Brace for mass action against MMD, Sata tells Zambians

Brace for mass action against MMD, Sata tells Zambians
By Mwala Kalaluka
Monday August 18, 2008 [04:00]

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata has said Zambians must brace for more mass action against the MMD leadership which he described as being full of greedy individuals. And United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema has said those who thought Zambians could never unite to fight evil leadership should think again.

During a joint public rally held by PF, UPND and some civil society organisations in Lusaka on Saturday in protest against the decision by the government to increase perks for constitutional office bearers and other leaders, Sata said the hour had come for the MMD government to go.

Sata said the current situation was similar to what transpired in 1991 when Zambians joined hands to remove Dr Kenneth Kaunda and UNIP from the corridors of power.

“Comrade Hakainde, Zambians only get united when there is a problem. When there is no problem, Zambians do not get united. Now, I want to tell you something,” Sata said. “A crisis arose in 1991, just like what is happening now. Rupiah Banda was in UNIP; mealie-meal went up, fuel went up, Mwamba Luchembe became mad, my boys at Soweto went beserk, and Mandevu went beserk. What is happening now is what happened in 1991. Kaunda was more arrogant than Rupiah Banda and Mulongoti.”

He said the MMD leadership should count itself lucky, in view of its move to award itself hefty salaries, that he reconciled with President Levy Mwanawasa on May 14, this year.

“This government is very lucky, because I am a Roman Catholic. Once I say something I stick to it. If on May 14, this year, I would have not met Mwanawasa, we would not be holding this meeting,” Sata said amidst applause. “What type of human beings are these? Umunabo nalwalwa (their friend is ill)…Even in a home can you hold a celebration if the husband or wife is ill? If Mwanawasa would not have been in hospital, on Monday (today) I would have declared a general strike.”

Sata said he would wait to get President Mwanawasa’s latest health condition before he and Hichilema can decide the next course of action over the issue of salary increments for constitutional office bearers.

“I am just requesting all of you to be prepared, because I communicate with people in Paris every day. I will inform you. After that we will rise because we are the ones that sleep on an empty stomach and it is us who deliver under trees,” Sata urged.

He said even if government officials decided to further their selfish and greedy ends by hiding in Parliament, people power would stop them from getting a single ngwee of the monies they intend to award themselves at the expense of other pressing social needs.

“We have to be very united. There are wars in most parts of the world; there is a war in Georgia; there is a war in Iraq; there is a war in Afghanistan, there is a war in Zimbabwe and in South Africa there is xenophobia. Now, what the hell do they think they are?” Sata asked. “They have disqualified themselves and there is nobody from MMD who can take over this country, because once they take over this country, they will loot the funds, they will even grab our women. They are all greedy individuals.

Sata dared any government leader to append their signature to transform the three bills into law.

“The fight is not between me and Hakainde; the fight is to fight for you,” he said “Today we have started the journey, even if they say they will go to Parliament and think themselves clever, wait. We want to see the one who will sign.”

Sata urged Hichilema to be strong and avoid being faint-hearted.

“In 1991, the people of Zambia came and said the hour has come and now the hour has come for this gong’a (fake) government,” said Sata.

And Hichilema said he was thankful to Zambians who had demonstrated that they could be united around a theme and purpose.

“I want to say that today is a great day for Zambia, because there are many people who have been thinking that Zambians will never be united to defeat that which is evil,” Hichilema said. “The people of Zambia are one, the MMD have been trying to create differences so that they can continue stealing from you. We are here united under a sense of purpose of national obligation to protect the people of Zambia from those that are using public office to steal from the poor, who are less privileged to award themselves hefty salary increments.”

Hichilema, who kept referring to Sata as bashikulu (grandpa), said the hefty allowances that government leaders had awarded themselves were an irresponsibility of the highest order.

“One minister was heard saying they are underpaid; he is a government minister and he says he is underpaid. So he wants to be paid so much money from you. I say to this minister that if you want more money, you do what we have done, we go in business and make money,” said Hichilema.

Meanwhile, UPND vice-president Richard Kapita said some ministers called on him on Friday to tell him that he was wasting time opposing the issue of the salary increment for constitutional office bearers.

“They told me that ‘Kapita, you are just jealous of us’,” he claimed.
PF vice-president Guy Scott said it was time to change the government, while Kabwata PF member of parliament Given Lubinda, who described the rally as historical, said he was embarrassed to be a parliamentarian.

Zambezi West UPND member of parliament Charles Kakoma said it was disheartening that parliamentarians had been used to rubber-stamp an immoral act.

In a short address, Federation for Free Trade Unions in Zambia (FFTUZ) vice-president Charles Phiri said the people had delivered a clear message to the leadership that wrong acts would not be tolerated.

Some of the speakers called on Zambians to press for the holding of elections in the next 100 days.

Most of the civil society organisations, who had pledged to join in the public protest rally, did not turn up but sent a solidarity message that was read by Lubinda.

They urged the government to emulate their colleagues in the Ivory Coast who recently slashed their salaries and reduced prices of fuel in response to the common man’s cry.

The organisations promised to fight the unjustified salary increments to the bitter end, just as they fought former president Frederick Chiluba’s Third Term bid.

Those that appended their signatures to the statement which was read on their behalf by Lubinda during the rally are Transparency International Zambia, Women for Change, Anti-Voter Apathy, Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, Southern Africa Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes, Caritas Zambia, Civil Society for Poverty Reduction, Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council, Foundation for Democratic Process, Council of Churches in Zambia and Zambia Youth Association Against Corruption. These organisations did not attend the rally but sent a solidarity statement.