MMD Lusaka Province acting chairman William Banda has said that as the party in Government it will propagate politics of development.

Mr Banda said that MMD members should redouble their efforts in helping to implement the well-planned Government programmes.

Speaking at an MMD meeting in Chongwe yesterday, Mr Banda said politics of laziness are long gone especially that there are many developmental projects that are underway and should be effectively implemented.

“People should not just talk and sit. They must be on the ground and develop the many projects that benefit people countrywide,” Mr Banda said.

He said that as Lusaka Province MMD acting chairman he will ensure that he helps to promote the implementation of the projects.

Mr Banda said that Chongwe district always has good economic and political results for the MMD and assured that with hard work the party would garner more than 16,000 votes in the 2011 general elections.

“I’m here to make MMD prosper and to ensure that we pull through again in the 2011 general elections. There are no jokes about this, because even some of the opposition parties know me very well.

I will bring some of the tactics that will ensure success. If you think you will be working with your tie on the neck, not with me,” Mr Banda said.

He also said that this was time to unpack the pact between the Patriotic Front and the United Party for National Development.

Mr Banda said that the MMD must avoid politics of insults and he urged members to support President Banda’s developmental projects.

“We shall not concentrate on the insults as our leader, as always, has not responded to any of them but concentrates on development of the country,” he said.

Mr Banda said that the MMD structure was intact and cautioned members against being cheated by the opposition.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

NAMWALA member of Parliament Robbie Chizyuka has warned that Zambia risks degenerating into a totalitarian dictatorship should the Patriotic Front (PF) and United Party for National Development (UPND) pact form government in 2011.

Totalitarianism is generally characterised by the coincidence of authoritarianism where ordinary citizens lose their freedoms and other civil rights and have no significant share in state decision-making and ideology.

Major Chizyuka, a UPND MP, has advised Zambians to reflect deeply on the kind of government that would be led by the PF president Michael Sata.

Major Chizyuka said in an interview that Zambians should start praying that the PF/UPND pact does not form Government next year.

Major Chizyuka said it is unfortunate and disheartening that Mr Hichilema has lost the original vision of the founders of the UPND and has since sold the party to the PF.

He said there is no way that Mr Sata will consider Mr Hichilema as his deputy when he (Sata) knows that he is much stronger in terms of popularity than the UPND leader.

Major Chizyuka accused the PF of violence and that the abduction and beating of its party senior members and the harassing of journalists at the Mazabuka Radio was evidence of this.

“God forbid! Should the PF-UPND pact form Government in 2011 by any unfortunate reason, Zambia will degenerate into a totalitarian dictatorship.

Zambians must this year deeply reflect on what kind of leadership Mr Sata and Mr Hichilema would provide,” Major Chizyuka said.

Major Chizyuka charged that Mr Hichilema is going to be the most disgraced politician that has ever ascended the political platform by offloading his party to another opposition political party.

Major Chizyuka maintained that the PF and UPND are political parties with the leaders that are diametrically opposed both in their manifestoes and style of governance.

He said the PF/UPND pact is doomed to collapse because Mr Sata has already declared himself the presidential candidate for the 2011 elections.[quote]

“I see Mr Hakainde Hichilema being appointed as Minister of Tourism in Mr Sata’s administration. And all the UPND members of Parliament should realise that there shall be nothing for them. History has shown that political pacts have not favoured those from the minority in the pacts.

Often, those in the minority receive the remains of what is in Government and this is what Mr Sata will do,” Major Chizyuka explained.

He recalled that just before Zambia’s independence, African National Congress (ANC) president Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula threw his weight behind UNIP but was only awarded with the position of Minister of Education.

He also said that in 1991, Mr Baldwin Nkumbula, who was one of the major financiers of the MMD, was appointed Minister of Youth and Sports.

Major Chizyuka also said Mr Hichilema’s political strength depends on his riches.

“I have always analysed the strength of Mr Sata and Mr Hichilema and we all know that the PF leader controls mainly two provinces which are Lusaka and Copperbelt plus Northern and Luapula.

Mr Hichilema controls one province which is Southern and has a paltry 23 MPs while the PF have about 40 MPs. So what guarantee is there that Mr Sata will allow Mr Hichilema to lead the pact?” Major Chizyuka wondered.

But UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma has told Major Chizyuka to stop making comments on the pact because he has ceased to be a member of the UPND.

Mr Kakoma said Major Chizyuka does not understand the tenets of democracy and is therefore not qualified to comment on the PF-UPND pact.

Mr Kakoma alleged that Major Chizyuka rejected the intra-party democracy when he opposed the formation of the PF-UPND pact.

Mr Kakoma said that it is out of bitterness at being expelled from the party that Major Chizyuka is charging that the country will degenerate into a totalitarian dictatorship should Mr Sata become president in 2011.

Major Chizyuka has also condemned Mr Hichilema for his continued attacks and insults against President Banda and his Government.

Major Chizyuka wondered what political capital gain Mr Hichilema is getting by peddling insults and lies against President Banda.

Major Chizyuka advised Mr Hichilema to get back to practicing politics based on issues rather than insults.

He said that as a man coming from the corporate world, Mr Hichilema should know the value of respecting other people saying you cannot start degrading the very people you wish to conduct business with.

