Zambia needs a young president - chief Nkana
Zambia needs a young president - chief NkanaBy Zumani Katasefa in Lufwanyama and Abigail Chaponda in Ndola
Sunday September 21, 2008 [04:00]
Zambia needs a young president to drive late president Levy Mwanawasa's vision for a better Zambia, chief Nkana of the Lamba people in Lufwanyama district has said. Speaking at his palace when UPND president Hakainde Hichilema paid a courtesy call on him on Friday, chief Nkana said some of the leaders who surrounded and ate with late president Mwanawasa were his enemies who did not even understand his vision.
"These people worked against president Mwanawasa, so how are they going to carry on Levy's vision?" asked chief Nkana.
He advised Zambians to elect a leader who would not steal public funds once in office.
"As chiefs, we have started debating presidential candidates. We know before president Mwanawasa became president, he already had K12 billion.
That is why he never stole from government when he came into power. We are also debating Sata, HH and Rupiah Banda," he said.
Chief Nkana said if a poor man was voted into power, they would first enrich themselves before working for the people. He complained that although his palace was situated in an area rich in mineral resources, his subjects were not benefiting from such resources.
Chief Nkana said his palace was dilapidated and threatened to sit some political leaders visiting him on the floor.
"You are lucky I have offered you chairs, those who will come I will make them sit on the ground," chief Nkana said.
And chief Shibuchinga commended Hichilema for visiting his palace. Chief Shibuchinga also complained about the poor state of roads and lack of clean water in his chiefdom.
And Hichilema pledged to partner with traditional leaders to foster development.
"We in UPND want to carry on the vision that the late president Mwanawasa stood for," he said.
Hichilema said it was sad that chiefs in Lufwanyama were not benefiting from the abundant mineral resources in their respective areas.
Hichilema addressed two rallies in Lufwanyama where he told villagers to vote for him as president because he was more energetic than other presidential candidates, Patriotic Front's Michael Sata and Vice-President Rupiah Banda.
He said the two had outlived their usefulness.
At both rallies, villagers chanted their desire for a younger president.
Hichilema also held a number of rallies in Kitwe.
At Radio Icengelo, Hichilema seemed upset by a caller who called him "under-five" politician.
Mr. Mwansa (from Ndola): I would like to greet the under-five politician; how are you under-five politician?
Hichilema: Well, I don't know what you mean when you say under-five.
Mwansa: I am sorry about that, that is the thing that...
Interviewer: I will not tolerate such language on Radio
Mwansa: Apologies for that. I want to warn Mr. Hakainde Hichilema. People are saying that he is supposed to team up with Michael Chilufya Sata, PF in short. On the other hand, this is the thing that you are telling me that you (interviewer) are irked.
Even him, Hakainde Hichilema, it appears he is irked by being called an under-five politician. I just want to warn him because... in the sense that if you go into a merger, you form a pact, look at your so-called friend of yours this Sakwiba Sikota. Sakwiba Sikota was used and then damped.
He lost the MPs like Lubinda who belonged to him without even a battle. I am afraid of you who is even already called an under-five politician who needs polio vaccination for politics.
Hichilema: Let me start with Mr. Mwansa. You can see the mentality of some people, very abusive. That doesn't move me at all. Such sort of petty treatment for each other will not change my mind. We shall remain focused and he asks me to take a polio vaccination (laughs). I took it when I was young.
I am 46 years old. By the way Mr Mwansa, Dr Kaunda became president when he was 40 years old, Kabila DRC President is 37, Jakaya Kikwete Tanzanian President is a young man, General Ian Karma Botswana is a young man, the new President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev is 42 years old.
So I think you are just embarrassing yourself by behaving like that. It just shows how much hatred you have for your fellow Zambians and I think you should be embarrassed of yourself, that's what I would say."
In Ndola, Hichilema said he was running against grandfathers in the race to plot one.
Addressing a multitude of Ndola residents in Chifubu on Thursday, Hichilema said it would be easy to win the October 30 elections because he was fighting for plot one with grandfathers.
"Ba shikulu ba Banda naba Sata grandfathers Vice-President Banda and Mr Sata have been in politics for a long time. They have been in politics since the 60s. When one is old they need to retire and leave room for young people, Nabakula they are old, they should rest," Hichilema said.
"I know why my grandfathers want to remain in politics; it is because they are afraid that they are not going to have more money. But I assure you people of Chifubu that when you vote me in power, I will make sure that my government gives a lot of money to my grandfathers so that they don't suffer."
Hichilema said he knew that there was hunger in many houses in Chifubu and that if people voted for him on October 30, they would be voting hunger out of their houses.
"We have plenty of land and yet our people are starving. But when you people in Chifubu vote for me, you will be hungry no more because we are going to find the solution to your problems," he said.
Hichilema said God gave Zambia a great leader in Levy Mwanawasa but it was unfortunate that he died before finishing his term.
"Let me ask you, how can you vote for people who give themselves salary increments when you people of Chifubu are sleeping hungry, is that fair?" Hichilema asked as people responded awe awe awe no, no, no.
"What you have to do is to bring a leader who loves the people of Zambia. Can you afford to buy mealie-meal?"
Hichilema said Zambia needed a leader who knew how to run business and understood the economy.
"I am not ashamed to be a businessman and once you vote for me, I will deliver results. I know that you people in Chifubu have had no water since 1990, shame!" he said.
Hichilema promised to reduce the cost of trading licenses and passports. He also promised to improve education standards which he said had gone down and also introduce free education up to university level.
Hichilema asked the people if they were able to fly their relatives abroad in an event that they fell ill but the people replied teti, teti, teti we cannot.
"Why then should you vote for people who can't bring better hospitals and clinics to you, people who can't pay doctors good salaries so that they take care of you? Vote for me and that will change," Hichilema said.
"We are also going to look after civil servants because their salaries are pathetic. And we are also going to look after the disabled.
We will make sure that one of the ministers in our Cabinet is going to be a disabled person."
Hichilema also promised to maintain the declaration of Zambia as a Christian.
Meanwhile, later in an interview, Hichilema said it was never too late for Patriotic Front to change its stance and consider going for a pact with UPND ahead of the October 30 presidential election. He said the electoral pact with PF would have worked well for the people of Zambia.
"We are very much willing to accept PF if they u-turned. It was going to be a nice thing. Immediately the MMD heard about the pact, they became jittery," he said.
Sata proposed a pact between his party and UPND but the proposal fell through when each leader launched their own presidential campaigns.
At Mutaba village in Masaiti district, Hichilema said Vice-President Banda was not capable of carrying on late president Mwanawasa's vision.
Hichilema claimed that he understood president Mwanawasa's vision more than Banda and Sata because he shared something in common with the departed president .
Hichilema also pledged to increase salaries for teachers, police and soldiers in the country to a minimum of K3 million per month.
Labels: CHIEF NKANA, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA
posted by MrK @ 5:00 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home