Maravi

It's not easy to be in opposition - Sata

It's not easy to be in opposition - Sata
By Patson Chilemba
Sunday September 09, 2007 [04:00]

IT is not easy to be in the opposition or to maintain an opposition political party because of poverty, Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata has said. In an interview, Sata said politicians that were motivated by selfish interests usually fell prey to financial enticements from the ruling party

“Maintaining an opposition in Africa and Zambia in particular is not easy. My colleagues in the UPND remember how many members of parliament they lost in 2001? Comrade Godfrey Miyanda lost all his MPs. It’s not easy to maintain a party because there is too much poverty. Go to an organisation because you want to serve and not because you want to gain something from it,” he said.

Sata said it has not been easy to maintain the PF since 2001 when he established it.
“That is the most difficult thing. To maintain this party as I have maintained it from 2001 up to now has not been easy. And now one by one they are coming and when they come they start making statements to say others will resign when you adopt me and make me a minister. That is blackmail. So it’s not easy all over the world, particularly Africa to be in the opposition,” said Sata.

Sata said speaking for the poor was one of the best ways of maintaining political parties.
“The people you should speak for are the people out there. The poverty, the unemployment, it’s our colleagues who are benefiting more than those poor people,” he said.

Sata also said those who are dropping like manna from heaven joining the MMD were more dangerous to democracy.
Commenting on those that have recently joined the MMD such as Professor Clive Chirwa, Charles Chimumbwa and Charles Msiska and the statement by Lieutenant General Christon Tembo that MMD was the only viable party, Sata said people who were joining the MMD were more dangerous to democracy because they were aiming at displacing people that have already been established in the party.

“Those who are coming, who are dropping like manna from heaven to go and displace the people who are in MMD…they are more dangerous to democracy. They are very dangerous to democracy,” he said.

Sata said some people were speaking well of MMD because they wanted to be counted when it came to choosing a presidential candidate for the MMD.

“There are no vacancies in PF. In MMD even as we speak, there is one vacancy, the vice-president of the party…and there is another bigger vacancy. Who would be another Mr. Mwanawasa? Because I think President Mwanawasa will at midnight go and wake up somebody to go and take over MMD…so all of them must stand up and be counted so that when he’s looking at who he’s going to wake up those people are available because that is what Chiluba did to him and they find that if I don’t stand up and be counted, he (Levy) will not come and work me up at midnight.”
Sata said the statement by Lt Gen Tembo that MMD was the only viable party would be subject to speculation.

“General Tembo is from MMD, former vice-president of MMD so give him the benefit of doubt. Give him the benefit of doubt because it’s only Gen Tembo and him alone who knows why he made that statement. All of us will be subjected to speculation,” he said.
And Sata has disputed Lt Gen Tembo’s statement that MMD was the only viable party.
“MMD is not viable. MMD is not on the ground. MMD only exists on government level and you find that a number of people will come and make so much noise ‘I’m joining MMD’, there is some minister whom they might want to replace and that is not democracy when you want to overthrow someone,” Sata said.

“Go to an organisation because you want to contribute something because even in MMD there are people who have been suffering, who have not benefited. It’s the minority which benefits.”

Labels: OPPOSITION, SATA

posted by MrK @ 4:07 AM