HOME Affairs Minister Ronnie Shikapwasha is surprised that the police on the Copperbelt have issued a permit to the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) members to protest over the election of President Rupiah Banda.

He said he could not understand the rationale because the permit when the political party had already petitioned Mr Banda’s election in court.

And Lieutenant General Shikapwasha has warned that Government will deal firmly with individuals trying to fuel anarchy in the country.

But PF secretary general Edward Mumbi said the party had not yet taken the matter to court and its members who wanted to protest peacefully should not be barred.

General Shikapwasha was reacting to media reports that opposition PF on the Copperbelt is this Saturday scheduled to hold a peaceful demonstration to register its displeasure over Mr Banda’s election as Republican president.

Copperbelt Police commanding officer, Antoneil Mutentwa was reported to have said the PF was given a permit to allow them to hold a peaceful demonstration because it was their constitutional right.

But General Shikapwasha said PF had already petitioned Mr Banda’s election in the courts of law where they wanted a recount in certain constituencies and should therefore wait for the court’s ruling on the matter, instead of resorting to protests.

He said he was also surprised that despite knowing that the PF had already taken the issue of elections to court, the police on the Copperbelt issued a permit to the political party to hold peaceful demonstrations.

General Shikapwasha charged it was anarchy for individuals or political parties to protest over the issue, which was in court and warned that Government would deal firmly with individuals trying to fuel anarchy in the country.

“It is not a constitutional right to resort to protesting on something you have already taken to court. This is anarchy and we shall not allow anarchy in the country. PF should just wait for the court’s ruling on the matter.

PF was beaten clean and squarely and if the court rules that a recount be done, they will end up losing more votes,” General Shikapwasha said.

Mr Mumbi said that the fact that his party was about to take court action to call for a recount should not stop people from exercising their rights.

Times of Zambia

The Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) has said that  there is nothing wrong with Parliament resuming sittings before a new cabinet is appointed.

The clarification by LAZ follows Tuesday’s walk out of the House by some Patriotic Front Members of Parliament.

PF members claimed the house was sitting illegally because President Banda has not yet appointed his cabinet.

He told ZNBC News that the ruling made by Speaker of the National Assembly Amusa Mwanamwambwa was correct and constitutional.

Mr Banda said all Ministers were appointed by a sitting President and oath, from the Presidency and not to an individual occupying that office.

He said the fact that parliament and cabinet were not dissolved before the October 30 presidential election means that all appointments by President Mwanawasa hold until the new President makes changes.

PF Lusaka Central MP, Guy Scott raised a point of order on Tuesday questioning the rationale behind the house sitting before cabinet is sworn in.

Dr Scott argued that it was unconstitutional for the House to resume business before cabinet is sworn in.

But the speaker Mr. Mwanamwambwa in his ruling told the house that the resumption of business was legal as parliament had not been dissolved before the polls.

And in another development the Law Association of Zambia -LAZ- said the election of President, Rupiah Banda, is a reflection of the confidence Zambians have in his leadership.

LAZ president, Elijah Banda, is confident that President Banda will not fail Zambians.

In an interview with ZNBC news in Lusaka on Wednesday Mr. Banda wished President Banda well in his new task.

And Mr. Banda said the association is happy that President Banda has shown committiment to continue with the fight against corruption.

He said the association is delighted to note that the new President has pledged to continue with the fight against the scourge.

[ZNBC]

DEAR BLOGGERS,

I have a child with a my fiancee and we have been staying together for 3 years. We plan to get married next year.However, our relationship has been rocky of late. You see she has another child with an ex-boyfriend and this child has come to stay with us.

