Banda is the most inefficient president, charges Sata

Banda is the most inefficient president, charges Sata
Written by Patson Chilemba
Friday, March 27, 2009 6:12:41 AM

RUPIAH Banda is the most inefficient president after four months of taking office, Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata charged yesterday.

And Sata said President Banda has failed to come up with economic policies to address the problems facing the nation.

Reacting to President Banda's statement that people who were saying that he had not done any developmental project should realise that even a magician could not build a school in four months, Sata argued that President Banda was vice-president to late president Levy Mwanawasa and campaigned on the slogan of continuity in the 2008 presidential election.

He said President Banda had no capacity to continue on president Mwanawasa's legacy.

Sata said in fact, President Banda had managed to undo most of the elements that constituted president Mwanawasa's legacy.

He said President Banda has been a "Johnie Walker" who was more preoccupied with visiting other nations but failed to address the many challenges that had beset the country.

"He took over office at window level. He was assistant foreman. He says he should be given enough time, what time should he be given? In four months, he has been to Nigeria, he has managed to fire political opponents from the party. He has been to Kasaba-Bay and formulated laws to favour his Nigerian friends. Why didn't he say he was only four months into office?" Sata asked.

"So the question of time does not count. What matters is efficiency, but he has been the most inefficient compared to the other presidents of Zambia in the first four months of taking office. He is more of a magician because what is his policy on anything? Yesterday he was in Mkushi, one would have expected a policy on agriculture and policies on the food crisis in the country. But he was talking about Michael Sata."

Sata said President Banda was governing the country like a magician because he had failed to formulate policies to address the development challenges during the economic crisis that had hit the country.

"He looks and behaves like a magician. He cannot govern the government as a magician. He should govern like a political president, not a magician," Sata said.

On Wednesday, while addressing a mini-rally at Damust Farm on his arrival to tour farms in the Mkushi Farm Bloc, President Banda said although people were saying he had done nothing, his administration's budget was being debated in Parliament.

And Sata said his criticism of President Banda was not bent on malice.

He said what he wanted was action from President Banda rather than being a "Johnie walker".

On President Banda's assertions that Sata lost his electoral petition because he lied to the Supreme Court, Sata said President Banda knew in his heart that he was in State House fraudulently.

He said he did not lie because the Supreme Court failed to order a recount to prove if President Banda won a clean election.

Sata said PF would not recognise President Banda's election until he used his discretion to order for a recount of last year's disputed election.

"The Supreme Court ruling made by [deputy Chief Justice] Irene Mambilima, there wasn't a word saying 'lies'. Probably he was given a different ruling where they said 'lies'. Rupiah Banda has never been elected President," said Sata.

Sata's comments come in the wake of President Banda's remarks in Mkushi that the PF leader lost the presidential petition because of lies.

President Banda said there was no way people could elect Sata, who is fond of insulting and lying about other people.