The opposition UPND says it is the only political party which is consistent on the need to implement sound economic policies.

Spokesperson for UPND presidential candidate, Hakainda Hichilema, Douglas Siakalima said on Thursday that the party has never changed its stance on all national issues.

Mr. Siakalima said the party is assured of a sound victory in the October 30 Presidential election.

Meanwhile, Mr. Siakalima has dismissed reports suggesting that the UPND is part of some quarters that are linking first republican President Dr. Frederick Chiluba to Acting president, Rupiah Banda.

Mr. Banda is also the MMD’s candidate in the forthcoming presidential poll.

PF leader, Michael Sata, was quoted by the Post Newspapers recently as saying Mr. Banda has teamed up with Dr. Chiluba ahead of the presidential election.

Mr. Banda has denied the claims.
[ZNBC]

The Zambian High Court has set tomorrow (Friday) as the day to hear the case in which the court is being asked to declare that Rupiah Banda cannot be Zambia’s vice president and acting president once he has been nominated as his party’s candidate for the coming October 30^th presidential elections.

The Anti-Rigging Zambia Limited, a non-government organization which brought the case, says Banda cannot use state resources as vice president and acting president to fund his political campaign.

Mbita Chitala is the chief executive officer of the Campaign Committee for the ruling Movement for Multi-party Democracy. He told VOA that the lawsuit is an attempt by main opposition leader Michael Sata to subvert the Zambian constitution.

“Our view as MMD is that this is truly an outrageous attempt by the Patriotic Front led by Mr. Sata to subvert the constitution of our republic. Our courts are professional and we know that Article 43 of our constitution provides protection of the president against legal proceedings. And Article 43 (1) states and I quote “no civil proceedings shall be instituted or continue against the person holding the office of president or performing the functions of that office in respect of anything done or needed to be done in his private capacity”. In other words, what we have here in Zambia is an acting president, not the vice president. And so he’s completely and totally protected by our constitution,” he said.

When asked to clarify, Chitala reiterated his assertion that Zambia’s main opposition leader Michael Sata was behind the lawsuit before the High Court.

“I’m blaming basically the Patriotic Front because the gentlemen who masquerade as the chairman and leaders of this organization are at the same time the leaders of the Patriotic Front Party. So there is really no difference between the two,” he said.

The Anti-Rigging Zambia Limited, a non-government organization, which brought the case, says Banda cannot use state resources as vice president and acting president to fund his political campaign. But Chitala said Mr. Banda is working within the confines of Zambia’s constitution.

“Yes, it is permissible. And I’m saying that for now he is the acting the president of the republic as provided for in our constitution. And therefore he is the president of the republic. So that this attempt by the PF and their NGO is totally outrageous and an attempt to subvert our constitution,” Chitala said.

In an interview earlier this week, opposition leader Michael Sata told VOA that the ruling MMD party was going to rig the October 30 presidential election by bribing other opposition politicians to support Rupiah Banda’s candidacy.

But Chitala the MMD is responsible for entrenching democracy in Zambia.

“You see we in the MMD are the pioneers of democracy in this country. So we are not a party that practices or attempts to rig elections for the sake of just being in power. We brought in democracy so we can contest fairly and equally. And therefore this characterization of us as undermining our democracy is totally unacceptable and an unfair comment against us,” Chitala said.

VOA

Heritage Party (HP) president, Godfrey Miyanda has said he is a serious contender in the forthcoming presidential election and dismissed as malicious, allegations that he has been bought to split the votes.

Speaking on Radio Phoenix programme ‘Let the People Talk,’ Brigadier-General Miyanda said he was a man of integrity who had always spoken out against corruption and could not be bribed by anybody.

“My political career has been reasonably good and I am not here to spoil the elections because I am not one of those who can be paid or easily bribed,” Gen Miyanda said.

Gen Miyanda said it was “criminal” for opponents to say he had been bought to spoil the elections because that would disadvantage him as people would think he was not a serious contender.

He said he was the only politician who had the right qualifications for the president, having risen from the office of minister without portfolio to that of acting president.

He said he did not need to be an economic genius to develop Zambia because he understood the operations of the Government and would create conditions where the various technocrats would function if elected.

Gen Miyanda said if elected president, he would use the three-year period to 2011 as a transition from the ongoing programme of the MMD to his party’s village concept.

He said self-government, which starts with an individual, should be the starting point when trying to solve Zambia’s problems.

He said by the end of the three-year transition, Zambians would appreciate and embrace the village concept which is founded in the principles that were applied by the Zambian society.

“We are the only unique party with the village concept. The village is your life; a village is land and land is Zambia,” Gen Miyanda said.

He said the village concept was the only answer to the development of Zambia’s economic development, hence, the need to fully implement it if voted into power.

“A lot of people have been laughing at our concept but what should be noted is that it is the only answer to the development of Zambia. I can assure the nation that once this concept is fully implemented, Zambia will move forward,” he said.

Gen Miyanda said it was sometimes frustrating to lose an election even after articulating issues so well but he had decided to soldier on especially after noticing other people doing things wrongly when he had the solutions.

He said he was not a one-man band and opted to contest the elections after getting encouragement from Zambians across the country.

Times of Zambia

Government says it will remove taxes on senior citizens’ organisations initiatives aimed at reducing government burden.

Deputy Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, Davied Phiri, says senior citizens were special interest groups that the government wants to support and assist.

Mr Phiri noted that without senior citizens the country would not have freedom and the independence that Zambians boast about, adding that they are not only the memory of the nation but also reserves of knowledge and wisdom.

The Deputy Minister was speaking at the commemorations of the United Nations Internation Day of the Older Persons when he launched the senior citizens welfare foundations in Petauke yesterday.

