Opposition Patriotic Front Leader Michael Sata has defended his request for Cabinet to establish a medical board that would be allowed to fly to Paris, France where President Levy Mwanawasa is hospitalised to monitor progress on his health.

Mr Sata maintained that his call was in good faith as it would dispel speculations about the President’s health.

The PF leader’s request has come under fire with some quarters of society describing it as insensitive.

Speaking during a Media briefing in Lusaka today,Mr Sata also said Zambia needs to unite now as opposed to bickering during this tough period when the Head of State was hospitalised in France.

Mr. Sata was reacting to United Party for National Development(UPND)President Hakainde Hichilema’s criticism over his request to Cabinet.

The PF Leader categorically slammed Mr Hichilema for allegedly spreading false rumours about the health of President Mwanawasa and Mr. Sata himself.

Mr Sata observed that what was at stake now was the nation and not an individual party adding that Mr. Hichilema should stop cheap politicking and instead address himself to national issues.

Mr. Sata who claimed that he was more close to the President than Mr. Hichilema said the UPND leader was creating unnecessary tension in the country.

Mr. Sata pledged his party’s commitment to helping Cabinet manage the affairs of the country in the absence of President Mwanawasa saying there was no need for squabbles.

And speaking earlier, PF Information and Publicity Chairman, Given Lubinda hailed Cabinet and Government for the sober manner in which they have handled the illness of the President.

However, Mr. Lubinda appealed to Cabinet to speedily do whatever was within their means to ensure that they curtailed the speculations surrounding the health of the President.

Like the PF leader, Mr. Lubinda is also for the idea of the establishment of a medical board to investigate the health of the President saying the process was not dependent on a politician or individual but Cabinet based on collective resolution as per Article 36(1) of the Constitution of Zambia.

ZANIS/ENDS/CBM/CLM

Secretary to Cabinet Joshua Kanganja has warned permanent secretaries and other senior government officers against resisting to release relevant and important information to stakeholders on the country’s governance.

Dr Kanganja said he has received reports from various stakeholders on the failure by senior government officers to respond to stakeholders when they are in need of information on the country’s economic, social, corporate, political, and democratic development.

Dr Kanganja charged that government officers must ensure that relevant and adequate information is provided to stakeholders who have genuine reasons to have access to the various types of information.

He said this in Lusaka today when he officiated at a seminar for senior government officials on the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

Dr Kanganja explained that the challenges that Zambia as a country faces in realizing good governance should be brought to the fore so as to enable all stakeholders in society to propose remedies to addressing the challenges.

“I do not want to receive any more reports that a permanent secretary or any other senior government official does not want to release information to genuine stakeholders”

“Those offices you are occupying public offices, hence you must be accountable and attend to stakeholders when they are in need of information,” Dr Kanganja.

Dr Kanganja said government officials should not view the APRM as a blame apportioning exercise but rather as a genuine opportunity to show case Zambia’s determined efforts to release and actualize good governance principles.

“WE should equally ensure our co-operation with the APRM secretariat by providing all the information which is critical in producing the country’s self assessment report,” Dr Kanganje said.

Dr Kanganja said the Zambian government’s contribution to the APRM process should continue to demonstrate the good efforts being sewn to enhance good governance in the country.

He explained that the APRM process to which the Zambian government has committed itself is meant to assist African countries and its leadership in developing credible and satisfactory governance systems.

Dr Kanganje added that countries accredited to the APRM process are accountable for the governance situation in their respective countries through a self country assessment report and the peer review of the president.

ZANIS/YK/AM/ENDS.

Senior Chieftainess Nkomeshya Mukamambo II today joined hundreds of Chongwe residents at St Paul’s Roman Catholic Church to pray for the quick recovery of President Mwanawasa.

The prayer meeting was also attended by Lusaka Province Minister Lameck Mangani and Area Member of Parliament Sylvia Masebo.

Speaking during the prayer meeting, Ms. Masebo urged Zambians to remain steadfast in praying for the quick recovery of Dr. Mwanawasa.

Ms. Masebo, who is also Local Government and Housing Minister, further urged Zambians to preach love, unity and peace.

She has since called on Zambians to ignore ill-timed remarks on Dr. Mwanawasa’s illness and condition.

Earlier Lusaka Province Minister Lameck Mangani expressed delight that Zambians, including traditional leaders and the clergy are praying for the quick recovery of Dr. Mwanawasa.

Mr. Mangani reiterated that this not the time to start quarrelling as all people should be pre-occupied with praying for the speedy recovery of President Mwanawasa.

