Maravi

Rupiah survives by manipulation – Sata

Rupiah survives by manipulation – Sata
Written by Patson Chilemba and Lambwe Kachali
Saturday, November 22, 2008 9:39:34 AM

RUPIAH Banda lives and survives by manipulation, Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata charged yesterday. Commenting on the depreciation of the kwacha against other major currencies, Sata said it was sad to note that the kwacha had remained unstable ever since President Banda took over the realms of power. He said the nation should brace itself for the worst under President Banda's leadership.

"Now the true picture is coming out. They manipulated the business, they manipulated prices of mealie-meal and prices of fuel. Well, Rupiah is living in the world of manipulation, he survives by manipulation," he said.

Sata said everything President Banda was doing was contrary to the undertakings of late president Levy Mwanawasa despite having pledged continuity.

He said President Banda used president Mwanawasa's death for his political survival.

"It's only 21 days and we are still feeding on Levy's budget. We don't even know how his budget is going to be. We should expect the worst. We are going to be worse than the one-party state. There will be more queues for everything. Investors have had no confidence from the day they announced the elections," Sata said.

"President Rupiah Banda has failed to honour everything he has been promising during the campaign. He said there is going to be continuity but is that continuity which is going on now? Is it continuity without [Ng'andu] Magande? Is it continuity without [Sylvia] Masebo? Is it continuity without all those aides at State House? Where is continuity? This man was just using Levy's death for his survival."

Sata said President Banda did not mean what he preached and that apart from empowering his and the ministers' pockets, he had not yet initiated any project.

And Sata told former president Frederick Chiluba to expect the worst from President Banda.

He said Chiluba together with PF 'rebel' members of parliament such as Elizabeth Chitika-Mulobeka [Kawambwa], Peter Machungwa [Luapula], Ernest Mwansa [Chifunabuli], Besa Chimbaka [Bahati], Dr Bernard Chisha [Pambashe], Jacob Chongo [Mwense] and some parliamentarians from Copperbelt ganged up thinking they were going to get favours and ministerial positions from President Banda but they were defeated lamentably in Luapula, Northern, Lusaka and Copperbelt provinces by PF.

"They should not finish their tears. They should leave some tears for more surprises from Rupiah Bwezani. There are a lot more surprises to come," said Sata.

Labels: RUPIAH BANDA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 9:41 AM