Maravi

Sata defends the Mwata

Sata defends the Mwata
By Patson Chilemba
Sat 07 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata has charged that President Rupiah Banda is achieving a lot of development in people's pockets like in Paramount chief Chitimukulu’s pocket.

Commenting on Mwata Kazembe who has rated President Rupiah Banda's performance very highly, Sata said he regarded the Mwata's statements as just an opinion.

“As I told you earlier, you don't expect him to start quarrelling with Rupiah Banda… he told you go there. You asked him a very good question, 'show us some of the development projects that Rupiah has achieved?' He said come, I will show you one here, one there.

So that one, he doesn't want to quarrel, leave it there. How do you know he President Banda might have done lots of development in other people's pockets? Rupiah is doing lots of development in people's pockets,” Sata said.

“My Paramount chief Chitimukulu of the Bemba people has got lots of development in his pocket. And so Mwata Kazembe himself, if you read in your very own story, he says 'it's not me to tell the people, the people themselves will say, will choose.”

Sata said Mwata Kazembe was very crafty when he said that it was not up to him to ask people to vote for President Banda but that the people would assess him based on performance. He said Mwata Kazembe was behaving as a non partisan chief who did not want to be drawn into politics, and that was the reason why he said it was not for him but the people who would decided whether to vote for President Banda or not.

“For example, you asked him a question about meeting me and Chiluba, he answered you that he knows how to meet politicians. And what the chief has said is what is expected because there is one killing punch in what Mwata Kazembe has said… the people, not him. The people will decide whether Rupiah has developed or not developed,” Sata said.

Asked if he was bothered about Mwata Kazembe's rating President Banda highly, Sata responded: “Anyway listen, that is his opinion and I will not go into disputing his opinion. I don't want to be quarreling with his opinion. I don't want to quarrel with his Royal Highness' opinion.”

On Mwata Kazembe's apparent reference to him that those who were condemning former president Frederick Chiluba's acquittal were acquitted but no one demanded an appeal, Sata said he was acquitted but did not stop people from appealing.

He said Chiluba was acquitted but the government stopped the appeal.
“What I am saying is Their Royal Highnesses should be well-informed that in my case when I was acquitted, nobody appealed and nobody stopped the appeal against my acquittal. What we are saying here is government interfered with the appeal involving Chiluba,” said Sata. “And this is what we must keep to these chiefs because sometimes they get carried away.”

In an interview on Wednesday, Mwata Kazembe said he rated President Banda's performance very highly because of several developmental projects in the province.

Mwata Kazembe also said some people who were criticising Chiluba were themselves acquitted by the courts but no one demanded for their cases to be appealed against.

Labels: CHIEF CHITIMUKULU, MWATA KAZAMBE, POLITICS, SATA

posted by MrK @ 12:08 AM