Justice Minister George Kunda has said the new Deal government has prudently managed the national resources within a short period of time which has resulted  in tangible development taking  place in the country.

And Patriotic Front (PF) Nkana Member of Parliament (MP) Chola Musenge charged that the MMD had failed to provide better services to the people of Zambia hence the need for the people to vote the ruling party out of government this months end.

Mr. Kunda said the MMD government had a systematic approach to development through the  National Plans such as the Fifth National Development Plan (FNDP), the District plans such as the District Development Coordinating Committee (DDCC) in each district .

He said government has done a lot of work to improve people’s lives  through the  provision of  social services  such as the construction and rehabilitation of  schools,  improvement of communication system and the  improvement of health services delivery.

“In my constituency for example, the other week, I was handing over three schools which were worked on, three courts have been built and we have a new maternity wing being completed at the district hospital.

The government has provided new vehicles to the health department, bridges have been constructed, so it is not true that as a government we have failed,” he said.

Mr. Kunda said people of Zambia should allow the MMD to continue because its programs were on course adding that voting for Acting President Rupiah Banda would mean continuity  of the polices which the party was implementation.

Speaking during the Press Freedom Committee of the post Newsmakers Forum held in the council chamber in Serenje yesterday evening, Mr. Kunda who is also Muchinga constituency member of parliament said PF had nothing to offer the nation because of inconsistence  of  its leader .

“Mr. Sata left the schools the way they are now and this made our job difficult.  He left grass thatched schools, no bridges.  But now we have worked had and managed to have $1.2billion in reserve within a short period”, he said.

Mr. Kunda urged the opposition to be objective for them to see what the MMD had done adding that investment attraction was there and could be seen by the number of investors coming into the country.

But  PF Nkana Member of Parliament  said  Mr.  Sata was a trusted and tested leader who should be given the presidency this month end in order  to address the  problems people were facing in Zambia.

Mr. Musenge  said Sata’s leadership could be attested by looking at what he did when he was given responsibilities to run some ministries such as Local Government and Health Ministries.

Mr. Musenge said people of Serenje were suffering a lot as could be seen by lack of adequate social services in the area.

The Opposition MP charged that  the  police in the district had only one vehicle  for use in their operations..

He said the MMD had failed to collect new taxes from mining companies despite having stated that the money   would be  utlised to  improve the economy.

He said his party  once it comes into power will compel  all mining companies to pay the new taxes.

“It is unfortunate that some miners still want to pay low taxes even after the new taxation act is in place.  So when PF is voted into power next month all these mining companies will be made to start paying the new taxes”, he said.

Mr. Musenge said Mr. Sata will only be compelled to dissolve parliament if taken to extremes and hoped some members of parliament from MMD and other opposition political parties would resign to join the PF.

“If parliament is dissolved, chances of some MPs retaining their seats were very slim so we expect some, like Mr. Kunda to join,” he said.

And Mr. Musenge said the PF had a manifesto but the document could not be revealed to the people because it had not been adopted through  the convention.

He was answering a question from Mr. Rex Chikamba who wanted to know if PF had a written manifesto.

Inspector General of Police Ephraim Mateyo has resounded his earlier warning that the command will sternly deal with any acts or statements that are unlawful and borders on the breach of peace.

Mr. Mateyo said in line with the constitution, that the only means of assuming power is through the ballot as opposed to any unlawful means that may lead to apprehension among citizens.

He told ZANIS in a statement that the change of government lies in the ballot box where people should direct their energy or excitement to vote for leaders of their choice without resorting to unlawful means.

“ As we draw nearer to the presidential elections scheduled for this month, we have challenge to go to higher levels of political maturity by conducting ourselves in a peaceful and tranquil manner ,’ he stated

The Inspector General has appealed to all stakeholders in the elections to desist from making statements or acts that could result into the breach of the peace , which the country has enjoyed.

He said his office has enjoyed good working relationship with all stakeholders in the election management .

He said the relationship , which he hoped should go beyond the October 30 elections , can only be achieved with the support and co-operation of all stakeholders working with officers on the ground.

He has since extended an olive branch to all stakeholders who are aggrieved seeking redress to his office.

Mr. Mateyo said his desire is that the elections are conducted in a manner free from violence where peace and tranquility will still remain cornerstone for the economic and social development of the country.

ZANIS/MK/ENDS.

THE Heritage Party (HP) has said that the Village Concept is the only manifesto that offers to address issues of underdevelopment both in rural and urban areas of the country.

HP spokesperson Waziah Phiri said in an interview in Lusaka that currently, only the urban areas were being developed because the existing national leadership did not have a workable concept to improve rural areas.

