MMD national chairperson Micheal Mabenga said yesterday that President Banda has not abandoned the legacy left by President Levy Mwanawasa as it is the agenda he was voted for in 2008.

Mr Mabenga said the legacy is not a personal deal but an agenda made by the party and Mr Banda has continued working as he promised when he was elected.
He said in an interview in Lusaka that people should understand what legacy means before they utter any misleading statements.

Mr Mabenga said the manifesto of the party has not changed as it is not a personal agenda.
He said when President Banda was elected in 2008, he swore on the agenda of the party to continue with late President Mwanawasa’s legacy.

Mr Mabenga also wondered why people have continued blaming Mr Banda on the legacy which is a party manifesto.

He was reacting to Former Defence Minister George Mpombo’s remarks that President Banda has destroyed the legacy of President Mwanawasa.

“What I know is that legacy means the way you approach something and I think people are missing this word which they have to understand very well,” Mr Mabenga said.

He said President Banda has continued with all the programmes left by the late President and will continue to do so.

And Minister of Science and Technology Gabriel Namulambe says he will continue fighting for the legacy of the late President Levy Mwanawasa.
And Mr Namulambe has said people must stop destroying the Mwanawasa legacy.

He said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that some people in this country have continued destroying the legacy of the late president, adding that this should not be accepted.

He said his statement is not based on tribal politics as alleged but on the legacy Mwanawasa left for the nation.

Mr Namulambe emphasised that people should not down-grade the Mwanawasa legacy but uphold it to build the nation economically.

He charged that Federation of Free Trade Unions of Zambia (FFTUZ) president Joyce Simukoko is not the right person to castigate him as she was allegedly in the forefront fighting to down-grade the Mwanawasa legacy.

Mr Namulambe was reacting to Mrs Simukoko’s statement that politics of tribalism should not be tolerated in Zambia because they are a danger to society.

She castigated Mr Namulambe for allegedly practising tribal politics. Mrs Simukoko said it was shameful for Mr Namulambe to speak for his tribe, saying leadership should be above tribal inclinations.

She urged the people of Zambia not to vote for people who promote tribal politics.
Last week, MMD acting spokesperson Mike Mulongoti said Mr Namulambe’s statement that Lambas are not happy with President Banda’s leadership is not representative of Lamba views because he did not consult them.

Mr Mulongoti, who is MMD chairman for elections and Minister of Works and Supply, told journalists in Lusaka that Mr Namulambe was merely expressing his opinion to which he is entitled.

“I do not think that his statement is a representation of something wrong. I do not think it is an indication that we are not happy with anything going on. Individuals are free to express their opinions,” he said.

Mr Mulongoti, who is Lamba, said people from his tribe are so many that Mr Namulambe could not have had enough time to go round consulting them because some of them are in Zambia while others are in neighbouring countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo.

And Mr Mpombo says tribal politics can plunge the country into crisis and should be avoided at all costs.
In a walk-in interview in Ndola yesterday,Mr Mpombo said tribal politics could degenerate into chaos and that the people of Zambia should refrain from practising tribal politics.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

President Rupiah Banda has reiterated his government’s determination to develop the road infrastructure in the Western province despite the bad terrain in the area.

Speaking on arrival at Kalabo air strip this morning president Banda told hundreds of Kalabo residents that his government will ensure that the Mongu-Kalabo road is worked on.

He said although some remarkable developments have taken place during the MMD administration, he was not satisfied adding that government will work hard to continue developing the area.

The President has since directed Finance and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane to find money to commence the construction of the Mongu-Kalabo as soon as possible.

“The Minister of this province has said there is a lot of development that has taken place here but we are not satisfied and we would like to do more. We are determined to provide people of Kalabo with good roads,” he said.

President Banda said once the Mongu-Kalabo road is in good condition, it will be easier to link Kalabo to Angola by road.

The President also called on the people of Western Province to remain calm in order to create an enabling environment for social, political and economic development.

He said development can not take place in the absence of security, peace and stability.

Mr. Banda assured the people that government will also build more schools and health facilities in order to improve the education and health standards in the area.

He said government will also ensure that it creates a lot of employment opportunities for Zambian youths.

President Banda who is in the Western province on a two-day working visit is accompanied by Finance and National Planning Minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane, Works and Supply Minister Mike Mulongoti and Tourism Minister Catherine Namugala.

He was received on arrival at Kalabo airstrip by Western Province Minister Mwapela Sikwibele, Works and Supply Deputy Minister Mundia Ndalamei, Western Province Permanent Secretary Ekanuke Noyo and Seth Muleya and other senior government and MMD officials.

ZANIS

Lamba chiefs on the Copperbelt province have distanced themselves from a statement attributed to Mpongwe Member of Parlaiment Gabriel Namulambe alleging that the Lambas are not happy with the way late Republican President Levy Mwanawasa’s legacy was handled.

Chairperson of the Copperbelt Chiefs Association Chief Mwinuna of the Lamba people in Mpongwe District says the Lamba traditional leaders will not accept to be drawn into the political statement made by Mpongwe Member of Parliament Gabriel Namulambe.

Chief Mwinuna says the Lamba chiefs like all chiefs in the country are custodians of the people and as such cannot be drawn into political quarrels.

He told ZANIS in an interview in Kitwe today that Lamba chiefs will not support statements which they do not understand by engaging in unnecessary quarrels with politicians.

“We are traditional rulers, all the Zambian people are our subjects so why should we be drawn into petty politics’’ said Chief Mwinuna.

He said traditional rulers in the area do not understand the context under which Mr. Namulambe uttered the statements attributed to him in the Press and that they could only issue a comprehensive statement on the matter after meeting Mr. Namulambe.

The traditional leader added that there were so many Lamba Chiefs on the Copperbelt and that he did not know the chiefs that Mr. Namulabe was talking about hence the need to consult him.

He disclosed that he would telephone Mr. Namulabe before he could issue any statement on the matter.

Mr. Namulambe is alleged to have said Lambas feel hurt, insulted an injured by constant attacks on late President Levy Mwanawasa’s legacy.

He is also alleged to have demanded that LAmbas be respected both in government and the MMD.

Some sections of society have since described the statement as being tribal.

And the Copperbelt Traditional Rulers have called on the ruling Movement for Multi Party Democracy to hold a party convention before 2011.

Chairperson Chief Mwinuna says it would be undemocratic for the ruling Party to refuse to hold a convention before the 2011 tripartite elections.

Chief Mwinuna observed that the MMD was founded on Democratic Principals which must be upheld at all times.

He added that if calls by some sectors of society that the Party should not hold a Convention are sustained the top leadership in the Party would be exposing the people to acts of dictatorship.

ZANIS