Ruling MMD Chairperson for Information and Publicity, Ben Tetamashimba has urged party members to stop implicating the First Lady Maureen Mwanawasa in the presidential by-election debate.

Mr. Tetamashimba said Mrs. Mwanawasa has already clearly stated her position on the matter, adding that she could not turn round after the husband’s death.

In a press statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka today, Mr. Tetamashimba said the first lady’s position which she gave to the nation was that she was not available to contest the republican presidency.

Mr. Tetamashimba’s reaction comes in the wake of a continuing heated debate on whether first lady Maureen Mwanawasa should contest in the forth coming presidential by-election or not.

He said Mrs. Mwanawasa instead deserves to be helped by the government to look after the children as suggested earlier by Patriotic Front president Michael Sata.

Mr. Tetamashimba has since commended that PF leader for suggesting the idea of looking after the Mwanawasa family.

He has also cautioned some party members against mounting pressure in the party and charged that such people had an agenda to cause division in the party.

Mr. Tetamashimba has also said that he would on August 30, give a comprehensive statement on why Vice President Rupiah Banda should stand as a presidential candidate on the MMD ticket for the forthcoming presidential by-elections in November.

He said a statement will also be given on what transpired between Mr. Sata and Mrs. Mwanawasa in Chipata yesterday.

And Former  Kitwe Mayor  William Nyirenda has called on the ruling MMD to adopt acting President Rupiah Banda for the forthcoming Presidential by-election to maintain political stability.

ZANIS Kitwe Reports that Mr Nyirenda who is also a prominent Kitwe lawyer, said in an interview that the  MMD has no time to identify and come up with another  leader within this short  time hence the need to adopt Mr Banda.

Mr Nyirenda noted that allowing  various people in the MMD to contest for the vacant position will breed chaos and disunity in the ruling party and the country as a whole.

He also advised  the opposition political parties vying for the republican presidency to seriously rethink their position and allow Mr Rupiah Banda to take the mantle of power and complete the three years remaining for the late Dr  Mwanawasa’s  term of Office.

Mr Nyirenda said the opposition political parties must support the candidature of Mr Banda to allow the MMD complete their term and all the economic programmes embarked on by the deceased head of state.

He said the opposition political parties should wait for the 2011 tripartite elections which were more competitive than the forthcoming presidential bye election.

He also appealed to the people that were sitting on the National Constitution  Conference to learn from this experience when drafting the new constitution by making the Vice president a Presidential running mate.

In Southern Province, Chief Mwanachingwala of Mazabuka has advised the MMD to nominate Vice President, Rupia Banda as its presidential candidate during the forthcoming presidential by-election.

The chief told ZANIS in Mazabuka today that floating a different candidate other than Mr Rupiah Banda will split the ruling party into divisions.

He said Mr Banda has proved that he is capable of running the affairs of the country as evidenced by the manner in which he has handled national duties when the late president Mwanawasa was hospitalised in France.

And chief Mwanachingwala has advised the MMD to handle the succession of president Mwanawasa with care to avoid spliting the party.

He said the current situation where senior members are issuing statements on their preferred candidates is not healthy for the ruling party.
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Politicians and Zambians at large have been advised to stop the  succession talk and concentrate on concluding the funeral for the late President Levy Mwanawasa.

Forum for Development and Democracy-FDD President Edith Nawakwi told ZANIS in Kasama that those who are anxious to take over from the late Dr. Mwanawasa should  wait until the late President is buried.

Ms. Nawakwi people should be mature and respect this period of mourning which she said is a Zambian way of doing things.

“Let us give our brother dignity and bury him in peace. Some people are literally squabbling over inheritance when we have not even buried Levy,” she said.

She pointed out that  talking about  succeeding DR. Mwanawasa at such a time when the nation has not even buried the late beloved President is sending a wrong signal to the Zambian people.

“This is not the right time. I felt too distressed the last couple of days s some people have engaged themselves in succession squabbles,” said Ms. Nawakwi.

The FDD Leader said talking about inheritance might send a wrong message not only to the outside world that the country is disunited.

“Levy died  and did not die in vain. He died in pursuant of unity not only for Zambia but Africa as a whole. And every one in the region is looking to Zambia to see how we shall mourn our late President,” said Ms. Nawakwi.