Delivering a homily entitled “Jesus the same yesterday, today and tomorrow” People’s Destine Bible Church, Pastor Newman Bubala urged Christians to pray without ceasing.

And Ms Masebo said people calling for an independent medical team to assess president Levy Mwanawasa are only being insensitive and inconsiderate.

She said such thoughts are cruel and unecessary because the President has only been in hospital for less than three weeks.

Ms. Masebo told ZNBC News in Chongwe, that Dr. Mwanawasa has been ill before and managed to recover fully.

Some political party leaders recently called for an independent team of doctors to travel to France to assess the president’s condition and give an independent report.

And United Church of Zambia, Reverend Simumba prayed for national stability.

Local Government and Housing Minister Sylvia Masebo and Lusaka Province Minister Lameck Mangani were with the President in Egypt when the president was taken ill.
ENDS/JT/AM/ENDS

The National Constitution Conference (NCC) is happy that institutions that initially boycotted its existence are indirectly participating in the deliberations.

NCC spokesperson Mwangala Zaloumis says some organizations which boycotted the conference are commenting and making recommendations on the deliberations of the NCC.

She said that some institutions are even allowing their members to debate on certain clauses when asked by the NCC.

Meanwhile Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) has welcomed the proposal by the Democratic governance committee of the NCC that the President be elected by a 50 plus one majority vote.

TIZ Executive Director, Goodwell Lungu says the proposal by the committee should be commended because the 50 plus one clause helps the country to have a President who is elected by the majority.

Mr. Lungu hopes the proposal will be upheld by the NCC plenary when it meets later this year.

He told ZNBC News that it is important the clause is even maintained and included in the constitution when the conference takes its recommendations to parliament.

On Monday the Democratic governance committee of the NCC proposed that the 50 plus one election vote for the President be included in the constitution.

Ndola City Council has warned all would be developers in the city to abide by Council approved boundaries failure to which they risked their buildings being demolished.

Council Spokesman Mr. Roy Kuseka told ZANIS in Ndola that the council would not hesitate to demolish any structure in the city that was not built in conformity with council guidelines.

Mr. Kuseka said he was saddened by the presence of some buildings in the city which were built to completion without leaving any space to the public road users thereby posing a danger to public health.

He said some buildings put the lives of the people occupying them in danger as they were being built so close to the roads.

He wondered how one named woman built her extension structure beyond her approved space into the road

Mr. Kuseka said the council will not hesitate to pull down such structures especially that they were posing a danger to public life.

He warned other developers who were making extensions to their buildings in residential areas even after buying houses from the council to seek advice from the local authority

He said council was mandated to ensure that city development was being done in line with the country planning act and certain pieces of legislation which were in place.

The council spokesperson added that the trend of people ignoring council approval before embarking on building works would only prove costly on their part .

ZANIS/CN/MK/ENDS

The Lusaka High Court has set aside a statement of claim filed by Lusaka Lawyer Christopher Mundia in the case where he sued Second Zambia Republican President, Frederick Chiluba for defamation.

This was after Dr. Chiluba’s lawyers applied to Lusaka High Court registrar Egypso Mwansa that paragraphs 10 to 18 of Mr. Mundia’s statement of Claim be struck out as they were offensive and scandalous.

Mr. Mwansa struck out the paragraphs after agreeing with Dr. Chiluba’s lawyers that the said paragraphs were not only scandalous and offensive but also prejudicial.

Mr. Mundia sued Dr. Chiluba, his press assistant Emmanuel Mwamba and the Post Newspapers for defamation.

He sued Dr. Chiluba for defamation after a comment attributed to the former president that described Mr. Mundia as an incompetent lawyer.

This was shortly after the state had entered a nolle prosecqui in the case against his wife before a Ndola Magistrate Court.

However, Dr. Chiluba’s lawyers deem paragraphs 10 to 18 of his statement to the Court as offensive and scandalous on account of describing the Ndola magistrate that handled Mrs. Chiluba’s case as having been biased against the state.

Mr. Mundia is seeking damages for the alleged defamation, which he says, has compromised his professional standing and brought him to scandal and ridicule.

Opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) has opposed the suggestion by Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata that Cabinet should ask the Chief Justice to constitute a Medical Board to be flown into Paris to go and inquire into the condition of the President Mwanawasa.

UPND President Hakainde Hichilema described such calls as untimely and insensitive as the nation is at the moment pre-occupied with praying for the quick recovery of Dr. Mwanawasa.

