Maravi

Sata is not well for president - Chongwe

Sata is not well for president - Chongwe
By Noel Sichalwe
Friday September 05, 2008 [04:00]

VETERAN politician Rodger Chongwe yesterday said Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata is not well to be elected Republican President. Endorsing Acting President Rupiah Banda as his preferred candidate to succeed late President Levy Mwanawasa during a press briefing at his office in Lusaka, Chongwe said Sata was not well and should not be allowed to contest the Republican presidency to avoid another presidential by-election.

"Sata is not well. We made a mistake in 2006. We don't want another death of a president in office. Let us try someone who is at least fit. Let us not be tempted to go the 2006 way it is very expensive," Chongwe said.

Sata in April suffered a severe heart attack and was rushed to South Africa for treatment by the government.

And Chongwe also urged the National Constitutional Conference to consider the provision of a running mate for anybody vying for Republican presidency.

Chongwe said he was supporting Vice-President Banda because he believed he was the best candidate at the moment for the position.
"I am here today to ensure that my support for Mr Rupiah Banda for the post of president of the Republic of Zambia goes on record at the earliest possible opportunity," Chongwe said.

He said Vice-President Banda cared about citizens that struggled to survive with very limited support. He said Vice-President Banda was a freedom fighter and a seasoned diplomat.

Chongwe said Vice-President Banda had agreed to be appointed in his position because it was clear that late President Mwanawasa could not find any suitable candidate for that post. He said when he chaired the Alliance of Opposition Parties opposed to the corruption in government in the mid 1990s, he worked with Vice-President Banda among others to restore the political credibility and stop the theft of national resources.

"I have had many friends in politics but only a few with whom I would go hunting. In the days of confrontation with Chiluba and his coterie, Rupiah Banda's humility was tested and he did not let me down. I discovered that he was a sort of friend with whom I could go hunting, even crocodiles," Chongwe said.

He hoped that Vice-President Banda would continue with the current government’s policies and hold himself accountable to the Zambians.
"Mr Banda is the best candidate and possibly might turn out to be the best president that Zambia has ever produced post-Kaunda era," Chongwe said.

He said those who were claiming that late President Mwanawasa had a preferred candidate should produce written evidence to that affect or else their argument would not be valid though it should be subjected to a democratic process.

"Let us embrace democratic ideals and ideas. Let us not be governed by emotions and sensation," said Chongwe.

He also said his support for Vice-President Banda was not in the hope of getting any government position because he had served at the highest level in the country, region and world.

Meanwhile another veteran politician, Simon Zukas, said the issue of loyalty did not fit in the equation of who was supposed to succeed late President Mwanawasa.
He said the challenge of loyalty was the wrong way of going about the current elections.

"It doesn't come in the equation at all and it has no significance politically. The Vice-President cannot be with disloyalty, maybe other factors. We want a man who cares about the poor," said Zukas.
Zukas, however, said he was still listening to the views before he could decide which candidate to support.

Labels: PRESIDENCY, SATA

posted by MrK @ 5:27 AM