to challenge him for the position of party president and that he has never requested to be declared the sole MMD candidate.

Mr Banda said he had not barred anybody from vying for the party’s presidential candidature for the 2011 polls and had already indicated that people were free to challenge him for it.

“I have agreed on that and let me answer this question which seems to be worrying people. I have said it so many times and at Livingstone Airport and other places and I want to repeat it using you and hope you will put it clearly so that the nation understands.

‘‘I never stopped anybody from standing. I have never asked that I should be the only candidate. I think that is very clear, so whatever happens you go and ask those that are talking about it,” he said.

Mr Banda was speaking at Livingstone International Airport yesterday morning before departure for Lusaka.

When asked to comment on the resignation of Defence minister, George Mpombo, who was also the MMD’s chairperson for energy and water development, Mr Banda said he had only heard about the resignation and could not react to it before he saw the resignation letter.

Asked further for a comment on the wrangling between Local Government and Housing Minister, Benny Tetamashimba and his predecessor, Sylvia Masebo, over the purchase of 100 hearses from China, Mr Banda said the issue was over and he would not expect any more dirty linen to be washed in public.

“My answer is that it is finished now. Let’s not wash any more dirty linen in public,” the president said.

The president was pleased to see Paramount Chief Chitimukulu of the Bemba people, saying it was good for him to have travelled to come and honour Chief Mukuni of the Toka Leya people in Kazungula by attending the Lwiindi Lo Kuzyola Mukuni Ngombe traditional ceremony, which ended on Tuesday.

Southern Province Minister, Daniel Munkombwe said he was the one who had been talking about the presidential candidacy of Mr Banda as the sole candidate for the party.

“I said we do not know the others, they are still hiding. The only person who is featuring to us is His Excellency the President, he is the one who is featuring. We cannot talk about the unknown. There is no shadow boxing in leadership, you have got to be there boldly.

“The others are still in the shells. Until they emerge, that’s when we will analyse them individually.

‘‘But for now, it is this man (President Banda) here and we will stick to that,” Mr Munkombwe said as President Banda acknowledged in approval.

Mr Munkombwe, Southern Province Permanent Secretary, Darius Hakayobe and several Government and party officials, saw off the president, who was accompanied by First Lady Thandiwe, Cabinet ministers and other Government officials.

He was in Livingstone where he hosted presidents of Tanzania and Zimbabwe, Jakaya Kikwete and Robert Mugabe, who were guests of honour at traditional ceremonies, the Lwiindi Gonde of the Tonga people in Monze and the Lwiindi for the Mukuni Ng’ombe of the Toka Leya in Kazungula, respectively.

While in Livingstone, President Banda and his Tanzanian counterpart, Mr Kikwete held bilateral talks on the shores of the Zambezi River where they discussed the operations of the jointly owned Tanzania, Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) and called on its creditors to cancel the debt.

[Times of Zambia]

MMD Spokesperson, Ben Tetamashimba, says the resignation of Defence Minister, George Mpombo, from Cabinet and MMD as chairman for energy will not threaten the ruling party.

Mr Tetamashimba said in an interview with Journalists in Livingstone today that Mr Mpombo allegedly failed to organise the party on the Copperbelt.[quote]

Mr Tetamashimba also expressed doubt that Mr Mpombo would recontest the Kafulafuta parliamentary seat in 2011 elections because in 2006 he was imposed on the people.

And Mr Tetamashimba has reiterated that President, Rupiah Banda, is the only credible candidate to stand on the party ticket in 2011.

He said all those people in the ruling party who were saying that the race for the MMD presidential candidate must be opened were not credible.

Mr Tetamashimba observed that even when the ruling party goes to the convention, no one is going to stand for the party presidency apart from President Banda.

He observed that Patriotic Front, PF, leader Micheal Sata has stood for the presidency for three times as the sole candidate and wondered why no one has questioned his position.

“Mr Sata has stood as President for three times in this country, why haven’t you asked him why he is the only one standing?,” he asked.

Yesterday, Defence Minister, Mr. Mpombo announced his resignation from government and the MMD National Executive Committee, NEC, citing personal reasons.
ZANIS

sustained if development is evenly distributed.

Mr. Hichilema noted that there is no need to sloganeer unity without service delivery as unity is an important prerequisite to achieve development.

In an interview with ZANIS yesterday on Unity Day, Mr. Hichilema said the reason why Zambians and fore leaders fought for political independence was to attain peace so that they can unite the country and use that unity to develop the country.

The UPND President pointed out that development has to do with quality of life where people access quality education, health, clean water and have three decent meals a day.

He further pointed out that unity could be eluded if there is unfairness in the distribution of development opportunities.

Mr. Hichilema said there is need to make opportunities available to every individual if peace and unity is to be sustained.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hachilema has challenged parents to teach their children the art of hard work.

He noted that parents should make their children understand that for them to have a better life they must work hard.

He implored parents to also explain the importance of culture to their children saying people without a culture heritage have questionable characters.
ZANIS

described as shocking the resignation of Defence Minister, George Mpombo.

Party Secretary General, Katele Kalumba, said the resignation of Mr Mpombo comes as a great shock to the party, especially that he was a senior member of the party and a minister.

He said Mr Mpombo holds a very important position in the country as a Defence Minister, adding that he should have followed a laid down procedure before he could announce his resignation.

