Vice President George Kunda has said the Patriotic Front and United Party for National Development (PF-UPND) pact is in a state of paralysis and is bound to collapse any time.

Mr Kunda said as a result of the confusion in the pact, people are leaving the pact parties in large numbers to join the ruling Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD).

The Vice President was speaking today when he addressed Mansa residents who welcomed him at the airport before he proceeded to Mwansabombwe to officiate at this year’s Mutomboko ceremony.

He urged MMD members across the country, especially those in Mansa were the party has started gaining strength, to take advantage of the confusion in the pact to unite the ruling party.

“You must be united and take advantage of the confusion in the pact to strengthen our party, the ruling MMD,” Mr Kunda said.

He charged that as a result of the confusion in the pact, UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema has even stopped being seen in public as he has gone into hiding due to shame.

“We are not reading about him anymore since they started quarreling with Michael Sata. Because of shame, HH has gone into hiding.” The Vice President said

Mr Kunda further said that PF leader Michael Sata does not like the people of Luapula, as he has been suspending MPs in the province from his party and has also been insulting the royal highnesses in the area.

He appealed to the people of Luapula to continue rejecting Mr Sata and his party as he has no respect for the traditional chiefs.

Mr Kunda encouraged MMD members in the province to promote unity in order to strengthen the party instead of endorsing suspensions.

He said the suspension of party members is not good for the MMD as a party and has appealed to the party membership in Luapula province to desist from the practice.

“Just here I saw one poster saying we are tired of suspensions. This shows that people are tired of suspensions,” He said.

Mr Kunda noted that MMD as party must lead by example in desisting from suspending its members to encourage unity in the ruling party.

“For us in MMD we must lead by example, especially here in Mansa where we are gaining strength. We must be united in this province and throughout the country behind President Rupiah Banda.” he said.

He called for pro-activeness among party members to forestall any confusion in the party by reporting any provincial member identified to be fermenting disorder.

Mr Kunda assured the people of Luapula that government will continue supporting the hosting of the Mutomboko traditional ceremony because it is a traditional ceremony of international recognition and provides an opportunity for government leaders to share developmental ideas with the people of the province.

And speaking earlier, Luapula Province MMD Provincial Chairman, Emmanuel Chungu appealed to government to work on some important roads which have not been worked on.

He also said that government should find quickest ways to address the plight of former Mansa batteries workers who have not been paid their dues since the closure of the battery company in the early 1990s.

ZANIS

President Rupiah Banda says the zeal of Zambian farmers to produce food and cash crops was very encouraging.

Speaking after touring a number of stands in the Lusaka Show Grounds this morning, President Banda said he was impressed with what he saw on exhibition in different stands today.

“This is something that is very encouraging. It is encouraging to see people especially in provincial stands producing so much food,” he said.

He said the production of over 2.7 million metric tones of maize this year was an indication that Zambia was on the right track in terms of food security and economic development.

President Banda said in order to sustain such development, there was need for Zambians to be united and uphold the peace which the country has been enjoying since gaining political independence 46 year ago.

And President of Malawi, Bingu Wa Mutharika, said Zambia has tremendously improved its agricultural activities over the years.

Professor Wa Mutharika said Zambian farmers have also improved the packaging of their farm products, which he said will create a lot of markets for them.

“I came to this show ground a long time ago when I was Secretary General of COMESA. But now there is great improvement. I would say keep it up,” he said.

Earlier, President Banda and President Bingu Wa Mutharika, separately toured various stands which included Lima Hall housing exhibits of agricultural products from all nine provinces of Zambia, ZAMSEED, Workers Compensation Fund Control Board, ZAIN and Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC).

Other stands the Presidents toured are Malawi and Kenya stands in the Jubilee Hall, Zambia Chamber of Small and Medium Business Association (ZCSMBA) Environmental Council of Zambia, Energy Regulation Board (ERB), Bankers Association of Zambia, and Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.

The rest are SAROS Agro Business, Conservation Farming Unit under the Ministry of Agriculture and ZAMBEEF.

Some ministers and other senior government officials accompanied the two presidents on the tour of stands.

The two Presidents are scheduled to officially open the 84th Zambia Agricultural and Commercial Show this afternoon.

This year’s show is being held under theme ‘Sustainable Development’.

Hundreds of local companies and over 15 countries are exhibiting at this year’s Agricultural and Commercial Show, which opened its doors to the public two days ago and closes on Monday, August 2nd 2010.

Malawian President Bingu Wa Mutharika has said Africa should not wait for the West to prescribe solutions for its problems.

And Zambia’s first president, Kenneth Kaunda has said Africa’s journey to prosperity needs prudent and decisive decisions for the continent to attain sustainable economic and social development.