Briefing the press in Lusaka today, Mr. Hichilema said a Board constituted under article 36 (1) of the constitution is not for patients who are still receiving treatment in hospital but those reasonably suspected to be incapable of ruling after receiving treatment beyond a reasonable time.

He said those who are in a hurry to invoke the provisions of article 36 of the constitution should hold their fire and wait for a reasonable period of time to allow the treatment to have its full course.

Mr. Hichilema pointed out that the nation will need to be satisfied that the treatment given to Dr. Mwanawasa has failed after which the relevant constitutional provisions can be rightly invoked.

He urged the Zambian people to be calm and commit Dr. Mwanawasa to prayers and also urged government through Cabinet to continue providing the necessary leadership in the absence of Dr. Mwanawasa who is hospitalized in France.

The UPND leader charged that Mr. Sata was evacuated to South Africa using tax prayers’ money and no-one championed calls to set a Medical Board to purportedly declare him unfit to run the PF party.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hichilema has said the food crisis Zambia is allegedly experiencing threatens household and national stability.

He blamed the food crisis on government’s bad policies in the agricultural sector.

Mr. Hichilema also said the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) and the Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company hiking of electricity and water tariffs is unacceptable.

THE MMD has charged party chairman for information and publicity, Benny Tetamashimba, for allegedly bringing the party into ridicule and giving out false information.

But Mr Tetamashimba said in reaction that he had not received the charge letter and that it was only President Mwanawasa who had the power to discipline him as the appointing authority.

MMD deputy national secretary, Jeff Kaande, said in Lusaka yesterday that the party national chairman, Michael Mabenga, would constitute a disciplinary committee of six national executive committee (NEC) members to look into the case.

Mr Kaande said at a Press briefing that Mr Tetamashimba had breached the party constitution through statements he issued regarding President Mwanawasa’s health and succession.

Mr Tetamashimba, who is Local Government and Housing Deputy Minister, recently said there was need for the party to consider President Mwanawasa’s successor once he returned from France where he is undergoing medical treatment.

Mr Kaande said the party had charged Mr Tetatamashimba with two charges, which he was required to respond to as soon as possible.

“Under our disciplinary regulation 7 (B), Mr Tetamashimba has been charged with conduct likely to bring ridicule and contempt to the party and under 7 (J) for giving out false information,” he said.

Mr Kaande said it was not right for Mr Tetamashimba to talk about the party president’s succession now as it was premature.

“The President has only been sick for two weeks. It’s normal for anybody to be sick. Does that period really call for succession?” he asked.

“Doctors are advising that the man (the president) is improving. Our leader is capable of leading and he is still there,” he said.

Mr Kaande also refuted claims by Mr Tetamashimba that party national secretary, Katele Kalumba, had invited women and youth leaders from all the provinces as his campaign strategy for the presidency.

Mr Kaande said the people that Mr Tetamashimba claimed to have been invited by Dr Kalumba were supposed to attend a meeting organised by the Zambia Centre for Inter-Party Dialogue (ZCID), which had been put off because of the President’s ailment.

Mr Kaande said the party could not expressly suspend Mr Tetamashimba as he was also deputy minister who was appointed by the President.

“We have opened a disciplinary action against him and the national chairman will constitute a committee to sit and decide his fate. We hope by that time our president will have come. If they say suspend him, we will have to suspend him and then explain to the HE (His Excellency),” he said.

Mr Kaande said the party did not mind whether Dr Kalumba was campaigning or not as there were so far 19 other people who indicated that they wanted to contest for the presidency of the party.

He said in an event that the party had no vice-president, the party national chairman took over as acting president in the absence of the president.

Dr Kalumba has since recommended that Mr Tetamashimba’s fate be decided by a committee comprising chairman for security, Ronnie Shikapwasha, chairman for legal, Bwalya Chiti and chairperson (women), Vera Tembo.

According to a letter dated July 14, 2008 obtained by the Times of Zambia written by Dr Kalumba to the national chairman, others recommended are chairman for youth, Patrick Musonda, chairman elections, Mike Mulongoti and trustee, Grace Njapau.

Mr Tetamashimba said the committee had no power to suspend him as he was a Government official.

“It’s only the president who can suspend me. The appointing authority is not here and no one can disappoint me until after elections,” he said.

He said he was against the idea of Dr Kalumba becoming party president as he was facing corruption charges in court and had allegedly taken advantage of Dr Mwanawasa’s absence to launch his campaign.

Mr Tetamashimba said he had evidence that Dr Kalumba had called for a meeting for the provincial leaders.

He challenged Dr Kalumba to come out in the open instead of speaking through Mr Kaande.

[Times of Zambia]