Dr Kalumba told ZANIS in an interview yesterday that he expected Mr Mpombo to consult with the party before he could take such a bold decision.

Dr Kalumba said being a NEC member and elected by majority at the party convention, the former minister knows that it is difficulty for a person to relinquish a position unless under difficult circumstances.

He, however, welcomed the resignation of Mr Mpombo, who is also Kafulafuta Member of Parliament and MMD chairman for energy.

Dr Kalumba said Mr Mpombo’s resignation was a big blow to the party as the man stood for democracy.

He further wished the minister good luck in his new endeavors and hoped that he will remain a committed member of the party.

He has, meanwhile, called on all party members in the country not to panic, adding that the party will soon recover from the loss of the minister.

Dr Kalumba said MMD as a party has in the past lost important members but has quickly recovered from such.

He has further urged MMD members to stop politicking on who stands for elections in 2011, but concentrate on developing the country.

ZANIS

2011 presidential and parliamentary elections is not negotiable.

MMD chairman for elections Mike Mulongoti said the wisest thing his party can do is to have president Banda stand and win the elections owing to the statesmanship he has demonstrated since he became head of State.[quote]

“The MMD has made its stance that we will endorse President Banda’s candidature in 2011 because he has demonstrated statesmanship since he was elected. It would not be a clever thing to fight an existing president,” Mr Mulongoti said.

He said this yesterday at the Press Freedom Committee of The Post discussion at Lusaka’s Chrismar Hotel.

Mr Mulongoti castigated people intending to stand on the MMD ticket during the 2011 elections, saying such people should have been involved in activities of the party long before their desire to stand.

“To those, I can clearly say they will not find favour with us because they must have shown commitment to the party in the first place,” he said.

Mr Mulongoti said those intending to represent MMD in the 2011 general elections should have waited for the party members’ invitation for them to lead it in the elections.

He described them as insincere people.

“If you think you are presidential material, party members should invite you. Otherwise I will consider you to be a very dishonest character who wants to get what others have worked for,” Mr Mulongoti said.

He said such people must not insinuate that the MMD is undemocratic when it stops them from getting the presidency of the party on what he called a silver plate.

“What is undemocratic about stopping someone from getting something on a silver plate?” Mr Mulongoti asked.

He said the MMD is not against people intending to contest the presidency of the party but that such people should show what they have done for the party.

“We have no intentions of stopping people from contesting the presidency of the MMD but they must come with a track record of their participation in party affairs,” Mr Mulongoti said.

Mr Mulongoti said his party is popular and that people have confidence in its government.

He said President Banda is a great leader who needs the support of people to develop the country.
Mr Mulongoti complained that President Banda is being attacked for mistakes he never made.

“It is unfortunate that President Banda is being attacked for mistakes he did not make,” he said.

And Mr Mulongoti said the MMD is a strong party and that it is not moved by the formation of the Patriotic Front-United Party for National Development pact.

“We are very strong and united as a political party. They are saying we are weak, but how can you team up against a weak party.

“What makes it sweet is that while we are in power, some people are dying to come into power. We cannot be blamed as MMD for keeping them waiting. The people of Zambia have given us the support to be in power for as long as they want,” he said.
[Zambia Daily Mail]

resignation at Chabanga Lodge this morning in the Itawa area of Ndola.

He said he had resigned as defence minster and MMD National Executive Committee member responsible for energy development.

Mr Mpombo said he was not in the position to talk too much because he has not yet heard from the president but he would date the press at a later stage at an appropriate time.[quote]

He said he would remain a member of parliament for Kafulafuta Constituency until 2011 beyond which he was not too willing to continue in order to give young people a chance to take up leadership.

Mr Mpombo said he would concentrate his energies on constituency projects and issues to do with the environment because there was too much deforestation in his constituency.

He said he had written to the president to accept his resignation on personal grounds.

Mr Mpombo said he was grateful that he had served as Southern Province Deputy Minister as his first ministerial appointment by the late president Levy Mwanawasa and later as minister of Energy before coming to the Copperbelt as deputy Minister when later he was appointed Defence Minister.

Mr Mpombo described himself as “a hard coiled spring” of MMD and would remain a loyal member of the ruling party.

He said he would relocate to Katonte farm which was situated next to Chief Nkambo’s area where he would stay for a few weeks.

He stated that resigning was a painful decision which he took after consultations with his family and other stakeholders adding that he wanted to do it in a smart way and allow the dust to settle.

Mr Mpombo, however, appealed to the party leadership to hold the national convention where NEC members could seek a fresh mandate from the party and uphold the good tenets of democratic practice by not imposing candidates but allow democracy to flourish.

Mr Mpombo said the MMD was founded on the bedrock of democracy and should promote unity of vision purpose, direction and strategy.

He said holding a national convention was a constitutional requirement of the party and should not be overlooked like other parties that were not democratic were doing.

Mr Mpombo said it was a matter which should handled properly and cautiously because it had the potential to divide the party.

He noted that the MMD was a beacon of democracy in the country and should remain focused and resolute on constitutional matters.

Mr Mpombo said he had no intentions of standing as party president at the convention and he was also not available for the Kafulafuta parliamentary seat in 2011 because he wanted to have more time with his family and his studies in MBA and Doctorate.

ZANIS