The National Constitution Conference (NCC) will commence business this Wednesday, December 19, 2007.

NCC secretariat requests all members to be seated by 13:45hours as the actual sitting starts at 14:00 hours at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka.

This is contained in a press statement released to ZANIS by NCC secretary, Russell Mulele, in Lusaka today.

Mr Mulele noted that all members that have been successfully sworn in will begin the sittings while all those that were not sworn in last week will be sworn in at a ceremony which will take place on tomorrow, Tuesday the 18th of December 2007 at Mulungushi International Conference Centre at 11:00 hours .

Mr mulele further noted that the ceremony will be presided over by his Lordship the Chief Justice, Enerst sakala and all members are therefore requested to be seated by 10:30 hours in readiness for the ceremony.

Meanwhile, Opposition PF Mufulira Central Member of Parliament (MP) Majory Masiye has vowed not to withdraw her condidature from the National Constitutional Conference (NCC).

And Ms. Masiye has meanwhile asserted that her stay at the NCC was purely in national interest and meant to protect and safeguard the rights and aspirations of PF leader, Michael Sata.

The member of parliament told ZANIS in an interview in Mufulira today that the current Mung’omba draft constitution allegedly had a number of lacunars which would disadvantage Mr. Sata’s bid for the 2011 Presidential race.

Ms. Masiye cited a clause in the the Mung’omba draft constitution which stipulated that no persons above the age of 65 years should stand as Republican President.

This, she stated, would automatically mean that Mr. Sata would be technically excluded from the 2011 Presidential race.

She added that it was paramount that all PF MPs stood firm and openly discussed contentious issues in the draft constitution at the NCC before time was lost.

Ms. Masiye said at the NCC PF members would be in a better position to lobby other delegates to resent any draconian pieces of law that will be brought up.

She added that expelling MPs that will sit on the NCC was not the solution to the current constitutional crisist that the country was faced with.

The MP observed that the quest for a better constitution would only come through the NCC.

Ms. Masiye added that her sitting at the NCC should not be misconstrued to mean that she had stopped supporting the cause and vision of Zambia’s biggest opposition grouping.

She has since appealed to her constituents to remain resolved and support her efforts which were only bent at making Zambia a better place, adding that time for witch hunting was long gone.

Police in the border town of Mufulira district have refused to sanction tomorrow’s planned demonstration by the opposition Patriotic Front PF which had earlier intended to hold a solidarity march over the National Constitutional Conference NCC.

PF chairman for mines, Yamfwa Mukanga, confirmed the development in an interview with ZANIS in Mufulira today.

Mr. Mukanga was however quick to note that the party was satisfied with the reasons advanced to its district party leadership by the local police command on why the party had not been given a leeway to hold a peaceful demonstration.

Mr. Mukanga, who is also PF Kantanshi MP, said the party would hold the planned solidarity as soon as police were well equipped with the desired manpower for the demonstration to go ahead.

The PF in Mufulira had initially planned to hold a solidarity protest in support of its leader Michael Sata who has opted to stay away fromt he NCC.

Meanwhile, Mufulira Town Clerk Charles Mwandila has challenged the City Mayor Stanley Kaluba to be decided over his candidature at the National Constitutional Conference (NCC).

Mr. Mwandila said the NCC was a serious national sitting which the municipality ought to fully attend, addiang that if the mayor was skeptical about his sitting on the NCC, he should inform the secretary to the cabinet over his stance in writing.

The town clerk was reacting to revelations from the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) in Mufulira which had earlier today revealed that mayor Kaluba had withdrawn his nomination to the constitutional conference.

Mr. Mayor told ZANIS in Mufulira today that he had nothing to comment over the matter, claiming that he was still a delegate to the NCC.

He also confirmed that he was tomorrow scheduled to travel to Lusaka in readiness for the NCC sitting on Wednesday.

But the Mufulira TC said that the PF should as a matter of urgency come out clearly on the stance it had taken over the NCC, adding that internal party issues should not affect the representation of the council at a crucial gathering.

Earlier, PF District Secretasry, Davies Chishimba, had disclosed to ZANIS in an interview that the Mufulira mayor had withdrawn from the NCC.

The PF in Mufulira had initially arranged for a meeting with the press where mayor Kaluba was officially supposed to have announced his pull out from the NCC.

Mr. Chishimba alleged that the Mufulira mayor had surrendered himself this morning at the party offices where he had pleaded with party officials not to be expelled from the party.

By Press time, Mufulira district PF chairman John Katati told ZANIS that he was still waiting for mayor Kaluba so that he could clearly give his side of the story instead of being undecided.

The 27 opposition Patriotic Front (PF) Members of Parliament threatened with expulsion by their president Michael Sata for registering to participate in National Constitutional Conference (NCC) have asked the Lusaka High court to grant them a permanent injunction to restrain their leader from expelling them.

The Members of Parliament are also asking the court to, in the meantime, grant them an interim injunction, pending trial of the matter, to restrain Mr. Sata, his agents or servants from going ahead with the intended action to expel them.

Kasama Central MP, Saviour Chishimba and his Shiwang’andu constituency counterpart, Celestino Chibamba, filed the affidavit in support of the summons for the interim injunction on behalf of the other 25 MPs in the Lusaka High Court yesterday.