She advised all politicians to forget their differences and look at the future of Zambia.

Ms. Nawakwi said at a personal level, the late President Mwanawasa had a heart to reach as evidenced  by  the number of people who had begun focusing on Zambia as their investment destination.

And the body of the  late President  Mwanawasa’s body was this morning at 07:14 hours flown to Mansa in Luapula province.

As the Zambia Airways Plane carrying Dr. Mwanawasa’s body started off for the runway, people of Kasama wailed and waved their last goodbye to the Late President.

The body is accompanied by First Lady Maureen Mwanawasa, Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Simon Miti, Chief of Protocol Ambassador Darius Bubala, the late President Mwanawasa’s Aid-de Camp Joseph Kaonga and other senior government officials and family members.

The late President’s body was seen off at the Kasama Airport by Northern Province Minister Lameck Chibombamilimo, Commerce Minister Felix Mutati, Works and Supply Minister Kapembwa Simbao, Community Development Minister, Catherine Namugala and Forum for Development and Democracy-FDD President Edith Nawakwi.

Others were Energy Deputy Minister Gunston Sichilima, Northern Province Permanent Secretary Gabriel Kaunda, senior government and party officials.

Meanwhile, Mr. Chibombamilimo described the body viewing programme for the late President Mwanawasa as peaceful and a success.

Mr. Chibombamilimo said at least thousands of people in the Northern province were accorded a chance to body view their late President.

He said the people of Northern province loved the late President going by the attendance during the body viewing programme.

ENDS/CBM/MK/ZANIS

Northern Province Minister, Lameck Chibombamilimo has proposed that Mrs Mwanawasa should take over as president, saying she has the attributes necessary for the job. He said in Lusaka Sunday that Mrs Mwanawasa’s credentials were appropriate for this period and that she could be trusted to stick to the principles set by Mwanawasa.

“We cannot doubt her capacity to discharge the duties of this office as we have been witnesses to her developmental work scattered throughout the country and her leadership at the continental level where she has led her fellow first ladies in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” Chibombamilimo said in a statement.

He said a cross-section of Zambians would not hesitate to rally behind Mrs Mwanawasa as a way of honoring her late husband’s vision.

“My strongest appeal to my fellow leaders in government and the ruling party is that we put aside our individual pursuit for leadership and demonstrate to the nation and the world at large that we are not in power for the sake of power,” he said.

And losing Matero MMD candidate in the 2006 general elections, Goodward Mulubwa has echoed Chibombamilimo’s sentiments.

Mulubwa said Mrs Mwanawasa had the right qualities befitting a national president.

He said the first lady was well known countrywide because of the Maureen Mwanawasa Community Initiative programs she had been undertaking.

[Times of Zambia]

Kitwe elder man Patrick Tembo has said the decision by government to take the body of late President Levy Mwanawasa to provinces for body viewing did not mean disrespecting the deceased head of state.

Mr. Tembo said people should not misunderstood this decision, adding that it was not fair for some people to think that government was using the death of Dr Mwanawasa as campaign trick for the ruling party.

In interview with ZANIS in Kitwe today, Mr. Tembo said people, who felt that it was costly to take the body to all provincial centres, were doing that in bad faith.

He said not all people could afford to travel to Lusaka to pay their last respect to their beloved President hence the decision by government to take the body to provinces.

And Kitwe Town Clerk, Ali Simwinga, said it was a great honour by government to take the body to the people who elected him into office.

Mr. Simwinga said people would be grateful to honour the departed President by viewing the body of a leader who worked very hard for Zambia.

He also said the good things that the President stood for should not end with his death but should be continued.

Meanwhile, the Zambia National Former Councillors Association (ZNFCA) said the country has lost a sincere leader who had a vision of harmonizing and reconciling the nation.

ZNFCA president, Gabriel Chishimba prayed that the Almighty God should grant the nation the love, vision, strength and resolve needed to realise late Dr. Mwanawasa’s dream for a better nation.

He said the executive and all members of the association were mourning Dr. Mwanawasa with deep sorrow and grief.
Kitwe Mayor, Divo Katete, has taken a swipe at opposition political leaders for allegedly misleading Zambian’s over the late President Levy Mwanawasa’s leadership, whose economic policies have helped turn Zambia’s economy around.