He further said senior citizens were facing challenges, some of which were compounded by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and at brea downs of communities and societies in which we live that needs governmanet intervention.

The Deputy Minister who is also Mkaika Member of Parliament in Katete district, said govenment will ensure that senor citizens come up with guiding policy which will protect them from being violated.

He urged Citizens of Welfare Foundations to make submittions on issues affecting them to the National Constitution Conference (NCC) so that they are included in the constitution.

ZANIS/ENDS/HM/CMM/EB.

Acting President Rupiah Banda says there is need for the traditional leaders and their subjects in Western Province to move in unison with government towards developing the area.

Mr. Banda said unity between government and the traditional leadership of each province was important for attracting investors to a particular area.

He said a province would lag behind in terms of development if government and traditional readers held divergent views on investment issues.

Mr. Banda, who earlier paid a courtesy call on the Litunga , hoped that the traditional leadership would be eager to receive both local and foreign investment.

“In Mongu, we respect the Litunga’s style of governance. But we need to move in unison with the Litunga and other chiefs” he said in response to a question on why Western Province has seemingly lagging behind in development compared to other provinces.

The Acting President was speaking on a live programme on Radio Liseli last evening.

“After speaking to him today, obviously he and other chiefs are eager to receive investment here just like in other rural areas,” he said.

Mr. Banda said government remains ambitious to achieve much more economic social and political growth than what the country has recorded in the last seven years of the late president Mwanawasa’s reign.

Meanwhile, Mr. Banda has disclosed that over US$ 1 billion has been invested in the Konkola Copper Mines in the last few years for its expansion programme.

He reiterated that the mining industry has recorded a lot of development ever since the late Dr. Mwanawasa became president of Zambia.

The Acting President attributed this achievement to the ruling MMD’s good economic policies and the decision to privatize the mines in the 1990s.

Mr. Banda further said his government would work hard to support ZESCO so as to encourage electricity generation in the country.

He explained that the current electricity deficit was caused by an increase in the production industry in the country in the recent part.

The Southern African region is facing a serious electricity deficit prompting governments to employ rationing measures among them load shedding.

And Mr. Banda said he fully supported press freedom because the media was an important tool for the democratic and economic development of the country.

“I am 100 per cent for the freedom of the media in Zambia,” he said.

The Acting President also reiterated his commitment to continue the fight against corrupting in the public and private sectors.

He said government would maintain and support the existing anti corruption and anti-money laundering efforts.

He said sentiments that the anti-corruption crusade would be compromised because he was allegedly surrounded by corrupt people were not correct.

He argued that if those people that are alleged to be corrupt were suspected to have committed the crime, they would have been taken to court by now.

Mr. Banda charged that those accusing his colleagues of being corrupt wished they were the ones receiving the support.

And the Acting President has appealed to his opponents in the October 30, 2008 presidential election not to ridicule anybody because of the age.

Mr. Banda is in Western Province to hold campaign rallies and meet chiefs in various district’s until Friday, October 3rd when he will retain to Lusaka in the evening.

He is accompanied by his election agent Ben Tetimashimba, campaign manager Mike Mulongoti, apposition United Liberal Party (ULP) president Sakwiba Sikota, Education Minister, Geoffrey Lungwangwa and many others.

ZANIS/KH/CMM/AM/ENDS

Presidential hopeful Hakainde Hichilema says the United Party for National Development has a vision to stump out livestock diseases.

Mr. Hichilema says his party also wants to carry out a cattle restocking exercise.

Addressing a campaign rally in Mongu on Monday, Mr. Hichilema assured the people of Western Province that the UPND will revamp the livestock industry in the area.

He also promised the people in the province that his government would setup a power generation plant at Sioma Falls in Shangombo district to reduce on the power deficit that the country is experiencing.

Mr. Hichilema is one of the candidates contesting the forthcoming presidential election.

Others are MMD’s Rupiah Banda, Michael Sata of the Patriotic Front and Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda of the Heritage Party.

Acting President, Rupiah Banda says he has not held talks with former President Frederick Chiluba seeking support for his Presidential candidature.

Mr. Banda said he has not met Dr. Chiluba since the cathedral of the Holy cross meeting held to pray for Dr. Levy Mwanawasa’s recovery.

He said this in Lusaka, Wednesday shortly before leaving for Mongu in Western province where he is to hold public rallies and inspect development projects.

There have been allegations suggesting that Mr. Banda’s campaign team is working with Dr. Chiluba who previously and openly supported Opposition Patriotic Front Leader, Michael Sata.

Mr. Banda was accompanied by United Liberal Party leader, Sakwiba Sikota and several ministers.

Mr. Banda kicked off his Three day campaign trail of Western Province with a pledge to unite the people of Zambia.

Speaking when he addressed a mammoth rally at Blue Game grounds in Mongu this evening, Mr Banda said his government would focus on taking development to all parts of the country without discrimination.

Mr Banda reaffirmed his determination to use the experience acquired from late President Levy Mwanawasa’s leadership to fulfil the economic development agenda for the people of Zambia.

Speaking earlier, United Liberal Party, ULP, President Sakwiba Sikota said his party resolved to support the MMD and Mr Banda in the next Presidential elections in the interest of sustaining development and stability in the country.

Mr Sikota said the MMD, is the only party, with enough Members of Parliament to formulate Laws in parliament.

He said even when the opposition PF and UPND MPs were added together, they would not out-number the ruling MMD in parliament.

Mr Sikota also likened the PF and UPND parties to property grabbers, who would reach the extent of grabbing electrical appliances from widows and orphans, despite them not having electricity an essential requirement for utilising such appliances in their respective homes.

ZANIS/KSH/TS/ENDS/SJK