Maravi

Levy accuses HH of cheap politics

Levy accuses HH of cheap politics
By Chibaula Silwamba in Milanzi and Lambwe Kachali in Lusaka
Friday June 27, 2008 [04:00]

PRESIDENT Levy Mwanawasa has charged that UPND president Hakainde Hichilema is practising cheap politics. And President Mwanawasa said it must be compulsory for every child to go to school. Addressing a rally at Kagoro Basic School on Wednesday where he was lobbying Milanzi electorates to vote for MMD parliamentary candidate in yesterday's by-election, Reuben Chisanga Banda, President said he was unhappy with the behaviour of an opposition political party leader - in reference to Hichilema - who paid medical bills for two students of University of Zambia (UNZA) who were shot at by police during a demonstration.

"My colleagues in the opposition political parties, you should be truthful, you should be frank, and you should exhibit high levels of integrity. Don't cheat," President Mwanawasa said. "The students at the university are injured, a few of them are admitted to the hospital, you go there and you offer to pay hospital fees and say you have done something which deserves the people to vote for you. That is very cheap politics. You take television cameras to the ward and begin insulting...yes it is insulting. What we saw recently by a political leader Hichilema did not impress me and it did not impress all reasonable thinking members of society. That was cheap campaigning, cheap politicking."

President Mwanawasa said there were so many problems in Zambia which Hichilema should help out on quietly instead of publicising them to gain political mileage.

"We have so many orphans who cannot go to school, and we have so many people who are going hungry. Why don't you contribute money so that you can alleviate their suffering without even talking about it?" President Mwanawasa asked.

"You Hichilema urge them students to demand more allowances, you don't even stop to think where the money is going to come from. You are an educated man with a good job and good income, why don't you pick 10 students from the University of Zambia and sponsor them 100 per cent."

President Mwanawasa advised Hichilema not to make noise about the help he offered to the needy in society.

"If you help because you want to get a simple vote, it's very unfortunate," he said. "There are many things which we are doing for this country beyond paying medical fees for three or four students. We are building schools, health centres, hospitals, we are buying materials and equipment for all these institutions, and they cost a lot of money."
President Mwanawasa said it was not deliberate that his government had failed to achieve everything that people need.

"It simply means we can only do so much," President Mwanawasa said. "Otherwise the performance of this administration over the past seven years is beyond comparison."

Last month, Hichilema paid medical bills at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) for two UNZA students that were shot at by police when they and other students protested, demanding increased meal and book allowances.

Hichilema was prompted to pay the bills after he visited the students and was told that they had not been treated because government had not paid their medical bills.

But Hichilema said President Mwanawasa should be ashamed and embarrassed for having failed to help the students. He said he paid for the students not to gain political mileage but to save life.

"Is President Mwanawasa telling Zambians that if a politician finds someone in an accident or someone dying, he should not help that person for fear of political mileage? I think a sound mentally person, especially the President himself cannot utter such a statement. When I was helping those students, journalists found me and it was the media that reported the matter not me. So, what is President Mwanawasa talking about? His ministers (Mike Mulongoti and Geoffrey Lungwangwa) failed to render any help. I think Levy should be a shameless President," Hichilema charged, adding that Zambians should judge who was practising cheap politics between President Mwanawasa and himself.

He further said President Mwanawasa should not brag of any development because people's lives had not improved despite the fact that MMD has been in power for a long time.

Hichilema said UPND would not treat President Mwanawasa with kid's gloves the way Patriotic Front president Michael Sata was doing. He described Sata as President Mwanawasa's mail messenger.

"Imagine the whole of Sata has now been turned into Levy's mail messenger, mail man where he is delivering letters to him all the time. What type of an opposition is President Sata trying to lead? This is a sad political development for Zambia," said Hichilema.
And President Mwanawasa said at the same rally that he would like Zambia to have plenty schools.

"Mr. Minister of Education, you and I are very educated and I want these children to receive the same if not better education than we have gone through," he said. "This is why I get particularly concerned when I find institutions of learning unimproved. We must ensure that as soon as possible all the children...in fact it must be compulsory for children to go to school. I want the schools to be plenty. As we say in Lamba, fililelele as you say here vilimbwembwembwe, vilivinandi, plenty."

President Mwanawasa said this after he discovered that Kagoro Basic School had not been renovated even after he had recommended in 2006 that it should be rehabilitated at a cost of K19 billion. He said the time he went to Kagoro, he was told that the school was built in 1943 but he was disappointed that nobody seemed to care to preserve such an important institution.

"I announced that the government was going to spend K19 billion to rehabilitate the school and I used the opportunity to attack the Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) who want to insist on a feasibility study being taken at a place where a school has been since 1943 and you find that they charge exorbitant amounts of money. Instead of that money being used for purposes of construction, it goes into some other useless Environmental Council of Zambia. No!" President Mwanawasa said.

He directed education minister Professor Geoffrey Lungwangwa to ensure that the rehabilitation works at the school were completed soonest.

"At least when I come back I would like to spend an hour giving a lecture to pupils here," President Mwanawasa pledged.

Meanwhile, President Mwanawasa publicly 'cross-examined' the MMD parliamentary on his campaigns, performance of the government and what he intended to do for the people of Milanzi once elected.

"I have deliberately decided to ask these questions in the presence of the people here so that when I give you instructions on what you must do for the people of Milanzi, I don't want you to swear to me that it's too much. I expect you to work hard for the people of Milanzi," said President Mwanawasa.

Labels: HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, MWANAWASA

posted by MrK @ 9:01 AM