Maravi

Sata doubts his deal with Levy

Sata doubts his deal with Levy
By Lambwe Kachali
Thursday June 26, 2008 [04:00]

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) leader Michael Sata has said he has given his reconciliation with President Levy Mwanawasa a benefit of doubt because some MMD officials are trying to blackmail the President. And Sata said he could not go to campaign for PF parliamentary candidate Peter Phiri in today’s Milanzi by-election on medical grounds.

Meanwhile, Sata said PF members of parliament participating in the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) would not be allowed to participate in the forthcoming party national conference.

In an interview on Tuesday, Sata said President Mwanawasa was under pressure from MMD officials over their reconciliation because they believed that he had now become part of the MMD.

Sata said it was unfortunate that some ministers had not understood the gist of his reconciliation with President Mwanawasa.

He said because of that, most party officials, including MMD national executive committee (NEC) members and ministers were unhappy as their political survival rested on criticising and insulting him.

Sata reiterated that he would never be part of MMD because his ‘deal’ was not with the MMD as a party but with President Mwanawasa alone.

“Have you ever heard Katele Kalumba (MMD national secretary), Michael Mabenga (MMD national chairman) and other MMD presidential aspirants such as (Lt Gen Ronnie) Shikapwasha, (Ng’andu) Magande, (Brian) Chituwo say anything to welcome our reconciliation? Why is that so?” Sata asked.

“The reason is that they are not happy. If you remember, shortly before I went to South Africa, Magande exchanged arrogant words with me over the mining tax. But now that Levy and I are in good terms, they have been cut aside and this has made them very unhappy.”

Sata said politicians should not base their political strength on attacking and insulting their opponents. He said he would have no difficulties facing anybody that President Mwanawasa would float as MMD presidential candidate in 2011.

He urged those who had declared their presidential ambitions in MMD to stop pressurising President Mwanawasa over the reconciliation because it had nothing to do with their presidential interests.

Sata said currently, his dialogue with President Mwanawasa on many critical national issues was going on smoothly.

He said some issues he was dialoguing with President Mwanawasa would have been blown out of proportion by the media had it not been for the reconciliation.

“Since President Mwanawasa and I have now gone automatic, and I think there is no need of going manual again, this has made my brother Levy to be under pressure.

You know, Levy is under tremendous pressure because his ministers were surviving on attacking me and now they can’t. That’s the problem of politics of survival, and this is making me to give this ‘deal’ a benefit of doubt as to whether it will work or not,” he said.

Sata said there was need for politicians to support his reconciliation with President Mwanawasa because it had eased political tension in the country.

“A good example is Milanzi by-elections; if I did not reconcile with President Mwanawasa, I would have been on the MMD campaign agenda. But now, my brother Levy has not even mentioned my name throughout his campaigns. This shows we are moving our country forward politically.

All I can say is that I am not MMD but I can count on Levy and his wife’s votes in 2011 general elections although he should not count on my vote because he is not contesting,” Sata said.

And Sata said doctors had not yet recommended that he undertakes strenuous duties such as campaigns because he was not yet discharged but was still under observations.

“The two doctors here are monitoring my progress but the final discharge will be done in South Africa. So, in this situation, it would not be good to go on such a strenuous exercise without doctors’ recommendations. I will resume my full duties once discharged,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sata said it was unfortunate that people who had no say in PF such as Matero member of parliament, Faustina Sinyangwe, were talking about their forthcoming general conference. He said according to PF, Sinyangwe was expelled in March this year and had no right to talk about party affairs.

He said ‘rebel’ members of parliament would not be invited to the conference because they were not PF members. He said only PF members would be allowed to attend and participate in the conference.

“The number of victims has now reduced from 26 to 21 since some have showed some kind of remorse and want to be forgiven but people like Sinyangwe, Peter Machungwa (Luapula member of parliament) and others have no right to contest any position because they are not part of the PF family,” Sata said.

“So, even if the conference was called tomorrow, they would not be given any ticket because the conference is not for non-member characters .We will be smiling to see Machungwa and Sinyangwe joining MMD,” said Sata.

Labels: MWANAWASA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 4:28 AM