Maravi

Don't elect Sata - Levy

Don't elect Sata - Levy
By Brighton Phiri
Friday February 22, 2008 [09:00]

IT would be shameful for Zambia to have Sata as its president, President Levy Mwanawasa has said. Addressing residents of Kanyama Constituency, where he went to drum up support for the MMD parliamentary candidate Mwalimu Simfukwe on Wednesday, President Mwanawasa said Zambians could not sink so low as to elect Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata their president.

"Kuti twasebana mu Zambia ukukwata ba Sata kuti babe bakateka. (We would be embarrassed as Zambia if Sata became our Republican president)," President Mwanawasa said. "But I know Zambians cannot sink so low to elect Sata as his excellency president Michael Sata."

President Mwanawasa said it was unfortunate that some people had taken advantage of the freedom of expression which the MMD fought for in 1991 to insult him.

"People now have the freedom to go on radio and lie that President Mwanawasa has been allocated K48 billion for his medical services.

This is the freedom we have introduced. It is good and I want to encourage it because it enables some people to be exposed and enables people to tell who is telling lies," President Mwanawasa said.

"He (Sata) is cheating and therefore that is the man who offers himself as a credible candidate to rule this country."

President Mwanawasa dismissed Sata's fears that the National Constitution Conference (NCC) would change the Constitution to block him from contesting the Republican presidency in 2011 on account of his old age.

He said there was no need for Sata to be scared because any attempts to restrict him on account of his age would just build his personality. President Mwanawasa urged the NCC to even consider extending the age limit to 140 years so that Sata could have no reason to give for his failure to win the next election.

Earlier, former Kanyama member of parliament late Henry Mtonga's daughter Esther accused Sata of having failed to show leadership during her father's illness.

She charged that Sata failed to even telephone her late father when he was admitted to hospital in South Africa.

Esther said when Sata asked the bereaved family whether he could travel to South Africa after Mtonga died, her family refused to accept his offer.

Esther further charged that Sata only released the money donated by members of parliament towards her father's funeral after the issue was exposed by the media.

Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, MWANAWASA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 6:30 PM