Maravi

I'll be irrelevant after 2011 - Levy

I'll be irrelevant after 2011 - Levy
By Chibaula Silwamba and Christopher Miti in Kapoche
Monday May 28, 2007 [04:00]

I will be irrelevant after 2011, President Levy Mwanawasa said on Saturday. And President Mwanawasa revealed that the MMD leadership made a hurried decision to pick Professor Fashion Phiri as its candidate for the Kapoche by-election after the preferred candidate, Nicholas Banda, was disqualified.

Meanwhile, President Mwanawasa ordered agriculture minister Ben Kapita to direct the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to start buying farm produce in the next one week. Addressing a political rally on Saturday in Nyanje area to drum up support for Prof Phiri, President Mwanawasa said there was need for the nation to prepare young people for leadership.

"When I was appointing Cabinet I did mention that it is necessary that we should prepare future leadership by ensuring that we appoint some young people because some of us...I will be irrelevant after 2011. But there is need for us as a nation to prepare young people so that when they reach 40 years they will be in the position to be looked to in terms of leadership of the country," President Mwanawasa said.

He said the former parliamentarian for Kapoche, Nicholas Banda and other young people he had appointed to ministerial positions worked very well. He said when the Lusaka High Court nullified Banda's election he advised him not to appeal to the Supreme Court because it was time-consuming and costly.

"I said that we should just go back to the people so that the people can demonstrate that they did not make any mistake, they were not misused corruptly to elect him as member of parliament, that was their wish," President Mwanawasa said.

He said when Banda phoned him, he told him that he did not want a situation where if he appealed, the Supreme Court would make a decision to ban him from contesting the elections.

"They agreed and the party gave some logistics so that the young man can start his campaigns here. All was going well until the day before the nomination. We were informed by the Electoral Commission of Zambia that somehow the judgment had been altered; the position now is that Nicholas will not be allowed to participate in the election.

"I still remain confused by that decision and I'm not too sure how it was done and whether it can be done. Rather than apply for an injunction, the party leadership felt that the time was too short. It was then that we made a hurried decision to select a second preferred candidate, Professor Fashion Phiri so that he can contest the Kapoche Constituency," President Mwanawasa said.

"I wish to announce for your own benefit that during the short time that he worked in my government, I was very impressed with honourable Nicholas Banda and I don't intend to let him be like that. During the next three weeks I will be announcing what position I will give Nicholas."

He told people not to listen to Patriotic Front president Michael Sata who was insinuating that he (Mwanawasa) arranged that Banda be disqualified.
President Mwanawasa said he had a duty to sponsor young candidates.

He said Prof Phiri qualified to be a deputy minister unlike the other four candidates, FDD's Charles Banda, PF's Mike Tembo, UNIP's Levison Mumba and All People's Congress (APC's) Sara Zulu.

"I have the pleasure to introduce to you the chairman of MMD in Namibia whom we have adopted as our candidate in Kapoche," President Mwanawasa said. "Others are doctors but him is professor, not professor wachabe but professor wama fashioni. (Others are misters, doctors but he is a real professor, a professor of fashion)."
And Prof Phiri urged the people to vote for him so that he could continue where Banda left.

Banda urged his supporters to vote for Prof Phiri to ensure development took place because he would be in the government.

Meanwhile President Mwanawasa directed Kapita to ensure that FRA starts buying farm produce next week. He said unscrupulous buyers took advantage whenever FRA delayed to purchase the produce.

President Mwanawasa said the government had already sent 2,292 metric tonnes of D Compound fertiliser of which 307 metric tonnes was for Petauke district, which includes Kapoche.

"We have negotiated for a loan of US $7 million to be used for rehabilitation of silos," he said. "We have secured a loan of US $39 million to import road making equipment."

Labels: AGRICULTURE, BY-ELECTIONS, FRA, MWANAWASA

posted by MrK @ 3:38 AM