The duo filed an application for an injunction against Mr. Sata in his capacity as party president and Mr. Edward Mumbi in his capacity as Secretary General of the PF.

The 27 MPs are contending that they should not be expelled because they were elected members and had an unalienable duty to participate in the deliberations of the NCC.

They said in their affidavit that their party president, Mr. Sata, had consented to the concept of the NCC and allowed all his MPs, including the 27, to participate in the discussions of the conference bill in parliament.

They said therefore that the sudden change of mind by their president would hinder them from using their democratic rights as MPs to be part of the NCC for reasons only known to himself.

“We have come to this court to ask for a permanent injunction to restrain the defendant either by himself, his servants or agents from implementing what he has threatened to do, to seek damages for the inconveniences caused in threatening to do so,” they said.

The MPs further said an interim injunction should be granted to them to avoid being subjected to what they termed undue hardships which could not be compensated for by an award of damages.

Opposition Patriotic Front (PF) in Mufulira will on Tuesday this week stage a mammoth’s solidarity match in support of the decision made by its leader Michael Sata to shun the National Constitutional Conferences (NCC).

And the PF in the district has disclosed that it has embarked on a leadership search following pronouncement made by the party national leadership that PF MPs siting on the NCC should be consider themselves expelled.

The PF in the disstrict has also stated that it shall not hesitate to expel any of its members who did not toll the party lines on the importance of national matters adding that it will not hesitate to punish such earring members

Over 100 PF members made the pronouncement today during a party meeting held at Mufulira Little Theater.

The meeting was attended by branch and ward officials from all various constituencies in the border town.

And speeking in an interview after the meeting, PF District Secretary Davies Chishimba told ZANIS that the proposed solidarity protest will start from the PF offices at around 09:00 hours.

He said PF members will march from the second class trading area, through the city center to express their misgivings over what they term as the “retrogressive” move taken by there MPs .

Mr. Chishimba added that the party in the district has since gone flat out to reorganize its ranks and files in case parliamentary by-elections are held.

And addressing the meeting, Kantanshi MP Yamfwa Mukanga condemned the move taken by his two other fellow parliamentarians in the district to participate in the NCC.

Mr. Mukanga, who is also PF chairman for Mines, added that every club and association had rules which ought to be follwed .

But in a seperate interview, PF Kankoyo MP Percy Chanda told ZANIS that no amount of fear and intimidation will stop him from sitting on the NCC.

He observed that he will serve his complete term of office until the next elections in 2011.

Mr. Chanda accused people who were instructing him to leave the party to stop commenting on his decision to sit on the NCC as he was merely executing his parliamentary role .

Mufulira Mayor Stainly Kaluba and Mufulira Central MP Majory Masiye have gone against party lines and have already registered as delegates to the NCC.

The PF meeting was also attended by Deputy Mayor Tom Ngulube, former Deputy Mayor Martha Bwalya and PF district chairman John Katati, among others.

Republican President Dr. Levy Mwanawasa has urged Movement for Multy Party Democracy (MMD) Party Members to put the Zambian people first above their own interest.

Dr. Mwanawasa said the MMD as a party in power holds the key to a better life for Zambians hence the need to find solutions to the problems that many Zambians are facing.

He said the party has no time to relax and watch people wallow in poverty, disease, despair and hopelessness.

The President was speaking at the Taj Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka last night during the MMD end of year fundraising dinner dance which was organised to raise funds for the operations of the party.

“The MMD must be affected and feel hurt when the people are suffering and injustice is inflicted on any person,” he said.

He pointed out that the party must work hard to raise its own resources for it has no right to abuse public resources.

Dr. Mwanawasa said the party must lead by example and ensure that public resources benefit the people and are prudently used for the right purposes.

More than K300 million was raised during the function, with Dr. Mwanawasa’s neck tie being brought at K5.5 million.

Zong Mining Industries pledged K111 million, while the Mathani group of companies made an undertaking of K101 million.

APG milling and National Milling Company pledged K40 million and K10 million respectively.

Senior government officials and other friends of the party also made several pledges.

And Dr. Mwanawasa who thanked the guests at the occasion the good gesture, however called for respect, moral integrity and unity in the MMD if the party had to win back respect for politics and political institution in society.

He said the MMD as a party in power must strive to ensure that it creates political resonance as opposed to political tensions.

He said the party must not allow itself to be derailed by political opportunists whose job is to insult even when it is not necessary.

Dr. Mwanawasa added that the party should not allow itself to be divided on issues that members can easily address.

“If there should be any difference among ourselves, it must be over issues that add value to the party and above all our country Zambia,” he said.

And speaking earlier, MMD Treasurer Mr. Suresh Desai said the nation has made tremendous progress in many areas of the economy due to the good policies of the new deal government.

Mr. Desai said the good polices have translated into investment flows in the country and the overall economic growth.

He however stated that the party has successfully implemented the policies because of the support of the general membership.

He however said that the party would only be able to work effectively if it has a strong financial base.

Meanwhile, President Levy Mwanawasa has implored Political Leaders in Zambia to do away with hatred and foul language as the country celebrates the festive season.

Dr. Mwanawasa said the country needs to rekindle back the spirit of Zambia of love and compassion.

“This is a Christmas season, we need a good feeling Zambia, let us remove hatred, foul language and reach out to each other,” he said.