The ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) has called on Zambians to scrutinize the manifesto’s of the various political parties fielding candidates in the October 30 presidential poll.

MMD presidential candidate Rupiah Banda’s Campaign Manager Mike Mulongoti says party manifesto’s should be the basis for supporting any given presidential aspirant.

Mr. Mulongoti, who is also Information and Broadcasting Services minister, told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that  inferior and vague manifesto’s point to the quality of leadership of the respective political party leaders.

He urged the electorate to vote for Mr. Banda in the October 30 presidential election because his candidature is backed by a sound manifesto.

Mr. Mulongoti said MMD has a vision of how to propel national development for the benefit of the citizenry.

He said Mr. Banda is the best person to carry on the policies of government because he worked closely with the late President Levy Mwanawasa in efforts aimed at moving the nation forward.

Mr. Mulongoti said voting for the opposition would be a big mistake because such a move would disrupt developmental programmes currently underway.

He said it was evident that the ruling MMD’s economic policies were bearing fruit.

Zambia goes to the polls on October 30 and the presidential hopefuls include Rupiah Banda of the ruling MMD, Patriotic Front’s Michael Sata, Hakainde Hichilema  of the United Party for National Development and Godfrey Miyanda of the Heritage Party.

Representatives of the four presidential candidates have resolved the impasse surrounding the 600 thousand excess presidential ballot papers.

The political parties have resolved that the extra presidential ballot papers be transported to all the nine provinces of Zambia.

However, they have agreed that the ballot papers should not be taken to polling stations but be kept in safe places in districts.

Patriotic Front Vice President, Guy Scott, says in the event that extra ballots are needed at a particular polling station, those kept at the district level will be taken to the affected station.

He told Journalists after a meeting of stakeholders at the Electoral Commission of Zambia in Lusaka on

Wednesday that political parties have now understood why the extra ballots were printed.

He said his party is satisfied with the resolution reached by all political parties contesting the October 30, presidential election.

UPND president Hakainde Hichilema was represented by his secretary General, Tiens Kahenya and Kalomo Member of Parliament, Request Muntanga.

The Patriotic Front, leader, Michael Sat was representted by Dr Scott, PF Spokesperson, Given Lubinda and party Secretary General Edward Mumbi.

MMD Presidential Candidate, Rupiah Banda, was representated by his Election Agent, Ben Tetamashimba while Heritage Party President, Godffrey Miyanda was represented by his party Spokesperson, Wazziah Phiri.

[ZNBC]

Patriotic Front Presidential candidate Michael Sata has said that Luapula Province was endowed with enough water resource to generate sufficient hydropower to mitigate the power shortage that Zambia was faced with.

And Mr. Sata has lashed out at Bahati Constituency PF MP and seven other party MPs who were working with the MMD despite being voted for to represent the people on the PF ticket.

At a public rally in Mansa today ahead of the October 30 presidential election, Mr. Sata said once elected as President of Zambia his government would ensure that development was brought to Luapula.

He said the Province had enough water resources to have its own water utility company to provide improved water services and sanitation.

Luapula is the only Province without a water utility company in Zambia.

He said it was sad that many people including civil servants were using pit latrines and had no running water in their homes despite the abundant water resource in the Province.

The PF leader said there was no need for government to engage foreigners to develop the area saying Zambians were capable of developing the country on their own.

“we don’t need to run to China to come and develop our country. Zambians are the owners of the resources and they are the first investors,” Mr. Sata said.

Mr. Sata said the province also had great potential in major sectors such as tourism but had been made to lag behind.

He said the party had only one royal MP, Chipili constituency Davies Mwila out of nine PF MPs in Luapula saying that the other eight MPs had opted to support MMD in the Presidential Election.

“Business used to tick here in Luapula but it has died. It’s because you have been betrayed by people like (MP) Chimbaka and other members of parliament here, they want to fatten their pockets before they work for you the voters you need productive and honest leaders with ideas to take this area forward,” Mr. Sata said.

And Mr. Sata has said his government would do away with basic education saying it was a mockery and would emphasize secondary school education by constructing Secondary schools every 10 kilometres across the country.

Mr. Sata said he would also ensure that all community schools were upgraded to ensure that they produced the same standard of pupils.

He also said that he would ensure that each district had a Hospital and doctors to attend to the health problems of the people.

He said that teachers and other government officers’ welfare would be improved for them to be motivated to provide proficient services for the country to move forward.

And Mr. Sata has said that his government would decentralise fertiliser distribution from Lusaka to village level saying traditional leaders would be empowered to manage and administer the distribution of fertiliser to farmers in the village.

He said that the current system of distributing fertiliser from Lusaka was cumbersome noting that village headmen and chiefs knew committed farmers with potential to produce once they benefited from the support.

Mr. Sata also said that every village will have an extension officer to oversee agriculture activities.

He further said that his government would supply tractors and fertiliser to farmers and would be recovering the costs from the farmers’ harvests annually.

At the same rally, Mr. Sata said that the people saying that he would bring war once he was President were aimed at killing the people because the only war he had to fight was hunger and poverty that many Zambians were going through.

Mr. Sata said he was a proven and practical leader to make the best President for Zambia.

ZANIS/ENDS/CB/CLM

The opposition Patriotic Front (PF) has won by a landslide victory in a parliamentary by-election held in Nkachibiya constituency in Mpika yesterday.

