Maravi

Rupiah's campaign speech in Katete

Rupiah's campaign speech in Katete
By Christopher Miti in Katete
Thursday September 18, 2008 [04:00]

VICE-President Rupiah Banda last week campaigned when he donated sugar and mealie-meal to Vulamukoko residents in Katete, contrary to what community development minister Catherine Namugala said. Vice-President Banda, who is also acting President, said he would improve the life of people in rural areas once elected Republican President.

Vice-President Banda said he, together with his colleagues in Cabinet, would work to improve the country's social sector, continuing from where late president Levy Mwanawasa left.

But Namugala on Tuesday said the handover of food by Vice-President Banda was not a campaign gimmick but an on-going arrangement to assist the vulnerable under the Social Cash Transfer Scheme.

Namugala said government's programmes could not be stopped simply because of an election as people needed to eat and to take their children to school.

Namugala also accused the media of giving negative publicity to a well-intended programme.

Below is a verbatim of Vice-President Banda's speech at Vulamukoko Village on September 12, 2008:

Zikomo kwambiri azimai na azibambo, azimbuye bathu, azimai, azibambo, bana, azukulu tonse amene tilipano niwonga zikomo kuti mwabwela kuzationa. Munilole kuti nikambe muchizungu koma alipo ena omwe sadziwa koma alipo azanga omwe azatithandiza kufotokoza.

Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen, our grandparents, women, men, children, grandchildren and everyone who is here, I thank you all for coming to see us. Allow me to speak in English but there are others who don't understand English, but there are my colleagues who will help me to explain.

Honourable Cabinet and deputy ministers present, permanent secretary, senior government officials, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

It is indeed a great pleasure to have you all here today at this very important occasion of meeting the beneficiaries of Social Cash Transfer Scheme as well as making a small donation to them.

Ladies and gentlemen government is concerned about the poverty levels amongst its citizens currently at currently at 54 per cent amongst whom 51 per cent are extremely poor. That is why government is committed to showcase protection for the means of reaching out to the most vulnerable in our society who because of our economic situation are unable to contribute to and benefit from national development.
Under the social protection strategy, government is putting in place programmes and activities to prevent protect and promote livelihood and welfare of people suffering from extreme poverty.

In this regard the Social Cash Transfer Scheme in Katete is one of the programmes that provide regular known contributory payment of money provided to individuals or households.

This scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services. The Social Cash Transfer Pilot Scheme is a social protection intervention which was started in 2003 with the support of the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) is currently being piloted in five districts. Government has since received additional support from the Irish, GTZ, Irish Aid, UNICEF and Care International. For this we are truly grateful.

The scheme here started with individuals of 60 years and above who received monthly cash transfers of K60,000. These direct transfers help beneficiaries to access education, health and other social services.

Ladies and gentleman, given the positive impact of the Social Cash Transfer Scheme the government is therefore strongly considering up-scaling the scheme to the national programme in a series roll out. It is being envisaged that by 2013 the scheme would cover all the 72 districts reaching 252,000 beneficiary households. I am sure there are many people in country who are not aware of this programme because it is still at a pilot stage. This time and when we expand the programme, all the 72 districts of our country would be involved in receiving this assistance from the government.

These were the ideas of the president who left us a few weeks ago, Dr Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, whom I know you are still mourning up to now.

I was privileged to work with him as his Vice-President and I can repeat this now that he is not with us anymore but I have yet to meet a leader so committed to the needs of the people, his people, the people that he is president of.

You know that the population of Zambia particularly in the rural areas are willing to work for themselves and to feed themselves.

That is why the government which I am the acting President is continuing with the policy of supplying the rural farmers with subsidised fertiliser. Before up to this year the 120,000 families were entitled to Fertiliser Support Programme. This year we have agreed to expand the programme to over 220,000 families. Up to now the years past the government supplied fertiliser to the extent of 60 per cent subsidised fertiliser. Now we have increased the subsidy to 75 per cent.

There are many programmes that this government intend to carry out to make sure that Zambian people are given the opportunity or the encouragement to develop the country so that come ten years from now our children will be living better lives than the one that they are living now.

We know also that the rural people and indeed the urban people are paying high prices for fuel for their vehicles, for fuel for their grinding mills, for fuel for their factories and this government has decided that we are going to reduce tax on fuel so that we can reduce the price of fuel

I think that we all know that as a result of the passing of our president we have to go to elections and select another leader. You know that the Zambian people chose democracy as a way of ruling ourselves, democracy as a way of selecting our leaders at all levels of our activities. That is why our political party which is Movement for Multiparty Democracy decided that they would select in a democratic manner and open manner the person that is going to stand in the forthcoming elections against other political parties.

I think you know very well that in the other political parties in Zambia, you just hear overnight that so-and-so is going to be the presidential candidate, so-and-so is going to be presidential candidate and with regards to the MMD you know the amount of political lobbying and democratic processes we went through to select the candidate.

You know that out of the 15 that aspired to become the presidential candidates for the Movement for Multiparty Democracy that I was fortunate to emerge as a winner.

Before concluding, I just want to assure you and through you all the people of this country of Zambia that I learnt a lot working with President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa the late. The most important message I learnt out of working with him was to dedicate my presidency once you elect me to the service of the people of Zambia particularly, particularly the rural people of Zambia who are the vast majority of the population of Zambia.

Together with my colleagues in the Cabinet, by the way the cabinet is already the MMD Cabinet, the government is already an MMD government, this election is only about the presidency so I’m able to say to you that once you elect me together with my colleagues we shall ensure that the programmes to improve the facilities, the infrastructure, the schools, the hospitals, the health centres, the life of the people in the rural areas. We shall continue from where the late president left us.

And today I’m so happy to see in real life the people that have benefited from these policies particularly the cash programme given to the old mothers and old fathers who are unable to fend for themselves. I think today we have seen an example of the need to educate our girl-child, the need to educate our children the girl-child in addition to the boy-child and look at our minister of community development.

Look how suitable she is to care for the old people. With all her heart you can tell that she believes in what she is doing. She is not only doing it because it's a job to be done but because she loves to do it as a mother herself. Thank you very much, I can count on you the people of Katete, the people of Vulamukoko here where we are. I can count on you to ensure that in the forthcoming elections we are going to choose a leader whose programme, whose political party's programme are well known to be centred on the improvement of the welfare of the people.

Zikomo kwambiri azimai na azibambo tsono nikalibe kusiliza nikukumbutseni slogan yochita pa 30th October, ai. Nikati 30th of October mwebenebake muyankhe munene kuti pankholoko, sitelo. Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen. Now before I conclude, I want to remind you about the slogan for 30th October, okay. When I say 30th October, you should answer pankholoko (on the clock), isn't that so.

Vice-President Banda: 30 October
The people: Pankholoko,

Vice-President Banda: Konse konse
The people: Pankholoko

Vice-President Banda: Ku Chipata
The people: Pankholoko

Vice-President Banda: Kuno Katete
The people: Pankholoko

Vice-President Banda: Ku Lusaka
The people: Pankholoko

Vice-President Banda: Ku Mongu
The people: Pankholoko

Vice-President Banda: Ku Livingstone
The people: Pankholoko

Vice-President Banda: Ku Kabwe
The people: Pankholoko

Vice-President Banda: Ku Solwezi
The people: Pankholoko

Vice-President Banda: Ku Mansa
The people: Pankholoko

Vice-President: Ku Kasama
The people: Pankholoko

Vice-President: Aliyense
The people: Pankholoko.

Labels: CAMPAIGNING, KATETE, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 6:42 AM