Maravi

Wolves have regrouped around Rupiah - HH

Wolves have regrouped around Rupiah - HH
By Lambwe Kachali and Noel Sichalwe
Tuesday September 16, 2008 [04:00]

UPND president Hakainde Hichilema yesterday said wolves have regrouped in MMD to win the presidential election so that they can loot the country. And Hichilema said he was the only genuine candidate in the October 30 presidential election. Meanwhile, UPND secretary general Tiens Kahenya said Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata was not fit to be the country's president because he is not trustworthy.

During the official launch of the UPND presidential campaign at Mulungushi International Conference Centre, Hichilema urged Zambians to be on the lookout with people surrounding Vice-President Rupiah Banda.

Hichilema said Vice-President Banda was surrounded by what he called ‘skeletons’ that had served in almost all the three governments. He said there was nothing that those old politicians around Vice-President Banda would do to Zambians as they had already failed to address numerous problems the country was facing.

“The wolves are regrouping in MMD. If we have eyes, let us see what is happening in MMD. Rupiah wants to work with skeletons so that he can win this election. We all know what these skeletons surrounding Rupiah want, they want to loot the national treasury,” Hichilema charged.

Hichilema said it was sad that Vice-President Banda had declared Eastern Province a no-go area for opposition leaders and had instructed people in the area to chase them when they go to campaign there. He said Zambia would be divided if Vice-President Banda would be elected as Republican president because he was practicing tribalism of the worst kind.

He said Eastern Province did not belong to Vice-President Banda alone but to every Zambia and political party.

Hichilema said currently, MMD was falling apart because of Vice-President Banda's camp. He said even the time the late president Levy Mwanawasa was alive, he was left alone to fight for the good of the country. Hichilema described the late president Mwanawasa as a lone soldier.

“That's why when most of us in the country were mourning our departed president, the MMD leadership were shamelessly engaged in dirty schemes and squabbles that undermined the very foundation of Dr Mwanawasa's legacy, through leadership succession battles, ridden their usual corrupt ways, as reported by their own national secretary. We find this conduct not only morally irresponsible and insensitive but also culturally disgraceful and embarrassing; shame to these selfish men and women,” Hichilema said.

“The country is well aware that the true colours of these shameless men and women now claiming to be champions of the late Dr Mwanawasa's legacy were seen at a time our late president was seriously sick in France.”

And Hichilema urged Zambians to vote for him if their lives were to improve. He said as Zambians go to the polls next month, they should first remember the problems they had been facing in the last decades.

“Our country is faced with a number of challenges. Looking into the future, clearly these are challenges that require both political will and the necessary expertise and solutions to meaningfully address the problems faced by our people.

The biggest problem this country faces is poverty that is so evident on the faces of our people. we need a vibrant economic manager who shall deliver economic development that we cry for everyday of our lives,” he said.

Hichilema welcomed UPND's move to nominate him as its presidential candidate in the October 30 poll.

“I, Hakainde Hichilema, therefore do hereby accept my party's nomination as its presidential candidate in the forthcoming by-election and declare that I am physically, intellectually and mentally ready to take up this challenge as a noble task for my nation,” Hichilema said.

“I am dedicated to the principles of democracy, governance, peace, unity, economic, social and human development as well as human and civil rights. In my presidency, I pledge truth and loyalty in the performance of the duties of the office of the president of the Republic of Zambia and to uphold the Constitution of Zambia, when you elect me.

I vow to ensure that misgoverning the country and mismanagement of the economy, to which my opponents were part in their long political careers, will be a thing of the past in the new Zambia I am going to build with your help, a new prosperous Zambia.

My government will foster the spirit of harmony, consultation and consensus on all major issues of national importance and interest and form an inclusive administration that will be non-partisan, non-tribal, non-racial and strong against nepotism, cronyism and corruption.”

Hichilema said UPND would vigorously wage the fight against corruption and that there would be no sacred cows. He pledged to form a government anchored on the rule of law, integrity and honesty.

“The UPND and all the government institutions will be inclusive regardless of one's tribe. In addition, no one will be victimised once we come into power. Zambia does not belong to one tribe, that is why we get concern when we hear some of our competitors telling their kinsmen to chase us when we go to campaign there.

The UPND government shall help Zambians living in rural areas with affordable farming implements, free fertiliser as well as seeds the first three years, and construction of dams to enable them in irrigation farming. Yes, this can be done and will be done. Countries poorer than Zambia have run these programmes,” he said.

Hichilema also pledged to pay off all outstanding arrears for the retirees within two months of UPND's coming into power.

“There shall be a national living wage from all workers in the country. Under UPND, the workers shall have the right to form unions, to elect leaders of their choice and make wage agreements with their employers and all labour laws that are not beneficial to workers will be repealed,” Hichilema.

“No one shall be imprisoned, deported or restricted without a fair trial; no one shall be condemned by the order of any government official. We shall remove draconian taxes that take away huge proportions of money from the pockets of our people, especially the low income group and replace with low and fair taxes.”

And Kahenya said Hichilema was the only solution to Zambia's continued economic woes. He said Hichilema had a clean political record as compared to Sata and Vice-President Banda who failed Zambians despite working in the first, second and third administrations. He, however, refused to attack Sata saying he did not want to disparage him.

“These leaders had their time and they failed. So all they want now is to steal and cause more plunder to our resources. The people of Zambia will not allow them to continue manipulating us,” said Kahenya.

UPND chairman for elections Ackson Sejani said UPND would not allow MMD to destroy economic gains Zambia had recorded during president Mwanawasa's tenure. Sejani said the fight against corruption was under threat by Vice-President Banda.

Meanwhile, the campaign launch was also attended by Dr Kenneth Kaunda's son, retired Colonel Panji Kaunda, who was introduced as offering solidarity to the party. Col Panji sang the famous 'Tiyende pamodzi ndimutima umo' song to the jubilation of the packed conference hall.

Labels: HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, MMD, RUPIAH BANDA, UPND

posted by MrK @ 6:20 AM