The by-election was held to fill a vacant seat for the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kanchibiya constituency in Mpika following the death of the area’s representative earlier this year.

The results for the seat were considered important because it would serve as a litmus test for political parties contesting the presidential elections in two weeks time.

The ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) spokesperson Ben Tetamashimba, conceded defeat on Wednesday after its candidate who came second was left behind by an insurmountable lead by the PF candidate.

Despite heavy campaigning for the seat by the ruling party with senior party members, including the Acting President Rupiah Banda appealing with voters to select its candidate, the voters overwhelmingly voted for the PF candidate.

Political analysts said the result was an indication of the pattern of voting that will characterise the presidential election in Mpika.

Two other candidates who included an independent candidate with no political party affiliation who contested the by election came a distant third and fourth.

Analysts consider the Northern Province to be a crucial battle ground in the 30 October presidential election because of the ability of the province to swing the poll results, owing mainly to the large number of voters and non-tribal voting that characterises the votes from the province.

[AFP]

Patriotic Front president, Michael Sata, has promised to cancel all motor vehicle loans chiefs obtained from the Government and convert them into grants if elected head of State.

Mr Sata said chiefs that had already paid some money towards the vehicles would be refunded by the Government should he win the October 30 elections.

Addressing a campaign rally in Mpulungu, Mr Sata said it was unacceptable for the Government to give loans to chiefs who did not even have a stable source of income.

Mr Sata said under the agriculture sector, he would ensure that chiefs were given more authority to administer the people and identify vulnerable individuals needing the Government’s support.

He said widows and the aged would get free agricultural inputs from the Government once identified by the chiefs.

He said all such measures would be effected within 90 days of ascending to the presidency because he knew where the money was in Government.

Mr Sata also promised to improve accommodation for police officers, saying some of them were living in deplorable conditions.

He said some police officers were living in metal containers and tents despite them playing a key role in the security and governance process of the country.

The PF leader also said Mpulungu Harbour would be opened up to all international destinations and be commercialised instead of running it in its current form.

He said fishermen would also be exempted from paying taxes but would be subjected to regulation to ensure that the fish population was not affected.

He said taxes would not apply to fishermen because Lake Tanganyika was natural water and not man-made.

Mr Sata said it was hard to believe that people in Mpulungu still had no running tap water when the river was just a few metres from their houses.

He also said the electrification of Mpulungu was long overdue and wondered why it had delayed when Tanzania had already done so.

He said the Government was taking too long to deliver development to the people and the PF would make sure a speedy process was conducted to free Zambians from poverty.

He said the October 30 elections were an opportunity for Zambians to bring in good leadership.

He said his past history could be traced in Mpulungu where he built a clinic several years ago. He said the clinic he built was still being used today and had not been rehabilitated or expanded from the time he left it.

Mr Sata said if voted into power, he would ensure that the clinic was turned into a hospital so that more people could be attended to.

Meanwhile, there was confusion in Mbala yesterday when police confronted Mr Sata and ordered him to leave the district because acting President, Rupiah Banda, was also scheduled to address a rally there.

The police officers confronted Mr Sata in his room at Lake Chila Lodge, about one kilometre from Mbala boma and said they had been informed that Mr Banda was scheduled to arrive in Mbala for a rally at the same site the PF leader wanted to hold his meeting.

Mr Sata, who is also on a campaign trail, refused to leave Mbala and said his notice for a PF rally was made earlier than the MMD.

After a protracted argument, Mr Sata and the police officers agreed that the PF rally should start at 10:00 hours instead of the initial 14:00 hours so that the MMD could also convene later in the afternoon.

Earlier, the police officers said they had been informed that the helicopter flying Mr Sata had not been cleared by relevant authorities to fly from Lusaka and requested to see the permit allowing the pilot, who is a foreigner, to fly in Zambian airspace.

It was later learnt that the pilot, though a foreigner, had obtained an 18-day permit to fly in Zambia and the helicopter got clearance from Lusaka to fly Mr Sata around.

Mr Sata later held his rally at 10:00 hours but at a different venue after mobilising people who were initially told that the meeting would take place at 14:00 hours.
Times of Zambia

UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) leader, Hakainde Hichilema, has said he will use his salary to assist vulnerable youths in society if elected as Republican president in the October 30 polls.

Mr Hichilema said that he was seeking the Republican presidency so that he could serve the people of Zambia.
He said this when he addressed a rally at Kaunda Square grounds in Isoka yesterday.

“When you vote for us in office, we will work for you. I will use my salary to contribute to the youth,” Mr Hichilema said.

The UPND leader also said he would cancel the Presidential Emoluments Bill as well as the Constitutional Office Holders’ Bill so that the money could be channeled to the agriculture sector.

The bills seek to increase salaries and gratuity for the president, vice-president, speaker, ministers and the deputy ministers and other constitutional officer holders.

Such money, Mr Hichilema said, would be used to buy fertiliser and other agricultural inputs, which would be later distributed free of charge to farmers.

“When you elect us on October 30, we will cancel that bill and relocate the money to the agriculture sector so that you can have fertiliser and other inputs,” Mr Hichilema said.

If the people of Isoka love themselves, he said they should vote for the UPND as it was the only party that could improve their welfare.

Mr Hichilema said the UPND had a realistic and workable manifesto, and urged the people of Isoka not to vote for another party.

Times of Zambia