Maravi

UPND welcomes PF poll pact proposal

UPND welcomes PF poll pact proposal
By Staff Reporters
Thursday September 11, 2008 [04:00]

The UPND has welcomed PF president Michael Sata's proposal for the two parties to join hands in an effort to remove the MMD government from power in the October 30 presidential election. And UPND president Hakainde Hichilema said Vice-President Rupiah Banda does not represent president Levy Mwanawasa's vision and values at all.

Commenting on Sata's call for an indaba between PF and UPND to have a collective agreement on the way forward to defeat the MMD government, UPND vice-president Richard Kapita yesterday said his party was open to such progressive ideas from all well meaning Zambians and political parties.

Kapita said UPND was sharing a common ground with PF because both parties did not agree with some of the policies of the MMD government. He said now that Sata had spoken out on the possibility of getting into a political agreement with UPND, the party would wait to be formally informed.

"But before that, we want to ask president Sata if what has been attributed to him in The Post today yesterday in relation to the formation of a political force or agreement is true and if he still stands by that; and if that is the case, to form a big force and kick MMD out of government, then we will chart the way forward. Mr Sata's idea is very good and we welcome it. We will look at ways of working together to defeat this government which has caused so much harm and poverty to the majority poor Zambians," Kapita said.

However, Kapita said the UPND would continue with its campaigns. "Right now, what Mr. Sata has said is being treated like any other statements until we sit and agree on the way forward. But as UPND, we are on course and we will continue with our campaign programmes of selling the party and our president Mr Hichilema," he said.

He said the party was not scared of MMD presidential candidate Vice-President Banda.

Kapita said Sata had rightly observed that Vice-President Banda's leadership was questionable as evidenced by the calibre of politicians that were supporting him.

"First, this is the man who approved the unprecedented huge salary increments for his ministers. All the Bills went through Parliament unopposed and what is remaining now is only his endorsement.

UPND and PF stood for the people of Zambia by condemning these abnormal increments which have been at the expense of the majority poor voters from whom Mr Rupiah and the government team are now seeking votes," Kapita said.

"Mr. Rupiah's camp, his ministers and the entire MMD called us all sorts of names. They used deceitful means to justify their selfish interests. I think the people of Zambia are mature enough and will never be deceived any longer. Zambians have nothing but to remove this selfish government out of power."

Kapita warned Vice-President Banda and the MMD that once UPND or PF formed government, the three Bills which sought to increase the salary and allowances for constitutional office holders and senior government officials would be thrown out.

Kapita said Vice-President Banda did not command the trust from Zambians because the people surrounding him had questionable motives. He said UPND would ensure that the fight against corruption was doubled once they formed government.

"We know the motives behind Vernon Mwaanga, behind Lieutenant General Christon Tembo, Mbita Chitala and many other old politicians surrounding Mr Rupiah Banda. We know what they want; we know what they are looking for. But I can assure them that they won't find it easy this time around," said Kapita.

On Tuesday, Sata called for an indaba between PF and UPND to come up with a collective agreement on the way forward to defeat the MMD government during next month's presidential election.

Sata further challenged Vice-President Banda to state publicly if he had officially resigned from UNIP.

Sata said MMD had shown lack of confidence in its part members by adopting Vice-President Banda.

And Hichilema, who welcomed the announcement of October 30 as the election day, said UPND was ready to contest since they have been campaigning from 2006.

He said the election date had been moved forward because government thought that they would catch the opposition unaware but that they got it wrong.

"Rupiah doesn't represent Levy's vision and values at all because when Levy was dying in France, Rupiah remained by hastening up salary and emoluments Bill to pay himself allowances. He preferred an act of greediness," Hichilema said.

"Levy's vision was to take the country forward but people who are surrounding Rupiah have unfinished business. It's us who can do that. What is it that they have not achieved since 1960?

Rupiah doesn't represent the future but the past." Hichilema said Zambia needed better life for its people and that Vice-President Banda had retired at old age and was later recalled to public service.

He asked Zambians to vote across party lines based on the basic understanding of who could create a better Zambia for everyone.

Hichilema said Zambians had been robbed of election victories when in 2001, the opposition had over 70 per cent votes and in 2006 when the opposition had about 58 per cent of the votes.

Hichilema said the people surrounding Vice-President Banda were waking up from idleness to ransack the public treasury.

