Maravi

Levy urges MMD members to exercise self-respect

Levy urges MMD members to exercise self-respect
By Brighton Phiri and Christopher Miti in Chipata
Tuesday May 20, 2008 [04:00]

PRESIDENT Levy Mwanawasa has revealed that he has already started congratulating himself over what he has done for the country. And President Mwanawasa said his reconciliation with opposition Patriotic Front president Michael Sata would be meaningless if the MMD members did not work hard to show that they belonged to the ruling party.

Addressing a handful of MMD cadres at Chipata Airport on Sunday, President Mwanawasa asked MMD members to exercise decency and self-respect by rejecting dirty monies being offered by some MMD leaders aspiring for top leadership in the party.

“I have done a lot to empower the Zambian people and at the end of my 10 years, I would have done my part.... I have started congratulating myself and I would have congratulated myself a lot in a big way not because you were giving me money but because you have given me a lot of support.

I haven’t lost support because I didn’t give you money... but if you had been giving me money I would have said after all they paid for my services, let me have a return on my investment and I would have forgotten about you,” President Mwanawasa said.

President Mwanawasa said people should not be worried on who would take over from him because God was there to provide them with his successor.

“Zambia is a great nation and the Zambian people haven’t been neglected by their God. I resigned as vice-president of this country before. Seven years later God called me back to come and do the job,” President Mwanawasa said. “A lot of people have been saying what happens after Mwanawasa, who will take over? I tell you that the power of God Almighty is great. He will give us another Aaron or is it Joshua to continue with the battle because the battle is not yet over. But that we will not require the payment of bribery among cadres.”

He warned MMD leaders against using the party’s next national convention to confuse the people.

“I want to warn all the party leaders. We will be going to the convention. I don’t know when but we will be going to elect our dear leaders. I don’t want that event of elections to confuse our people. I don’t want the leaders who are prospecting to stand on various positions to use the might of their money to show how vulnerable our people are. And I want our people to show decency and respect to themselves by rejecting the dirty money because when you are given K10,000, K20,000 or even one billion kwacha...how many months, how many days or how many hours will that feed you?” asked President Mwanawasa.

He asked MMD members to elect leaders who would empower them in order to contribute towards changing Zambia into a better place.

President Mwanawasa congratulated all the Eastern Province MMD provincial executive committee members for winning their respective positions.

“For those who lost, I say to them don’t despair but work hard. For those who won, despite congratulating you, I say to you don’t grow big-headed and start to misbehave. We want you to provide leadership to the party. I want you to ensure that all those that contested and lost the elections are co-opted within the party. They should be encouraged to remain within the party,” he said.
President Mwanawasa said he was happy that he had not received any report of major differences within the party since the election of the new provincial committee.

On his reconciliation with Sata, President Mwanawasa thanked MMD members for their prayers and good wishes.

“I have heard, but what is your contribution? Your congratulations will be nothing if you don’t take advantage of what had happened. You must work hard in order for the people to appreciate that we are the part of the day and that which provide leadership,” he said. “There is peace between me and Mr Sata. But Mr Sata has not joined the MMD. He is still the president of PF.

So we must look at our party. There are a number of people who want to join the party but you are repelling them. You don’t want to receive them with both hands. When you see a new party member trying to work hard for his party you become jealous.

That will not do. If this truce we have entered into with Mr Sata is to become meaningful, there must be truce between us and the new party members who are joining us. Politics of insults, politics of traps, politics of throwing stones are over. What we want is politics that encourages development.”

And Eastern Province minister Charles Shawa said the province was expected to record an increased tobacco production.
Shawa said despite the province producing enough maize, some families would still need some relief food.
And MMD provincial chairman Kennedy Zulu commended President Mwanawasa for reconciling with Sata.

Labels: MMD, MWANAWASA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 3:58 AM