Speaking yesterday in Lusaka when he paid a courtesy call on Dr Kaunda at his Kabulonga office, President Wa Mutharika said Africa’s future depended on cooperation by its leaders.[pullquote]I believe that the memoirs Dr Kaunda is writing are really not addressed to Zambians or Africa but to the entire world[/pullquote]

“We shouldn’t wait for the West to come and tell us what we should do. I have told Washington that I know my problems and we know the solutions.

“I want our children to know that while there is an Africa of hopelessness, an Africa of hunger, there is also another Africa, an Africa of opportunities,” he said.

He said five years from now, issues of food shortages would be history for Malawi and Zambia, given the good performance of both countries.

“We do not have to go overseas to beg for food, Malawi and Zambia can actually feed some parts of SADC,” he said.

Prof Wa Mutharika said he was happy to learn that Dr Kaunda was writing his memoirs.

He said he has been inspired by Dr Kaunda’s writings on humanism.

“I believe that the memoirs Dr Kaunda is writing are really not addressed to Zambians or Africa but to the entire world,” he said.

Dr Kaunda said African countries were on a journey to prosperity, and that time had come for the continent to rethink its economic strategy.

He said agriculture should be considered as the mainstay of the economies of African countries.

[Times of Zambia]

Malawian President Bingu Wa Mutharika arrived in the country yesterday for a three-day official visit.He was received on arrival at the airport by Republican President Rupiah Banda, several ministers, senior government and defence officials and Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) party cadres.
The Malawian President was treated to a 21- gun salute by the Zambia Army and a guard of honour.

President Wa Mutharika is in the country to officially open the 84th Agriculture and Commercial show today.[pullquote]Meanwhile President Rupiah Banda has said Zambia’s bumper maize harvest will guarantee food security for the citizens and more income for small scale farmers.
[/pullquote]

Meanwhile President Rupiah Banda has said Zambia’s bumper maize harvest will guarantee food security for the citizens and more income for small scale farmers.

Mr Banda said in Lusaka yesterday the country was focusing on investing in agriculture and the abundant maize produced this year would help strengthen the country’s food security.

He said the subject of food security had captured the attention of the international community in the past few years because more than one million people were going hungry every year, according to Food and Agriculture Organisation statistics.

The president said this at Hotel Inter-Continental in Lusaka during a State Banquet held in honour of the visiting leader of Malawi, Bingu wa Mutharika.

Former Zambian presidents Kenneth Kaunda and Frederick Chiluba, Chief Justice Ernest Sakala, Cabinet and deputy ministers from Malawi and Zambia, diplomats accredited to Zambia, and Government officials were among those who attended the banquet.

Mr Banda said year’s Zambia Agriculture and Commercial Show was happening in special circumstances as the country and the peasant farming community were reaping another bumper harvest of the staple crop.

He said Zambians should feel that their efforts in increasing food production would in the long run begin to have a major impact on fighting poverty and hunger, and that small-holder farmers would be food-secure, apart from increasing their incomes.

Mr Banda said Zambia was taking a leaf from the Malawi’s success in agricultural development.

He hailed the cordial relations between Zambia and Malawi and the growing fruitful cooperation between the two countries.

Mr Banda said historically, the friendship and mutual understanding between the two countries had been solid because their relationship was founded on a common cultural and ethnic heritage which brought the citizens of the two countries together.

Zambia valued Professor Wa Mutharika’s acceptance to officiate at the 84th Zambia Agriculture and Commercial Show in Lusaka, whose theme is ‘Sustainable Development’.

He described the show as an important annual event that provided a platform to showcase Zambia’s products and afforded an equal opportunity to foreign participating firms to promote their products on the Zambian market.

Mr Banda said he was pleased to note that a good number of Malawian companies were participating in this year’s show.

He said the attendance of some Malawian enterprises would foster trade relations between the two countries, which had been low despite the existing warm political ties.

He also commended Prof Wa Mutharika for showing commitment and exemplary leadership in steering the African Union (AU)’s vision as the current chairperson.

President Banda is today scheduled to hold official talks with his counterpart at State House.

The two leaders are expected to tour selected stands tomorrow morning before Prof Wa Mutharika officially opens the show in the afternoon.

Mr Ililonga said in Luena yesterday that he stood the biggest chance of winning the August 5 by-election because people were determined to end poverty in the area.

He said the UPND was the only party giving hope to people at the moment because of the progressive ideas the party had.

Currently, the campaigns were going on well and peaceful and people had assured him of their vote.

Mr Ililonga said he was popular in Luena and had a lot of investments that made him close to the people than anyone else.

“UPND is the party of the moment, I am confident that we shall carry the day come polling day,” he said.

Mr Ililonga said although four other candidates were vying for the seat, he only considered a strong challenge from the MMD candidate Mwangala Maopu and former Luena MP Charles Milupi from the Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD).
[ Times of Zambia ]