Mr Phiri said that under the Village Concept, which the HP had been propagating for a long time, there would be equitable distribution of wealth between the urban and rural areas.

If such was the case, Mr Phiri said that both the urban and rural areas would be developed simultaneously.

Mr Phiri said that currently, what was happening was that only the urban areas were developed and dwellers from the rural areas were abandoning the places resulting into urban areas getting over populated.

“If the Village Concept was to be applied, all development would not only be centered in Lusaka but the entire country. Wealth should be equitably distributed and not as the case is,” Mr Phiri said.

He said that besides the Village Concept ensuring that the wealth of the nation was equitably distributed, it would also address the plight of women, the youth and other vulnerable citizens.

Mr Phiri said that currently, the vulnerable in society were marginalised and the HP was determined to reverse the trend.

He also cautioned the electorate against falling prey to promises by leaders of some opposition parties.

Mr Phiri said most leaders had in the past failed to fulfill their promises and therefore wondered how the electorate should this time around trust them.

“One such promise which had been made by some opposition party leaders is the recognition of the Barotse Royal Establishment.

“The problem we find with some politicians is that they make promises which they themselves know that they would not fulfill. The people should look at the track record of these leaders,” he said.

Among the presidential aspirants in the October 30 polls, Mr Phiri said that the HP candidate Godfrey Miyanda (above) was the only leader who could not fail to fulfill his promises.

He said that if Zambians were serious about seeing the country develop, they should vote for the HP candidate.

“If our country wants a leader that will not fail them then they should vote for us. We are the only ones with a track record for all to see,” Mr Phiri said.

Times of Zambia

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has disclosed that it has met its targets with all logistics in place for the holding of the October 30th presidential polls.

ECZ Chairperson Justice Florence Mumba however said the ballot papers and other election materials are yet to be delivered to all the 72 districts throughout the country.

Speaking at a media briefing in Lusaka today, Ms. Mumba also said that the commission has been operating under pressure especially with accusations and suspicions from various stakeholders.

She however said that ECZ will continue to perform its duties within the provisions of the law despite the pressure from stakeholders.

Justice. Mumba said the commission also values the observations made by the stakeholders of the electoral process adding that ECZ remains open to address any concerns raised by the stakeholders.

And the ECZ Chairperson has also disclosed that the extra ballot papers will only be dispatched to polling stations in need of them with the consent of all the four participating political parties.

She said the decision follows consultations with the participating political parties that the extra 600 000 ballot papers will remain in the custody of the ECZ.

Justice Mumba has further said that the omitted registered voters in the 2006 voter’s register have been correctly captured in the voters register adding that all the participating political parties have been informed.

On the voting procedure during the October 30th polls Justice Mumba said all polling agents, monitors and observers will be able to observe the voting process and record the number of voters who will cast their votes.

She also explained that the announcement form for the election results for each polling station will be signed by the presiding officer and a polling agent from each of the four participating political parties.

Justice Mumba added that the polling agents and monitors will be obliged to sign the election results form and will each be given a copy for their records by the returning officer.

She also said that the results will be transmitted from the district centers in the presence of political party agents to the commission headquarters in Lusaka both electronically and by fax adding that the final election result will only be announced on receipt of all the results from the 150 constituencies in the country.

ZANIS/CM/MK/ENDS

Acting Republican President Rupiah Banda has assured that his Government will further reduce the price of fuel if the people of Zambia vote him  State House on 30th October 2008.

Mr. Rupiah Banda observed that prices of fuel in Zambia were still high, hence the need to reduce them to a affordable levels if the country was to development quickly.

Mr. Banda was speaking when he addressed a mammoth campaign rally at Independence Square in Lundazi District  today.

The Acting Republican President said, because of high prices of fuel in the country, the growth of small scall farmers, transporters, industries and the traveling communities have been  affected.

On Fertilizer, he said his MMD government has already subsidized fertilizer from K200,000 per 50kg to K50,000 per bag in order to assist small scale farmers in rural areas grow more food and reduce poverty.

Mr. Banda told the people of Lundazi  District to vote for him, because he was an experienced politician who would manage the economy of Zambia well and make the people of Zambia rich.

And while in Chama Mr. Banda  warned that he will deal with people engaged in malpractice in the distribution of farming inputs in the distribution under the Fertilizer Support Program (FSP) once elected  persident.

Speaking when he addressed a mamoth rally Mr. Banda appealed to the people of Eastern Province to be vigilant and report those mismanaging the distribution of farming inputs.