ZANIS Kitwe reports that Mr. Katete, who is from the opposition Patriotic Front (PF), alleged that most of the Zambian political leaders were not honest and consistent with their criticism about the President.

He said it was such criticism that had made some Zambians believe that Dr. Mwanawasa’s economic policies were bad when in fact not.

He said the late President Mwanawasa could have achieved a lot in his tenure of office if the Zambian opposition political leaders had supported his policies and told people truth about his achievement.

Mr. Katete said this at Kitwe District Commissioner, Macdonald Mtine’s office, when he signed the book of condolences opened in memory of Dr. Mwanawasa today.

Dr. Mwanawasa passed away at Percy Military Hospital in France on Tuesday last week.

He urged the Zambian political leaders to be honest when making criticisms and not just say good things and honour a sitting president he has passed on.

He said opposition leaders could have told Zambians the truth about the late President’s leadership so that more Zambians could appreciate and supported his work.

Mr. Katete appealed to politicians to bring sanity in Zambian politics and honour national leaders while they were still alive.

And speaking earlier, Mr. Mtine urged Zambians to bury their differences by loving one another as demonstrated by the late Dr. Mwanawasa.

Mr. Mtine said the late Dr. Mwanawasa preached love, unity and reconciliation values which he said must be emulated by all Zambians.

And Town Clerk, Ali Simwinga, said the late Dr. Mwanawasa had facilitated the implementation of various developmental projects which had added value to the economy.

Mr. Simwinga said the K14 billion market rehabilitation programme, the construction of a shopping mall and the Kitwe water rehabilitation project were some of the major projects the late President facilitated to ensure that there was development in the city.

And High Court Judges, Magistrates and members of the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) also signed in the book of condolences which was opened at the Boma offices at 08:00 hours today.

Others, who signed the book, were political leaders from various political parties, heads of government departments and Kitwe residents.

ZANIS/LK/KSH/ENDS

Chief government spokesperson, Mike Mulongoti, says he has no intentions to contest the presidential by- elections slated for November this year.

Mr. Mulongoti, who is also Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, told journalists at a press briefing in Lusaka today that he would not apply to contest the presidency because he wanted to concentrate on his work.

“Let me categorically state that I have no wish to contest the by-elections but it is however open to other MMD members who wish to participate,” he said.

“I am the Chairman of elections for the MMD and how would it look if I contested the Presidency? Automatically it would mean I would do everything possible to get everything in my favour,” Mr. Mulongoti said.

Mr. Mulongoti has also appealed to MMD party members wishing to contest the presidency to file in their nominations after the period of national mourning.

He charged that party members should be moral and not panic to file in their nominations until after the burial of the late President Mwanawasa.

“I am appealing to those of our members who are panicking to file in their applications to hold on to their letters until the period of national mourning is over,” Mr. Mulongoti said.

He however said that all party members were free to file in their applications.

The Presidential by-elections have been necessitated by the death of President Mwanawasa.

Dr Mwanawasa died at Percy Military hospital in Paris, France on the 19th August 2008 where he was admitted after he suffered a stroke.

The late President fell ill in Egypt while attending the African Union (AU) heads of state summit on June 29th, 2008.

He will be put to rest on the 3rd of September 2008 at Embassy Park, off independence avenue, opposite cabinet office in Lusaka.

Government has since declared 21days of national mourning.

ZANIS/YK/CM/KSH/ENDS.

There was confusion at Chipata Airport in Eastern province this morning when opposition Patriotic Front (PF) leader, Michael Sata, was ordered to leave the body viewing ceremony of the late President Levy Mwanawasa.

The visibly disturbed Mr. Sata was seen being escorted by security officers away from the ceremony shortly after the arrival of First Lady, Maureen Mwanawasa.

Mr. Sata said in an interview as he was leaving the airport that Mrs. Mwanawasa did not assent to his presence and attendance of the ceremony.

He said the first lady asked him whether he was invited to the occasion when he went to greet her.

He said the first lady feared that he was politicizing the death of the President.

Mr. Sata said he was shocked with Mrs. Mwanawasa’s reaction especially that the ceremony was a sorrowful event where people did not need to be invited to attend the funeral.