The UPND on the Copperbelt also accused the MMD of scheming a plan to use Copperbelt University (CBU) students to campaign for Vice-President Banda in the forthcoming presidential election. But outgoing CBU students union president Rodgers Mugala dismissed the allegation as baseless.

UPND national youth chairman Joe Kalusa alleged that the MMD were using former Copperbelt University Student Union (COBUSU) president Caine Mweemba to organise students. He alleged that during the burial of the late president Mwanawasa, MMD spokesperson Benny Tetemashimba had called Mugala to give him details of the deal.

"He (Tetamashimba) invited the outgoing CBU president to his office and gave him guidelines on how they are going to campaign for Banda. The students were promised K100 million which they were going to share," he claimed.

Kalusa said the MMD were so desperate and wanted to ensure that they retained the presidential seat.

"It is very sad that students at CBU have for a long time been pushing for the increment in their meal allowances from K300,000 to K700,000 but government had taken too long to offer them the increment, but today they are planning to pump in so much money to confuse the students," he said.

Kalusa said the University of Zambia was also in dire need of money for its effective operations and government had turned a blind eye on the problems of the highest learning institution in the country.

But Mugala said Cabinet, and not MMD invited them to attend the burial of late president Mwanawasa.

"It is not true. Yes, we were invited for the funeral, but no such issues were discussed," he said.

Mugala said students would never involve themselves in politics adding that they were ready to work with any government that comes into office.

Meanwhile, UNIP president Tilyenji Kaunda, who by 12:00 hours yesterday was surprised that an election date had been set, said his party had always been ready for elections.

"We have been campaigning for sometime now," Tilyenji said. And MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba likened Sata's statement that Vice-President Banda was a tribalist to a kettle calling a pot black.

Reacting to Sata's statement that it would be easy to defeat Vice-President Banda because apart from his unsuccessful leadership background, he was also a known tribalist, Kalumba said the acting President had no element of being a tribalist.

"I don't think Sata should be the first one to call the Acting President a tribalist. Sata calling Banda a tribalist is like a kettle calling a pot black.

I must say it is unfortunate that the PF leader could start campaigning on those premises. Let us move away from politics of mudslinging and dwell on real issues," advised Kalumba.

Kalumba said MMD was not shaken by proposed talks of a pact between PF and UPND ahead of the October 30 presidential by-election because both political parties had serious weaknesses such that even if they formed a pact, they could not defeat the ruling MMD in the Presidential election.

"Forming a pact or an alliance between PF and UPND is like a chain. You do not make a chain stronger by joining a weak link to another. Zero plus zero is not equal to one," Kalumba said.

And PF Kasama-Central member of parliament Saviour Chishimba advised Vice-President Banda to be watchful, courageous and incorruptible.

In a letter dated September 7, 2008 addressed to Vice-President Banda, Chishimba asked God to bless him for being loyal to late president Mwanawasa.

"And now that Dr. L.P Mwanawasa is dead I ask you to be courageous, strong, watchful, truthful, honest, incorruptible, fair and just as caretaker leader. I invite your honour to the wise words of Ambrose Bierce when he says 'A cynic is a blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.' Be firm!" Chishimba stated.

"Your honour, I emphasise that be as loyal to Zambians as I am to my constituents and fearful as I am to God who anointed me as a people's leader." And Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) executive director Elijah Ruvuta has advised political parties to display maturity during the campaign period.

Ruvuta cautioned government officials not to abuse public resources as the campaigns would take place without dissolving Parliament.

Ruvuta said much as he expected the election date to have been set much earlier, he was happy that political parties could now start focusing on the campaigns. He said although some would complain that the period for campaign would be short, this has always been the trend in Zambian politics.

Ruvuta said this was why the civil society had argued that the election date should be set by the Electoral Commission of Zambia instead of a Republican President who was also an interested party.

Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) president Reuben Lifuka also welcomed the announcement of the election date saying Zambians had been anxious to know when the presidential election would be held.

Lifuka, however, expressed concern at a number of issues, which did not augur well for democracy. He said the election date seemed expedient for the MMD as they enjoyed privileges of the incumbency and that their candidate could easily find his way to many parts of the country.

"The same privilege will not be enjoyed by other contenders and this already does not provide for a level playing field," Lifuka said. "These are some of the inadequacies in the Constitution which need urgent attention and election dates should be provided for to remove the setting of dates based on political expediency."

Labels: PF, UPND

posted by MrK @ 7:06 AM