a party convention while, the PF has not even bothered to do so. Sata has repeatedly dismissed the idea of a party convention saying it is just a waste of time and resources. He would rather use the time and the money for campaigns instead of a convention. A man, who thinks like that, has the potential to cancel national elections so that he can have some more time to campaign.

Fifth, the regionalism and tribalism characteristic of both the UPND and the PF could not just make the Pact work. It is evident that the PF enjoys more support among Bemba speaking peoples, while the UPND enjoys wide spread support among Tonga speaking peoples. This regionalism between PF and UPND was very fatal. Parties with such tribal and regional encroachments cannot possibly work together. Sata has been accused several times by non-Bemba speaking peoples that he is a Bemba hegemonist. Most recently at a campaign rally in Mwinilunga a speaker accused Sata of having made some tribal remarks. As for HH his behaviour towards Saki and Lubinda is still fresh among many Zambians. In spite of efforts at making these two parties have a more national agenda, they have not made any real effort at changing their tribal perceptions.

Six, the Pact has fallen because the Pact in fact never existed at all. Zambians were taken for a ride. They were forced to believe a lie. Some within the two parties even met together, ate together, held conferences together, all in a bid to promote something that was just a fiction of their imagination. The Pact has failed, because a Pact never existed in the first place!