The problem here is that this child is naughty and every time there are issues of his discpline, she calls the ex. This is not an issue of insecurity because she left the ex for me. My point is I do not like these calls because I think since he does not pay child support, he should have nothing to do with our household. He sent his son over to stay with the mother. When I raise these issues with my fiancee, she claims she is doing so because I do not love her son like I do mine. The boy is 11 years and our son is 3 years.  No matter what I tell her she remains adamant that her ex should be involved. I am really pissed off. Am I overeacting here?
Yours

Jeff (not real name)

By JERRY MUNTHALI

SPEAKER of the National Assembly Amusaa Mwanamwambwa yesterday ruled that cabinet ministers appointed by President Mwanawasa will continue performing their functions under the current head of State, President Banda, until he makes changes to the composition.

He also said Minister of Defence George Mpombo would act as leader of Government business in the House irrespective of the vacant position of Vice-President in the executive.

Mr Mwanamwambwa made the ruling after Lusaka central member of Parliament Guy Scott (PF) raised a point of order on constitutional matters regarding the appointment of Mr Mpombo as acting leader of Government business in the House.

In the point of order, Dr Scott argued that Mr Mpombo could not act as leader of Government business because there was no substantive leader of the House.

He also argued that the two ministers of agriculture, Sarah Sayifwanda and Ben Kapita were appointed by the late President Mwanawasa and that they were not supposed to be in the House.

Dr Scott also said nominated members of Parliament were not supposed to be in the House because Dr Mwanawasa who nominated them died.

In his ruling, Mr Mwanamwambwa said constitutionally, the people of Zambia were required to go for general elections every five years.

He said this comprised local government, parliamentary and Presidential elections, which were commonly known as tripartite elections.

Mr Mwanamwambwa said what the people of Zambia did on October 30 was to carry out one of those three elections which was the Presidential election.

“Please note that cabinet was not dissolved, there was the acting President who carried out the function of Head of State up to the day of election.

Following the October 30 election, cabinet continues until dissolved if the President so wishes,” he said.

Mr Mwanamwambwa advised the House to note that where there were proper systems in a Government, the executive continued irrespective of the vacancy in that particular executive.

“Though it may not be visible to your eyes, the position of Government leader does exist. It is not necessarily held by the Vice President but any of the senior Ministers,” he said.

Mr Mwanamwambwa said Mr Mpombo was one of the senior ministers who could act as leader of Government business in the House.

On the two ministers of agriculture, Mr Mwanamwambwa said it was not new that Zambia had two ministers of agriculture.

He said this fact was known long ago and that if any member wished to raise the issue, they could have done so a long time ago.

Mr Mwanamwambwa said the only difference was that the two ministers were now both in the House and that they would stay there until the appointing authority decided otherwise.

“Since Parliament was not dissolved and you did not go for parliamentary elections, all positions continue, including nominated MPs, until the appointing authority decides otherwise,” the Speaker said.

[Daily-Mail]

The recent presidential by-election won narrowly by Rupiah Banda exposed glaring weaknesses in the Zambian electoral process, Catholic bishops said.

The election, following the death of President Levy Mwanawasa, has left the country more divided than before, the bishops said in a pastoral statement issued on Sunday. They warned that, ‘If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.’ (Mark 3:24).

As in previous elections, the prelates said, the pattern of voting on October 30 was along very partisan, regional and tribal lines. “We now appear more divided and polarized, as a nation, than we were before multi-partyism was re-introduced in 1991. This state of affairs is worrying and should not be allowed to continue.”

While commending the people for voting peacefully, the bishops expressed concern about the high level of apathy – only 43 percent of the voters bothered to cast their ballots, compared to 70 percent in 2006.

Voter apathy is partly the result of thinking that one’s vote does not count. It is also due to the public perception of alleged irregularities in the conduct of elections, the bishops said. “Our message to all Zambians is: Never get tired of voting, as your apathy will only deny you the choice of your preferred candidate.”

Bribery and other forms of corrupt practices were used to induce votes during the campaigns, the bishops said, and warned that the vices were increasingly being seen as normal during election campaigns.

