Maravi

Sata accuses Banda of being provocative

Sata accuses Banda of being provocative
By George Chellah
Sat 24 Oct. 2009, 04:01 CAT

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata yesterday accused President Banda of being provocative. And Sata urged President Banda to reconcile with the problems the Zambian people are currently facing.

Featuring on Yatsani Radio's Good Governance and the Community programme, Sata wondered how Zambians would celebrate today's 45th Independence Anniversary whose theme is Celebrating 45 years of independence in the spirit of reconciliation and good neighbourlinesss when they are starving.

“We are reconciling 45 years of independence and as a people we have to look at the historical background. We have lagged behind because we don't know who we are. The President cannot bluff Zambians. When Rupiah came in power corruption at play wanted to influence the supply of fuel,” Sata said. “We are going to be celebrating the so-called independence day without fuel, without our own communication facility Zamtel. How can a starving person reconcile, let's provide food to the people, provide drugs to the hospitals, provide roads. The leaders of Zambia must reconcile with simple little problems... water."

He insisted on the need for the government to reconcile with the problems people were experiencing.

“Whoever thinks of reconciliation...are we not ashamed to see a graduate without a job? So what reconciliation are you talking about? When we take over government it's Zambians first,” he said.

And in an interview, Sata said he had boycotted this year's independence anniversary celebrations citing the government's extravagance.

Sata said he received invitation cards for the celebrations but he would not attend.
"It invitation wasn't from Banda, they sent the usual cards from... I think Cabinet Office but I am not going there. I want to save some money for poor people because the money which they are going to spend on 5,000 people can save some poor Zambians' lives elsewhere," Sata said. "Today, we are going to have the largest independence celebration attendance. We are going to have 5,000 people and out of the 5,000 people we are going to have 400 of them coming from South Africa. No wonder they have moved the celebrations to the showgrounds. That's being extravagant!

"I have information that they will bring 400 people from South Africa to come and attend, you are not reconciling with the truth...maybe so that people from South Africa can come and see who is the President and say it's Mr Banda."

He dismissed reports of violence by PF in the last Kasama Central by-election.
Sata, who cited the Kasama and Chambishi incidents where President Banda referred to certain PF members and parliamentarians as 'vimasilu', accused the President of being provocative.

"That's being violent, calling somebody mad. The whole President! It's not fair," Sata said.

And Sata has written to home affairs minister Lameck Mangani, demanding that he commence the national registration card exercise in Northen, Luapula and Southern provinces immediately and without fail.

“The national registration card exercise in Eastern Province ended on 30th September 2009 after an extension from the originally planned period of 90 days to 100 days.

Although, the exercise was supposed to commence in Northern, Luapula and Southern provinces on 1st October, 2009 this has not happened for some unexplained reasons by your office and the Department of National Registration,” Sata stated in his letter to Mangani dated October 13, 2009. “ I have written to your office in the recent past expressing our party's (PF) misgivings about the transparency of undertaking this exercise in the interest of all stakeholders by the Department of National Registration under the supervision of your ministry. I received assurances from your predecessor Dr Kalombo Mwansa that the exercise would be conducted in a transparent manner and that your ministry was not favouring the Eastern Province against other provinces.

“However, the truth seems to be otherwise. It is a matter of common sense that if the exercise is conducted during the farming season many of our citizens in rural areas would give preference to working in their fields to queuing up to obtain NRCs. This is clearly your intention.

This is the first step to your government's attempt to rig the 2011 presidential and general elections, which you know you cannot win. As PF and UPND under the pact, we demand that you commence the exercise in the above named provinces immediately and without fail.”

Labels: INDEPENDENCE, RUPIAH BANDA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 9:54 AM