The ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) has advised political leaders to always tell the truth to avoid misleading the public.

MMD National Secretary Katele Kalumba said politicians must be in the forefront of promoting truth in everything they do.

Dr. Kalumba was reacting to opposition Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata’s statement that the ruling MMD was a finished party.

He said Mr. Sata’s allegations that he (Katele) was still in the MMD simply to ensure that the party loses honourably in 2011 elections was also not true.

Yesterday, Mr. Sata was on Radio Phoenix’s ‘Let the people Talk’ programme where he raised a lot of allegations about the ruling MMD and some of its members.

“I would like to say in the MMD, we promote the politics of truth,” he said.

Dr. Kalumba alleged that Mr. Sata was making false statements about the ruling party because he has run out of a public agenda.

He said his main aim was not to quarrel with other politicians but to organize the MMD to promote a leadership that was accountable, responsible,and disciplined in partnership with its people.

Dr Kalumba said he was also organizing the party for victory in 2011.

ZANIS

Lusaka province minister Charles Shawa says the adoption of a constitutional clause by the NCC requiring that a president should have a minimum qualification of a first degree, is a sign that Zambians want educated and skilled leaders to run the country.

Mr. Shawa says the world is changing and becoming more complicated and Zambia cannot afford to lag behind.

Mr. Shawa has since called on parents to take the education of their children seriously. He says as future leaders, children should be facilitated to attain the best and highest level of education possible.

He says this is why government has continued to invest heavily in education so that children can get quality education.

Mr. Shawa said this when he addressed heads of government and parastatal organizations in Luangwa district.

He has also expressed concern at the poor grade seven results in the district this year and urged teachers and other stakeholders to work together in improving the performance of pupils next year.

Mr. Shawa, who is also Feira Member of Parliament, said he will consider introducing a trophy for the best performing school at grade seven examinations level in the district in order to motivate teachers and pupils to perform better.

ZANIS

Preparations for the development of the sixth national development plan (SNDP) for Kitwe district are under way.

District Commissioner (DC) MacDonald Mtine, who is also the chairperson for the district development co-ordinating committee, said district stakeholders will be meeting this week to strategize on how the sub district structures will be involved in the planning and implementation process of the SNDP.

Mr. Mtine said the planning process will incorporate the decentralization policy as a new concept that the sub district structures have to understand and embrace.

He added that the district will also review the performance of the fifth national developmental priorities drawn from the submissions that the sub district structures will make as well as what was not implemented in the previous national development plan.

The DC said the plan will consider infrastructure development in the district as one of its priorities especially the rehabilitation of roads and security officers’ accommodation.

The district SNDP once developed will be submitted as an input into the 2011/2016 development plan to the Ministry of Finance and National Planning.
ZANIS

Police will investigate threats on the second Republican president Dr Frederick Chiluba’s life to its logical conclusion and ensure that culprits behind such acts are brought to book, Home Affairs Minister Lameck Mangani has said.

Mr Mangani said the Government condemned the threats and investigative wings will ensure that the matter is brought to a logical conclusion.

Speaking in an interview in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Mangani wondered how suspected Patriotic Front (PF) cadres could attempt to petrol bomb the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) guesthouse in which the former head of State was lodging in Ndola.

He said Dr Chiluba, like any other citizen, was entitled to his freedom of association and assembly and should not be denied his rights to freedom of expression.

“In any case, the opposition have been saying that Dr Chiluba was a finished man but why are they worried about his freedom of association? That is why as Government we shall have to investigate the matter to its logical conclusion,” Mr Mangani added.

And the National Youth League (NYL) said Police should quicken investigations and arrest the suspected PF cadres that were allegedly involved in the petrol bombing of the guesthouse.

In a statement in Lusaka yesterday, NYL national organiser Sylvester Kaunda said police should also take stern action against the leaders of such cadres.

“We cannot allow such a situation by a party whose hidden motives are based on principles of violence. Zambia is a safe haven of peace where people including the dead enjoy peace at the most.

“We call upon all non-governmental organisations, the Church to desist from double standards and condemn this kind of violence,” Mr Kaunda said.

The NYL also called on the Registrar of Societies to thoroughly investigate the PF as it posed as a danger to the country’s security. Mr Kaunda said the PF president Michael Sata has not condemned the attacks on Dr Chiluba.

“We believe that a party that attacks former heads of State, a Republican president has a potential to become a militia group,” Mr Kaunda said.

He said in this era of democracy, dialogue and not physical fights should spearhead politics.

And the Leadership in Development said attempts to petrol bomb the guesthouse should be condemned strongly by all well meaning Zambians.

In a statement in Lusaka yesterday, Leadership in Development executive director Moses Kalonde said that Dr Chiluba was president for 10 years and therefore should be accorded the due respect that he deserves.

Mr Kalonde said the country was setting a bad precedence by not respecting the former head of State.

He said the behaviour by suspected PF youths to attack Dr Chiluba was uncalled for and was a recipe for anarchy and violence.

If Dr Chiluba was not an issue in the country’s politics, the suspected cadres would not have been threatening violence on the former head of State that has security for 24 hours.

Centre for Policy Dialogue director Neo Simutanyi condemned the threats on Dr Chiluba, which he described as a primitive and cowardly act.

Dr Simutanyi said yesterday that physical molestation was a cowardly way of dealing with issues.

He said whoever was behind the threats on Dr Chiluba’s life should be condemned in the strongest terms possible.

Constituency Concerned Citizens Forum (CCF) chairperson Wilbroad Mutoloka also condemned those who were behind the attempts to petrol bomb Dr Chiluba.

He said Dr Chiluba was a free citizen whose freedom of movement was guaranteed and that he was free to campaign for whoever he wished, and that those who were not happy should not attack him but allow the electorate to decide the best candidate in the 2011 elections.

Recently some unknown people allegedly threw a petrol bomb at the BoZ guesthouse where Dr Chiluba was residing during his recent private visit of the Copperbelt.

[Times of Zambia]