Maureen dismisses presidential intentions

Maureen dismisses presidential intentions
By Nomusa Michelo
Friday March 16, 2007 [02:00]

FIRST lady Maureen Mwanawasa has described reports of her intentions to stand for the MMD presidency as a big joke. In an interview, Maureen who did not explicitly state whether or not she was interested in contesting the Republican presidency said: “It is a big joke of the year. And you have said it already in your paper.” On Wednesday a senior MMD official said it was regrettable that Maureen was maliciously being linked to those aspiring for the MMD presidency when she had no such intentions.

But when prodded whether she had no interest to contest, Maureen said she would talk at an appropriate time. “We’ll talk at an appropriate time,” she said And launching the HIV Talkline ‘Call 990’ Awareness Campaign yesterday, Maureen said the HIV and AIDS pandemic has continued to threaten the existence of mankind causing panic and anxiety among nations. “A lot of efforts and initiatives to find a possible cure have been undertaken by several organisations, governments and individuals,” she said.

Maureen said HIV had continued its lethal toll among the most skilled and productive age groups and had slowed down the pace of the country’s development process. “There is need for concerted effort from all stakeholders to ensure that everything possible is done to curb the spread of the disease. The rate at which people are dying requires us to be proactive,” she said. Maureen said Talkline was a major step forward in the country’s fight against the HIV and AIDS pandemic. “I therefore wish to encourage everyone of us, whether positive or negative to consider calling Talkline on 990 and ask questions that are often so difficult to ask friends and family,” she said.

Maureen also called on Celtel and MTN to consider supporting the initiative by providing free access to the talk line for their customers. And US ambassador to Zambia Carmen Martinez said the national figure of 13 per cent of people who know their HIV status is still low and there was need for more people to know their HIV status. “One of the major thrusts of Talkline is to encourage people to access VCT,” Ambassador Martinez said.

She also urged health-related organisations, workplaces and ministries to integrate the HIV Talkline into their programmes. And Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Management Programme (CHAMP) programme director said there had been an increase in the number of calls from rural areas, which she said could increase if MTN and Celtel came on board.