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Sata is a useful political opponent - Mulongoti

Sata is a useful political opponent - Mulongoti
By Lambwe Kachali, Mwila Chansa and Patson Chilemba
Wednesday May 14, 2008 [04:00]

SATA is a useful political opponent and is welcome to work with the MMD government for the benefit of all Zambians, chief government spokesperson Mike Mulongoti has said. And UPND president Hakainde Hichilema has said he was glad that Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata had become his student of issue-based politics as opposed to mediocrity and insults.

Meanwhile, Sata yesterday confirmed that he would be meeting with President Levy Mwanawasa today at State House and would jointly address the press after the meeting.

Commenting on Sata's statement that he was ready to open dialogue with President Mwanawasa as politics of confrontation were long gone, Mulongoti said the government harboured no enemity against Sata. Mulongoti, who is also Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, said President Mwanawasa had consistently advised the opposition to work with the government in order to uplift the living standards of the majority poor Zambians.

He said the MMD regarded all opposition leaders as friends and partners in development and were free to associate with government in improving the country's economic development.

"First, as government, we would like to welcome Mr. Sata home and we are happy that he has recovered. Despite his ill-talks against the government, it does not mean Mr. Sata is our enemy. And now that he has offered himself to work with the leadership of President Mwanawasa, I think he is welcome because we regard him as a useful political opponent who cannot be ignored to work with," Mulongoti said.

He said there was urgent need to change Zambia's political spectrum by divorcing politics of antagonism, hatred, name-calling and insults. Mulongoti said as far MMD was concerned, opposition political parties were not its enemies and that their criticisms against the government were an exercise of one of their democratic rights.

He said democracy entailed that both the government and the opposition should be open and tolerant to criticisms especially on matters of national importance. Mulongoti said Sata's critic stance was a bygone and the government was looking forward to fresh and mutual understanding between the two parties so that the country could continue moving forward.

"We respect opposing views and Mr Sata's critic position does not stand. Democracy is about opposing opinions and whether you agree to it or not, you just have to respect that. That is even enshrined in our Constitution. So as government, we don't have to be hurt by Mr. Sata's attacks. We should be tolerant," Mulongoti said. "Any advice or contribution from the opposition will be accepted."
Mulongoti said now that Sata had returned, PF supporters and Zambians at large were expecting his usual contributions to the nation.

And Hichilema said he was glad that Sata was now emulating UPND's stance of promoting issue-based politics away from insults and mediocrity.
"I am glad that UPND is already providing leadership even before we are in office. When we came on the political scene, we promised Zambians that we would provide them with quality debate on issues, we are providing leadership in changing politics from insults and mediocrity to issues," Hichilema said.

"I would like to welcome Sata to the new type of politics. I would like to see a situation where President Mwanawasa, president Sata and president Hichilema can openly debate on television on issues of the energy crisis, rising food prices, job creation, agriculture, education and all other matters."

Hichilema said such open debates would give Zambians an opportunity to make decisions on who was best suited to take over the leadership of their country after 2011. He reiterated that it was only through quality debate that shouting and noise making would be taken out of Zambian politics.

Hichilema said Sata had always been fighting everybody.
"When I met President Mwanawasa sometime back, Sata criticised me and accused UPND of trying to form an alliance with MMD. Sata and Levy have been quarreling in public and your paper once carried a story where I said the two were quarrelling like children at the Electoral Commission and I was disgusted," said Hichilema.

He said he was happy that he was called to comment on the matter because Sata had always ridiculed him and called him names such as 'under five' or 'calculator boy'.
Hichilema also wished Sata a quick recovery so that they could now start discussing national issues.

And Lusaka lawyer Dr Rodger Chongwe advised Sata not to compromise the opposition's role of providing checks and balances to government in his dialogue with President Mwanawasa. Dr Chongwe said it was good for the ruling and opposition parties to dialogue for national development but that the opposition should always perform the role of a watchdog.

He said the opposition should guard against towing the line of government, as doing so would amount to taking the country back to the one party state.

"I know that he knows his role. But just in case he has forgotten, first and foremost, he is leader of the opposition and we expect him to articulate issues that are good for the country, not to compromise the principles of his political party," Dr Chongwe said. "The opposition should stick to opposition politics, not necessarily politics of confrontation but national politics."

Dr Chongwe also advised President Mwanawasa to seek dialogue with other political party leaders who had representation in Parliament and not Sata alone.
He said in most countries, the ruling party dialogued with the opposition to come up with important instruments such as the foreign policy.

"So when Sata says he is tired of politics of confrontation, it may be that where he was in South Africa, he has been exposed to other elements of how a democratic country is run," Dr Chongwe said.

He hoped that this was the beginning of change in the way politics was conducted in Zambia. Dr Chongwe said in most cases, it was the MMD which resorted to politics of confrontation and because of that, other parties had taken confrontational positions.
"Let's see what will happen. We should not think that confrontation is behind us," said Dr Chongwe.

And PF Matero member of parliament Faustina Sinyangwe congratulated Sata on his new approach to politics.

"I would like to congratulate him for, at last, seeing things for what they are," Sinyangwe, who is Sata's niece, said. "We have always advised him that being in opposition does not mean that you have to criticise everything the government does. The opposition is there for checks and balances so that when government does a good thing, you commend and when they do things wrongly, you criticise.

I remember one time in Parliament when I praised my sister Sylvia Masebo for the good work she is doing, Sata phoned as soon as I sat down. I was told that there was a phone call outside and when I went to the phone, Mr Sata shouted at me for praising Sylvia for the good work she did. That is Mr Sata for you. He believes in painting black that which is white. That's why I congratulate him for his new approach to politics. And I hope he means what he says."

On Sunday whilst in South Africa, Sata said he was ready to open dialogue with President Mwanawasa because politics of confrontation were long gone.

Labels: MIKE MULONGOTI, SATA

posted by MrK @ 3:57 AM