“I am saddened with her behaviour because this is a state funeral and anyone can attend. I’m not politicizing the issue,” he said.

Mr. Sata stated that he was going to mourn the President and no one should stop him from doing so because Dr. Mwanawasa was a President for everyone.

The PF leader, who called ZNBC reporters to witness his departure, indicated that he would go to the next destination after Chipata.

But when asked which his next destination would be, Mr. Sata said it would not be of news if he revealed.

And asked what he would do next since his program had been cut short, Mr. Sata said he had completed his program, saying his plan was to receive the body of the President and leave after the guard of honour.

Mr. Sata arrived at the airport at 07:00 hours left at 10:45 this morning.

Meanwhile, Eastern Province Minister, Charles Shawa explained that Mr. Sata was sent off to avoid politicizing the funeral of Dr. Mwanawasa.

Mr. Shawa told ZANIS that Mr. Sata was given an opportunity to view the body in Lusaka yesterday and therefore, he did not need to go to all provincial headquarters to do what he could have done in Lusaka.

Earlier, Mr. Sata mingled with cabinet ministers, deputy ministers, and chiefs before he was sent off.

A former freedom fighter, Mpundu Mutembo, has appealed to government to rescind its decision to bury the late President Levy Mwanawasa at his Palabana farm.

Mr. Mutembo says Dr. Mwanawasa should be buried at a known common site because he died whilst on duty.

He said an official burial site for distinguished Zambian men and women should be identified.

Mr. Mutembo told ZANIS in an interview in Kasama today that burying Dr. Mwanawasa at his Palabana farm will not do because such a move amounts to hiding away Dr. Mwanawasa from Zambians and other people that might want to be visiting the burial site.

He said the burial site of a person such as a president should be a national memorial site which is accessible to all Zambians and the world at large.

Mr. Mutembo, 74, who resides in Mbala in the Northern Province, became a symbol of national heroes on 31st December, 1963 at the age of 30 when he was sculptured to reflect national heroes. His statue presently stands in front of the Government Complex building.

Meanwhile, Chief Chibesa Kunda of the Bemba people has said the successor of Dr. Mwanawasa should be principled as Dr. Mwanawasa was a principled man.

He said the country has lost a sober and disciplined man who endeavored to propel national development.

He said Dr. Mwanawasa worked tirelessly to uplift the living standards of the people Zambians.

Government has announced that President Mwanawasa will be put to rest on September 3, at his Palabana farm.

The ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) will not allow any of its members accused of corruption from contesting the presidential by-elections on the party ticket.

Defence Minister George Mpombo confirmed today that MMD had started the nomination process for candidates wanting to contest the presidential elections on behalf of the MMD and that the nominations would close on Tuesday..

National Executive Committed (NEC) would elect a candidate on September 5 instead of holding a national convention because there was little time to organise a convention.

“The MMD will ensure that people with political careers dented with corruption don’t contest because they will obviously be a liability to the party. We are alive to the immediate consequences of electing such people,” Mpombo said.

Mpombo said Mwanawasa’s legacy would have to be upheld by his successor.

“We are looking for a leader with the vision to reinvigorate the president’s policy on (sound) agriculture, to restore confidence to investors and somebody who will stand for national reconciliation. It should be somebody with a big vision on development and unity,” Mpombo added

Meanwhile, the Muslim Association of Chipata district has called on Zambians to elect a credible leader who can continue with the vision of achieving a stable economy in line with the late President Mwanawasa’s aspirations.

Association chairperson Salim Daya said Dr Mwanawasa had shown his dedication to improve economy of Zambia through the promotion of sound economic policies that encouraged foreign investors to handsomely invest into the country.

Mr. Daya told ZANIS in Chipata today that the improvement of road infrastructure in Eastern Province has enhanced agriculture in the area.

He pointed out that the province is now rated highly in agricultural production due to the good policies of government under the leadership of Dr. Mwanawasa.

“All this has been achieved due to the good leadership qualities portrayed by our late president who had the development of the country at heart,” he said.

Mr. Daya said there is need to elect a leader who has similar qualities to those of president Mwanawasa and pick up from where Dr. Mwanawasa left.

He has since urged Zambians to be cautious and elect a leader who will take the country forward.

ZANIS/HN/LB/CM/AM/ENDS