Mr. Banda said the distribution of subsidized farming inputs is a Government program which intends to improve the living conditions of the people of Zambian and its misappropriation will not be tolerated.

“Youths you should not allow trick  stars to take  advantage of you by denying you what the Government provides for you” he said.

The Acting President also said he would ensure that the farming inputs are distributed on time and accessible to all viable farmers.

Mr. Banda said  he has  great hope for the future of Zambia and will improve the economy of Chama district by encouraging investments in mineral and oil exploration within ten days after elected into office.

He observed that Chama  has oil  and minerals that once exploited, will improve the living standards of residents as it will increase employment levels  and improve infrastructure development.

The acting president advised residents of Chama not to abandon the district as it has potential to grow.

Mr. Banda also disclosed that funds for Chama/Matumbo  road have been released and the contract has been awarded to a Chinese firm.

“A feasibility study has already  been done and what remains is for the works to start” he said.

He stated that he would ensure that rehabilitation works on the Chama/Lundazi road are completed so that the district can connect to rest of the country without difficulties.

And Mr. Banda says he believes that the future of the nation lies in the youth and pledged that he would address issues of education and unemployment to enable them improves their living standards.

He added that he would ensure that youths in the country are  empowered with life skills so that they engage in lucrative ventures.

The acting president said he will ensure that all developmental projects that were approved in the budget are completed on schedule.

He noted that once  elected into office, he would only have three years to complete all developmental projects that were initiated by late president Levy Mwanawasa.

“Within  the three  years I will complete all projects initiated by the late president are complete  and I will start new projects because I know the vision of the late Dr. Mwanawasa  as  I worked closely with him,” he said.

Mr. Banda has expressed confidence that he will scoop the president race because of  the massive support he has received in six provinces that he has visited so far.

“I have being receiving massive support wherever I have gone to campaign  and I am assured that it will be the same in Lusaka, Central and Copperbelt provinces when I go there,” he said.

He stated that his support from some opposition political parties have instilled confidence  and hope that he will emerge victorious on October 30.

Mr. Banda who was in the company of United Liberal Party (ULP) president Saskwiba Sikota, Forum for Democracy (FDD) president Edith Nawakwi, Eastern Province minister Charles Shawa, and several party and government officials, thanked the two political leaders for their suport.

Meanwhile, ULP president Sakwiba Sikota said that it was a pity that the Post Newspaper was not in the district to prove that Mr. Banda has support at  grassroot level in the district.

Mr. sikota said the multitudes of people that braved the heat in chama in order to show suport for the acting president was evidence of the confidence that people have in Mr. Banda.

He alleged that PF leader Michael Sata pose a threat to people in border areas because he threatened Luvales in Western Province that he would chase them to Angola.

“He will not spare the people of Chama, he will chase them to Malwai becaue trhey share boarders with that country,” he said.

And FDD president Edith Nawakwi appealed to the appealed of Chama to elect Mr. Banda as President because he committed to improve the education sector.

Ms. Nawakwi said Mr. Banda would improve the sector with regard to education of the  girl child who she said is married off at a tender age.

The FDD leader observed that a number of girls in rural areas do not complete their grade twelve due to inadequate financial resources and distant educational infrastructure.

She urged mothers in the district to take their female children to schools as they can contribute to the growth of the economy of the nation.

ENDS/HN/DM/PK/ZANIS.

Some youths in Northern Province have declared their support for UPND presidential candidate Hakainde Hichilema in the October 30 presidential election.

This is according to a statement released to ZANIS in Kasama and signed by youth representatives Peggy Mulenga, Innocent Chileshe and Bridget Shaulo.

The youths said they have decided to back Mr. Hichilema because he has a clear vision of transforming Zambia into a prosperous country.

They said the UPND leader has demonstrated true leadership qualities by championing the cause of the youths, who were mostly unemployed due to lack of jobs.

The youths said the fact that the opposition UPND promises to provide equal opportunities for all Zambians was enough indication that the welfare of youths would finally receive the necessary attention, which they said had been lacking in the past.

They also welcomed Mr. Hichilema’s pledge to provide free education from primary to tertiary level adding that education was the cornerstone for national development.

Meanwhile, the youths have expressed disappointment with a named opposition party leader who allegedly advised youths to engage in smoking and beer drinking as they would have no time to do when he is elected president.

They said such careless political statement was not helping youths to become better citizens, adding that the future of youths would be sent into disarray if the opposition leader wins the presidency.

The youths have since appealed to all the presidential candidates in the October 30 election to be sensitive to the plight of Zambians, whom they said were living in abject poverty due to lack of income to sustain their living.

ZANIS/KSM/MK/ENDS