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Sata accuses MMD members of lacking allegiance to Levy

Sata accuses MMD members of lacking allegiance to Levy
By Namakau Nalumango and Lambwe Kachali
Wednesday May 21, 2008 [04:00]

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata has accused MMD members of lack of allegiance to President Levy Mwanawasa because his term of office is coming to an end soon. And Sata said he would not reconcile with his members of parliament participating in the National Constitutional Conference (NCC). In an interview after United Liberal Party (ULP) president Sakwiba Sikota visited him at his residence, Sata said the MMD members had no allegiance to President Mwanawasa but they only wanted to make money from the NCC.

"All the people under President Mwanawasa have no allegiance because they know he is going. They would want to milk as much money as they can from the NCC. They are not like you Sikota because you have always been surviving without the NCC," he said.

Sata said like the Frederick Chiluba administration, the MMD under President Mwanawasa also suffered from uncertainty since their presidential candidate for the 2011 general elections still remained unknown.

He said the opposition might be caught up in the same scenario if they were slumbering.
"We need to be careful as the opposition because it will be difficult to survive," Sata said. "We have to be ahead because the person we are fighting President Mwanawasa will not stand. That is why he is telling people in Chipata to stop fighting and behave like Sata."

However, Sata said being on talking terms with President Mwanawasa was better and would help foster Zambia's democracy.

And Sata said he had no intentions of reconciling with the PF expelled members of parliament despite having reconciled with President Levy Mwanawasa because they were indiscipline.

"Indiscipline is indiscipline. You don't encourage indiscipline and you don't reconcile with indiscipline people," Sata said. "They came from PUDD Party for Unity Democracy and Development and PUDD was not going anywhere. PUDD was formed to kill PF but the PF boat was too big to conquer.
"A country without discipline cannot be stable. What you are seeing in Zimbabwe is because of lack of discipline".

Asked if he would reconcile with Sikota, especially that he formed an electoral pact in 2006, Sata said he was not ready to do so, saying one could only reconcile with perceived enemies.

"I took him under my wings to strengthen him after he was harassed and harangued out of UPND. In the first place when you offer somebody your house, you expect them to build their own," Sata said. "If we wanted, we could have swallowed ULP and Sikota would have been a cadre in PF now."

He said PF divorced Sikota because of the viciousness of politics in the country.
Sata said he had known Sikota for a long time and was aware of his political strengths and weaknesses.

"I know my nephew's weaknesses from the time he was young. He might be looking big but he is not," Sata said.

But former PF councillor Musonda Mwaume said the future would judge Sata's political manoeuvres.

Mwaume said Zambians should now analyse and see who was wrong among Sata, former Lusaka mayor Suzanne Nakazwe and himself.
Mwaume said although he, with Nakazwe, was expelled from PF on trivial grounds, it was only God that would judge Sata and his followers.
He said he was not happy with the way he was treated by Sata and PF vice-president Dr Guy Scott.

"Of course I remember very well when Dr Scott called Nakazwe and I dirty meat. He said Sata would deal with us when he returns home, because at that time Sata was out of the country. We were treated unfairly because as a councillor and Nakazwe being the mayor, I believe we followed the law to be at the airport to welcome the Chinese President Hu Jintao. I have nothing personal with Mr Sata but his time for judgment will come," Mwaume said.

He said it was interesting that Sata had come to appreciate the party that he hated most.
Mwaume said he hoped Sata's new friendship with President Mwanawasa was genuine and would last long.

He said Sata had taught him a big political lesson that would be difficult to forget.
"It's over now. 2011 is near and we will meet. But I am not happy the way I was treated and expelled," said Mwaume.

Mwaume and Nakazwe were expelled from PF after they went to receive President Hu at Lusaka International Airport last year.

Labels: MMD, MWANAWASA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 3:37 AM