The bishops called for continuous voter registration in accordance with a law that was passed in 2001, but which has never been implemented. They also proposed far-reaching electoral reforms to enhance credibility of national elections in Zambia before the next polls in 2011.

The bishops urged the new government to ensure that a new Constitution is in place by the end of 2009, at the latest.

They also said they were available to facilitate reconciliation between leaders of political parties. The opposition presidential contender Michael Sata who lost narrowly to President Banda rejected the results.

A Kitwe based politician has called on government to quickly take measures to reduce prices of commodities, such as mealie meal.

Kalumbwa Kaputo says the prices of fuel, mealie meal and other foodstuffs have continued to rise.

He says there is need for quick response from government to address the situation.

Mr Kaputo was speaking to ZNBC news in an interview.

He said President, Rupiah Banda, and his cabinet should act decisively to ensure most commodities are affordable.

Meanwhile a civic leader in Choma, whose remote ward has been hit by severe hunger, has claimed that people have resorted to surviving on wild roots and raw Masuku fruit as the only alternative.

Kauba ward councillor, Harry Hamuntanga, said the hunger situation in the hilly area of chief Moyo has reached alarming proportion, and warned of imminent starvation is there is no prompt government intervention.

Mr Hamuntanga told ZANIS in Choma that children have been the worst victims of hunger with most of them exhibiting signs of malnutrition.

Officials from the World Food Programme (WFP), who paid a courtesy call on the district administration in Choma, announced that relief food would be distributed only to 9 wards out of the 27 wards in the district.

But Mr Hamuntanga, whose ward is located in Pemba constituency, wondered what would happen to the rest of the wards that have left out of the distribution programme.

He said the sky-rocketing price of mealie meal and maize makes it impossible for villagers to buy food.

Mr Hamuntanga called upon government to move in quickly and address the hunger situation.

District Commissioner, Laiven Apuleni, last week told ZANIS that the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit was making frantic efforts to deliver 300 metric ton of relief maize to the district.

Pupils at most schools in Mungwi have abandoned classes in preference to collecting caterpillars in the forests.

And education authorities in the district have recorded a high number of pupil absenteeism during the just-ended grade 7 final examinations.

A check at various schools in the township by ZANIS found very few pupils attending lessons while many of them were out harvesting caterpillars.

And some teachers talked to said the practice has been going on for the past two weeks now.

The pupils are said to have been enticed into collecting caterpillars because of the bread and other essential commodities that traders were offering in exchange with the insects.

The harvesting of the wild, season caterpillars has also affected other social aspects as men and women have abandoned their homes in order to catch caterpillars for economic reasons.

Currently, traders from other parts of the country, especially from the Copperbelt, have invaded Mungwi and have set-up camps in various villages where they are exchanging goods with caterpillars from the locals.

ZANIS/ENDS/WS/EB

The Movement for moral rearmament has appealed to president Rupiah Banda to unconditionally pardon second republican president Frederick Chiluba.

Movement chairperson, Kelvin chulu, says president Banda should use his constitutional rights to pardon the second republican president.

Mr. Chulu told znbc news that the seven years, which the former president has lived in confinement, is punishment enough.

He said pardoning Dr. Chiluba will also save resources being used in trying to secure a conviction against the former head of state.

Mr. Chulu said the government is spending huge sums of money on trying Chiluba instead of channelling the money to needy areas like health and education.

He also said Zambia is Christian nation, which should uphold the tenets of Christianity by forgiving and loving one another.

[ZNBC]

The UPND has dispelled media reports suggesting that the party is pondering on an electoral pact with the Patriotic Front (PF).

Party Secretary General, Tiens Kahenya, said in a statement to ZNBC that his party is not contemplating entering into a pact with any political party.

Mr. Kkahenya said UPND is currently conducting a postmortem of the last presidential election.

He said the party is also focusing on the 2011 tripartite elections.

Mr. Kahenya however, said his party will always remain committed to genuine proposals for alliances.

[ZNBC]