Maravi

Banda is panicking over his lies – Sata

Banda is panicking over his lies – Sata
Written by Patson Chilemba
Saturday, April 11, 2009 5:56:58 AM

RUPIAH Banda is panicking because he has told so many lies, Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata has charged. In an interview, Sata said President Banda had told too many lies against The Post and Zambian Airways, including that the former had pocketed US $30 million.

Sata said apart from lying against the two institutions, President Banda had also lied to the people on his many unfulfilled election promises.

Sata pointed out that President Banda distorted the Fertiliser Support Programme (FSP) as a campaign tactic last year when he announced at a campaign rally that the price of the commodity had been reduced to K50,000 per bag and allowed civil servants to buy subsidised fertiliser under the programme.

He said those lies were now beginning to haunt President Banda.

He said the problem with liars was that they always forgot the lies they had told and covered them with more lies.

Sata said President Banda's initiatives such as calling for the indaba were all aimed at diverting public attention from the many lies he had told.

"It is him who is panicking because he has told so many lies not just against The Post. He has lied about me. I have challenged him to show me the Supreme Court ruling that said I lied as he alleged recently. He should not divert people by going to the indaba," Sata said.

He said even though the indaba had come up with several recommendations, it was wishful thinking that the government would implement them.

Sata pointed out that there was a scarcity of resources to implement the recommendations because the budget had already been passed.

Sata said this could have been done before the national budget.

And PF vice-president Guy Scott said he had complained to the German Embassy over the alleged condemnation of PF and UPND by a German delegation of parliamentarians over the two parties' boycott of the national indaba.

Scott said the German parliamentarians from both the ruling and opposition parties were not experts to lecture PF on what was right or wrong.

"They don't know who has been cheating who. We are not fools that we should be lectured like spoiled children. We have reason for what we do and don't do. We were not going to take part in a public relations of 500 and pretend that the country is run by consultation," said Scott. "We just had 40 days in Parliament, every opposing view we raised was ousted by the arrogance of numbers."

The German parliamentarians were quoted in the Times of Zambia edition of April 6, 2009 as having condemned PF and UPND for not attending the indaba.

Spokesperson on development cooperation Karl Addicks who was part of the delegation said in Lusaka at the weekend that it was sad that the two presidents, Sata and UPND president Hakainde Hichilema, boycotted such an important event aimed at finding solutions to the economic crisis.

President Banda called for the indaba to enable government and other stakeholders to brainstorm and help find solutions to effects of the global financial and economic meltdown on the country. The two-day indaba, which attracted over 500 delegates including some people from the diaspora, run from April 4 to 5, 2009.

Labels: FSP, RUPIAH BANDA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 4:57 AM