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Sata should allow democracy to flourish – Lusaka deputy mayor

Sata should allow democracy to flourish – Lusaka deputy mayor
By Patson Chilemba and Bivan Saluseki
Sunday July 29, 2007 [04:00]

LUSAKA City deputy mayor Charles Msiska has urged Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata to allow his councillors handle local authority matters without undue influence from him (Sata). Meanwhile, the PF is seeking the help of Catholic Vicar General Rev. Fr Oliver Mukunta to trace ‘rebel’ PF members of parliament who said their president, Michael Sata, was a dictator.

But Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) spokesperson Fr Paul Samasumo said Radio Yatsani would protect its news sources.

In an interview ahead of the civic year ending August and the mayoral elections that would be held thereafter, Msiska said it would be important for Sata to allow democracy to flourish, particularly in PF controlled councils.

Msiska, who is PF Kabulonga Ward 16 councillor, said during the last mayoral elections, he contested the position of deputy mayor even though Sata preferred a lady for the position.

However, Msiska said most PF councilors chose to uphold democracy by voting for him.

He said he hoped Sata would allow democracy to flourish during the upcoming mayoral elections.
“It’s my humble prayer that my president this time around will be more understanding over the prevailing circumstances and it’s my humble appeal that he will let the councillors handle their affairs without undue influence from him because by doing so, councillors will choose who is their best leader,” Msiska said. “My president preferred that there should be a woman on my position. At the last mayoral elections he told us that the deputy should go to a woman, Mary Phiri of Ngwerere Ward.”
Msiska said he contested the position not because he disrespected Sata but because he believed that democracy should flourish.
“Why I did that was to open the party because often times we have been accused that we are not democratic,” Msiska said. “There is a deliberate policy that there should be a man and woman for the position of mayor and deputy mayor but…it’s the question of people having confidence in you.”
Msiska also disclosed that he would contest the position of mayor during the upcoming mayoral elections.

Msiska was elected deputy mayor last month when he polled 18 votes against his closest rival Mary Phiri’s 14 votes.

But when contacted for comment, Sata said he could not be reduced to answering what a councillor was talking about.

“I was a councillor a long time ago in 1983, I can’t be answering what my councillor is talking about,” Sata said.

However, Sata said he wanted Phiri for the position because he wants to ensure gender balance in the party.

“You the media are the people making lots of noise on gender equality so when you have a female councillor, the only one for that matter, is it wrong to make her not even mayor but deputy mayor? PF has more women in Parliament than any other party. So we don’t talk, we act,” said Sata.

Sata said his party’s position was that women should be given equal opportunity to men.
“If we don’t do it when we are in the party, what about in government?” Sata asked.
And according to a letter to the Vicar General and copied to Archbishop of Lusaka among others, PF lawyer Mathew Pikiti of Pikiti and Company stated that the members of parliament had threatened to resign.

Some members of parliament from PF had threatened to resign from the party but before they could do so, they intend to go back to their constituencies to sensitise their constituents.

Lusaka's Catholic Radio station Yatsani carried the story on July 14th, 2007.
"The news item was an allegation against Mr. M.C. Sata, president of Patriotic Front, that he is a dictator, who is concentrating on removing President Mwanawasa and ignoring the development in constituencies. Those alleged members of parliament threatened to resign from Patriotic Front but before they do so, they intended to go back to their constituencies to sensitise their constituents before they resign from the party," stated Pikiti.

"We have been instructed by the aforesaid party to approach you with a request that you undertake investigations to establish the names of the members of parliament who issued such a story for the integrity of the Catholic radio which must be factual and transparent as the Catholic church preaches."
But Fr Samasumo said Lusaka Archdiocese had since engaged lawyers to respond to Pikiti and Company.

"Suffice to say that in its own investigations, Radio Yatsani will be guided by journalistic ethics which seek to protect its news sources," he said.
Fr Samasumo said the Vicar General was in possession of the letter addressed to him.
Sources said there was agitation in PF because of the way Sata was bulldozing members of parliament and councillors.
"He cannot be questioned, he is always right and most of us are beginning to feel he is more of a dictator than President Mwanawasa," said one source.

Labels: CHARLES MSISKA, MAYOR, PF, SATA

posted by MrK @ 3:45 AM