President Rupiah Banda has said he will continue to respect former presidents and other leaders in the country.
The President said this yesterday when he touched down at Mansa Airport, before departing for Chienge where he is starting a three-day tour of Luapula Province.

President Banda has said that there is no way Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata will force him to hate former president Frederick Chiluba. President Banda said that everyone in the country knows that Mr Sata used to be a close friend to Dr Chiluba, but now Mr Sata sees nothing good in the former president. He said Mr Sata hates Dr Chiluba and wants him ( President Banda) to also dislike Dr Chiluba.

However, the President said he will not hate Dr Chiluba and will continue to invite him to state functions at State House like he has been doing to Dr Kenneth Kaunda. “President Chiluba was a very close friend of Mr Sata. Everybody knows that but today Mr Sata doesn’t see any good in President Chiluba. So he wants me also to be like him, to hate President Chiluba. I shall not do that,” President Banda said.

He said as President of the country he has a duty of bringing everybody together, and will not be like those who are everyday looking for bad things they can use to attack former leaders. “Those who want to separate these leaders it is their own business. I will not be like them who everyday are looking for bad things they will use to attack these leaders,” he said.

And on PF-UPND Pact, President Rupiah Banda said the two political parties went into the arrangement because they are scared of him. He said the Pact was formed with only one thing in mind that of removing him from state house. He said as President of the MMD he does not need a political pact with another political party to defeat the PF-UPND pact because he has a pact with the Zambian people. He said the MMD was still intact and its MPs have remained united since they were elected to parliament.

President Banda observed that the situation is different in the opposition camp, with MPs in the PF deeply divided due to the leadership that does not want to listen to their intelligent advice on how the country must move forward. He said 50 percent of the PF MPs are also finding it difficult to remain and work together due to bad leadership.

“These are very intelligent people, people with integrity. But because of bad leaders that do not want to listen to their advice on how they should move forward they are now divided,” he said. On the UPND case, President Banda said the MPs solidarity in the opposition party was quickly diminishing due to unwise leadership.

Speaking earlier, Luapula province MMD chairman Chrispin Musosha said that the PF-UPND pact was going to crumble soon because it was an arrangement entered into by presidents of the two political parties without the blessing of their general membership. Mr Musosha said pact was headed for a serious split because of the confusing arising from failure by PF and UPND to consult its general membership before going into marriage.
Mr Musosha also said that the MMD was ready to take on the PF-UPND pact.

He informed President Banda that the MMD is regaining ground in the Luapula province after losing 10 parliamentary seats in the last elections. Mr Musosha, who is also deputy minister of science and technology, said this paradigm shift in the political support from the opposition to the ruling party is as a result of a number of developmental projects that the government is implementing.

ZANIS

The United National Independence Party National Revival Forum (UNIP-NRF) has pledged to work with the United Party National Development-Patriotic Front (UPND-PF) pact in a bid to strengthen the opposition alliance.

UNIP-NRF Chairperson Malimba Masheke said the revival forum consulted the UPND-PF pact on the matter before deciding to work with it.

General Masheke, who disclosed the development at a press bring in Lusaka today, however pointed out that the UNIP-NRF will remain independent even as it works with the UPND-PF Pact.

He said the decision to work with the UPND-PF pact was a way of exploring means through which the forum would contribute to efforts of providing a serious alternative to good governance.

General Masheke, who is also former Prime Minister, said the UNIP-NRF decided to work with the UPND-PF because of its (pact) vision for leadership.

He emphasized that the UPND-PF pact must be guarded jealously and urged the UNIP-NRF members to remain resolute, steadfast and united in working with the pact.

Mr. Hichilema said the UNIP-NRF’s decision to work with the UPND-PF pact was the right step in the right direction.

He said there was need to work together regardless of where one is from adding that this would strengthen the relationship between the UPND-PF pact and the UNIP-NRF.

And Zambia’s former Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo Adrian Bauleni and a Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) member David Kasanga have joined the UPND.

ZANIS

Kalulushi Member of Parliament Atton Simama has denied allegations that he abused the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) allocated to his constituency last year.

Mr. Simama says Kalulushi constituency was allocated about K400 million, most of which was used to build community health centres and construct bridges in the area.

He told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that those accusing him of misusing the CDF were being malicious.
He explained that when the CDF for 2009 was released, a CDF Committee was constituted and approved a number of projects in the area and a budget was drawn.

Mr. Simama said after the meeting with the CDF Committee, the proposal was taken to the District Development Committee and a full council meeting was called to approve the budget.