Major Chizyuka said it is uncultured of Mr Hichilema, who is much younger than President Banda, to continue using unpalatable language.

He said traditionally, Tongas have respect for elders adding that Mr Hichilema should be reminded that he is still an African and cannot insult his father in public.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

By Henry Kyambalesa:

I wish to comment on discrepancies in the reported levels of poverty in Zambia following a recent Zambia Daily Mail report in which the Director of Central Statistical Office (CSO) is quoted as having said that the poverty level in Zambia had declined from 68.1% to 59.3% between 1996 and 2006.

It is regrettable that, over the years, there have been serious discrepancies in the reported levels of poverty in Zambia. In this regard, I wish to cite a few of such reports, which may be paraphrased as follows:

Times of Zambia (October 2005), “Poverty Levels Drop to 68 p.c.,” by Times Reporter: Poverty incidence in Zambia has dropped from 73% in 1998 to 68% in 2005, a CSO survey has revealed. According to a statement released by CSO director Buleti Nsemukila, the preliminary results of the Living Conditions Monitoring Survey of 2004 revealed that the incidence of poverty in terms of head counts had reduced by 7%.

Times of Zambia (November 2009), “Poverty Levels Go Down,” by Times Reporter: Zambia recorded reduced poverty levels from 80% to 64% midway through the Fifth National Development Plan (FNDP), according to Finance and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane.

Zambia Daily Mail (January 2010), “Poverty Levels Drop,” by Nancy Mwape: Zambia’s poverty level has declined from 68.1% in 1996 to 59.3% in 2006, CSO director Efreda Chulu is quoted as having said this at a press briefing in Lusaka recently.

There is clearly a need for the government to create an autono­mous “Bu­reau of Stati­stics and Ar­chives” to replace the CSO so that it can freely and inde­pendent­ly collect, process, maintain, and publish essen­tial data and infor­mation about our country. The Bureau should also assume complete res­ponsibility over the operations of the National Archives of Zambia.

Such a Bureau is necessary if we are to forestall the potential for fudging and/or manipulating of vital data and informa­tion. The autono­my of the Bureau could also lend a great deal of cre­dence to the data and informa­tion publi­shed about the country. There is perhaps no other way in which leaders in the MMD, the ruling political party, are going to exonerate themselves from suspicions that they are trying to fudge national statistics for political gain.

THE MMD has said it is disturbed by Patriotic Front (PF) national youth secretary Eric Chanda’s statement that he and the opposition party are now a physical and political security of the Roman Catholic Church.

MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba said in a statement in Lusaka yesterday that the Roman Catholic Church was a rational church which had survived ages of social tests since its founding.

Dr Kalumba said the MMD denounced the threats against Father Mwewa by whoever perpetrated them and hopes the law would take its course.

He said the ruling party was at pains to understand the orchestrated encirclement of the Roman Catholic Church in Zambia by the PF.
Dr Kalumba said if the PF had taken over control of the Catholic Church this way, Zambia should be informed by the Catholic archbishop Telesphore Mpundu who the MMD respected and believed to be a national church leader.

He said there were many non PF Catholics countrywide and regretted to imagine church doors being manned by PF cadres every Sunday adding that this matter was too serious to ignore by the church hierarchy and the offer by the opposition party should be rejected.

Dr Kalumba said the security of the church priests was the responsibility of the State and all Church members.

He also said Follie Tembo had been appointed MMD provincial executive deputy chairperson for Eastern Province in an acting capacity subject to confirmation by national executive committee (NEC) taking over from Philimino Banda who had been re deployed to other duties.

[Times of Zambia]

SIX Chiefs of the Kunda speaking people of Mambwe District of the Eastern Province are this month expected to meet and discuss the way forward of how they can deal with Patriotic Front leader, Michael Sata over his recent statement that Chipata-Mfuwe Road was leading to a game park.

Senior Chief Nsefu said yesterday that all the six Kunda chiefs would be meeting to discuss the way forward on how they could deal with Mr Sata.

Chief Nsefu said all Kunda traditional leaders in the area felt that Mr Sata insulted the people of Mambwe District because of his statement issued recently.

“Right up now we are contemplating on the date when we can meet as traditional leaders of Mambwe District but we are meeting this month in order to discuss the behaviour and the statement of Mr Sata,” he said.

He said among the issues to be discussed would include the banning of Mr Sata not to visit Mambwe District for his political meetings.
Chief Nsefu said Mr Sata should be chased whenever he visits Mambwe District because of the recent insults against the people of Mambwe District.

Meanwhile, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has advised the PF leaders to keep quiet because they had run out of ideas.
Reacting to PF leaders’ outbursts on the construction of the Chipata-Mfuwe Road, Authentic Advocates for Justice and Peace general secretary Laiford Mwanza said yesterday that his organisation was disturbed by utterances by PF leaders.

Mr Mwanza said in a joint statement also signed by information and publicity secretary Josephat Changwe that Mr Sata and his youth secretary Eric Chanda had issued uncalled for statements on President Rupiah Banda’s directive on Chipata-Mfuwe road.

“In our perspective, PF leaders seem to have run out of ideas and the best they can do is keep quiet and spare people’s ears from the political ranting,” he said.

[Times of Zambia]