Levy's statement should be opposed seriously - Sata

Levy's statement should be opposed seriously - Sata
By Lambwe Kachali
Friday June 27, 2008 [04:00]

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) leader Michael Sata has said President Levy Mwanawasa's appeal that the opposition should stop contesting elections and allow MMD candidates win unopposed is undemocratic and unacceptable. And Sata has again delivered two letters to President Mwanawasa on what he called the most important and contentious issues. Featuring on 5FM's Burning Issues programme yesterday, Sata said PF would never be swallowed by the MMD.

Sata's comments come in the wake of President Mwanawasa's remarks last Tuesday at a rally in Kawaza village in Milanzi to drum up support for MMD parliamentary candidate Rueben Chisanga Banda, where he urged all opposition political parties to stop contesting elections and allow MMD candidates win unopposed because the party in government was delivering to people's expectations.

Sata said PF would continue to participate in all by-elections until the 2011 general elections. He said President Mwanawasa's statement was contrary to democratic principles and urged the opposition not to take it serious.

Sata said if the statement was targeted at PF in view of the reconciliation, it had fallen on deaf ears.

He said as far as he was concerned, his reconciliation with President Mwanawasa did not mean that PF should be swallowed by the MMD.

"President Mwanawasa's statement is undemocratic and should be opposed seriously. That statement is not part of our reconciliation and all I want to tell the President is that PF will never be swallowed by
MMD because it is a government in waiting," he said.

Sata likened his previous relationship with President Mwanawasa to that of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and opposition MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

"Where, when President Mugabe spoke on the platform, Morgan also replies. And when President Dr Mwanawasa spoke, I also replied and so we did not achieve anything," he said.

Sata claimed that since he started talking with President Mwanawasa directly, they had achieved many things on issues that President Mwanawasa was being misinformed on by his ministers.

"For example, my committee yesterday we received a communique from the University of Zambia (UNZA) where Professor Geoffrey Lungwangwa education minister has allowed enrolment of 3,000 students at the university.

There are no rooms and one of the conditions is that those students will not be given rooms. Second condition they will pay K5 million per semester, third condition they will not go to school during the day but in the night.

Now, I am not very sure if Levy Mwanawasa is aware about that. Now if a person from Chipata or Kafue wants to go to University, how will they go to school at night? How can a university be turned into a night school?" Sata asked. "There are a number of things that I am discussing with President Mwanawasa."

Sata also criticised the decision by the council to demolish people's stands at Lusaka's town centre.

Asked about the proper meaning of his reconciliation with President Mwanawasa now that he doubted it, Sata responded: "Listen, you cannot reconcile with MMD government, you cannot reconcile with MMD party because these ministers have survived on lying to President Mwanawasa for their survival. And as they have survived, they have survived as ministers and as party officials on lying to President Mwanawasa and the easiest way they go and lie about Michael Sata.

There are many things the President is not aware, for example I am very much doubtful if George Kunda (justice minister) went to tell the President to say, he is giving the Attorney General to represent Faustina Sinyangwe PF Matero member of parliament in court because she has been expelled from PF."

Sata said it was extremely sad that President Mwanawasa was not informed about the many anomalies by the government ministers.

And Sata said he would continue to write to President Mwanawasa on issues that he thought needed urgent attention.

Sata said he had decided to give President Mwanawasa more information on taxation and the National Constitution Conference (NCC).

"President Mwanawasa agreed with what I raised in the first two letters that I delivered last week and I have decided to give him more information. These are important national matters."