“These councilors are malicious, I have information that some of these councilors want to stand as Members of Parliament for Kalulushi Constituency and they want to malign me in the eyes of members of the public that I have failed as area member of parliament,” revealed Mr. Simama.

He added that the allegation is a total fabrication, stating that all the people who attended the full Council meeting were happy about the resolutions which he said had blessings from the residents in the area.

However, a Kalulushi businessman, Mr. Kenny Siachisumo, who was franked by all councilors in Kalulushi constituency last week accused the area MP of not taking any development in the constituency and called for his resignation.

He said from the time Mr. Simama decided to attend the NCC in deviance of his party, he has never visited the constituency for fear of being beaten by the community who have since resolved to petition him to visit the area instead of staying in Lusaka.

Mr. Siachisumo stated that come 2011, people of Kalulushi are geared to vote out the alleged non-performing Member of Parliament so as to usher in one who will show seriousness in developing the constituency.

ZANIS/

Government has challenged the Banking sector to take advantage of the large number of teachers by offering them long-term mortgages for house construction.

Education minister said banks and other financial institutions should expand their businesses by introducing mortgages targeting teachers.

During a consultation meeting with teachers drawn from all the schools in Mansa district yesterday, Ms. Siliya said Banks should initiate long term low interest loans for teachers and other government workers to help them construct accommodation and venture into economic activities.

“There is a wide clientele of teachers and other government workers out there for banks and other financial institution to exploit by initiating mortgages or low interest loans. This will help our teachers build houses and you will have your businesses grow,” the ministerr said.

She said many teachers in the country were lacking accommodation because of shortage of staff houses for them.

The Minister noted that initiating mortgages and low interest loans will help a large number of teachers without accommodation construct houses and in turn benefit the banks through the interests and proceeds on the loans.

She said she will soon engage with the banking sector in the country to look at possibilities for them to partners with the ministry of education to construct houses for teachers.

However, Ms Siliya said government will continue providing funding to the education sector for construction of teachers houses countrywide.

“This Ministry has 3.4 trillion in this year’s budget of which a chunk will go towards infrastructure construction among them staff houses and schools so government is committed to providing decent accommodation for teachers”, Ms. Siliya said.

She said last year the Ministry of Education (MoE) constructed over 280 housing units for teachers countrywide.

The minister disclosed that the country only has about 31,000 housing units for teachers which are not enough to accommodate the total establishment of 80,000 teachers in the country.

And Ms. Siliya has said there is need for continuous and sustainable investment in the education sector by training of more teachers and construction of infrastructure.

She said government will phase out the certificate teacher qualification as a minimum qualification and replace it with a diploma by 2013 to improve the teaching standards in the country.

Ms. Siliya called on all teachers currently holding certificates to upgrade their education to diploma level which will be the minimum qualification required for the teaching service.

In 2014 government will only engage teachers holding diploma or degree qualifications.

She also said starting this year government will upgrade 6000 diploma holders to degrees of which 3000 will be for Science and Mathematics.

The minister said government has realized that science and mathematics are crucial for development and economic growth. Noted we have built so many schools but not teacher’s houses.

ZANIS

UNIP Revival Forum leader General Malimba Masheke has urged Zambians to guard the UPND/PF Pact with a sense of jealousy.
General Malimba Masheke said this in Lusaka when he announced his decision to work with the Pact during a press briefing at the UPND secretariat.

He said the pact is the only solution to the difficulties and challenges the county is facing.

Gen Masheke said the MMD has lost direction and that it is up to the Zambian people to make the right choice and decision by supporting the Pact.

He states that the UNIP revival forum has not been fused into the UPND but has only decided to work with the Pact through the UPND.

General Masheke adds there is need to rebuild the country’s economic sector which says has been destroyed during the MMD government’s stay in power.
And in welcoming the UNIP faction’s support for the Pact UPND president Hakainde Hichilema said his party will always welcome support from political parties with grassroots support.
QFM

Former Minister of Finance Ng’andu Magande says he was not part of the MMD National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting that endorsed President Rupiah Banda as the sole candidate at the forthcoming National Convention.

Reacting to MMD National Chairman Michael Mabenga who said he was part of the MMD National Executive Committee that received and endorsed petitions from provincial committees that President Banda be the sole candidate at the National Convention, Mr Magande has blatantly refused being part of any such meeting.

Mr Magande who is also MMD Chilanga Member of Parliament has since challenged Mr Mabenga to produce the minutes of the meeting to show that he was part of the said meeting that endorsed Mr Banda as the sole candidate.

QFM