Sata would spill blood just to cling on to power, claims Banda

Sata would spill blood just to cling on to power, claims Banda
By Mutuna Chanda and Brighton Phiri in Solwezi
Mon 16 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has said Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata would spill blood just to cling on to power if he were voted to head Zambia.

And President Banda has said UPND president Hakainde Hichilema should be the last person to condemn the privatisation of Zamtel because he failed to privatise many parastatal companies.

Drumming up support for MMD candidate in the November 19, parliamentary by-election at Kimasala Basic School in Solwezi on Thursday afternoon, President Banda said he would fight to ensure that Sata lost the elections again.

“You will recall those of you who are older that our Constitution which was brought about some years ago said that the President can only be in office for two terms. You recall that; then when the two terms of president Frederick Chiluba ended who was the person that tried to mislead Mr Chiluba to go for a third term? Who was the national secretary of the MMD who expelled a lot of leaders in the party... who was the man who tried to destroy the party by insisting that there should be a third term?” President Banda asked. “If he can insist that another person should have a third term can you imagine if you voted for him, will he agree to step down after two terms? It's obvious, it's logical that this is a man who would cling on to power even by spilling blood if it is necessary. We cannot permit him. I for one will fight, will campaign to make sure that Mr Sata falls again.”

President Banda initially avoided mentioning Sata and Hichilema's names when he made reference to the two during the rally.

President Banda, in reference to Sata without mentioning his name, said some of the leaders who were as old as he was would attempt to point to the shortcomings of his government and yet they never attempted to revive the economy of North Western Province when they were in government.
However MMD North Western Province information and publicity secretary Benjamin Mufunga who was translating President Banda’s speech into Kaonde mentioned Sata's name, prompting the head of state to say that he was not the one who said it.

President Banda then said he did not want to mention the names because there was one newspaper that was looking to distort what he said.

“There is only one newspaper which is always looking to distort what I say. If I mentioned those names tomorrow they'll say that I said...his father and mother were Satan; I can never, never, ever insult them. All our parents are very noble; our mothers and fathers are very dear to all of us and we all respect them. Even those who are not alive like mine and that other gentleman's name you mentioned. What I said was that his behaviour was like Satan! That's all I said,” President Banda said.

“You know what a Satan does; he's always amongst us. He doesn't like us when we are happy, he doesn't like us when we are united, he doesn't like peace, he doesn't like peaceful people who don't insult, he wants always insults to be amongst us. That is the ways of Satan. That's all I was trying to say. I was trying to say that the politics coming from my brother the leader of PF are politics of hatred. Every day you can read in the newspaper where he is trying to get me to be like him and say that I must hate everybody, I hate Chiluba, I hate president Dr Kenneth Kaunda... I don't hate anybody I was not voted to hate people.”
He accused Sata of being bitter against him.

“You know why this gentleman is so bitter because me I have never tried to be a President before. I never stood for elections I never campaigned to be President. When I was in UNIP I supported Dr Kaunda with all my heart. In all my youth I was prepared to lay my life like many other young people in order that Zambia should be free,” President Banda said. “I became President under circumstances which everybody here understands.

The confusion compelled me to go the elections within 90 days after the passing of the late president Levy Mwanawasa. Mr Sata and his pact friend thought that this was the time to grab the leadership of this country and we went to the elections and you rejected them. Now they've come together as a pact; a pact of hatred; a pact of jealousy aimed at only one person and a group of people.

They think that their coming together perhaps this time they'll be able to become a President but how can you have two Presidents at one time? The Constitution of Zambia allows for only one President. We will wait to see how these two ambitious presidents one young, one old will be; how they are going to share the presidency in 2011. The Zambian people must watch out. You must know the history of all these people. Mr Sata is the same age as myself however much he might deny. Let him tell you what he has done in his life in this country.

Did he participate in the struggle for independence? Did he go to jail for patriotic reasons? Didn't he fail the Zambian people? When he was minister without portfolio you know what he did for all of you. So don't you allow yourselves to vote for people that you know have no record, you can't check for their record.

The same with Hakainde, he just appeared when the late president for UPND Anderson Mazoka passed away and made a tribalistic statement or his supporters that that party belonged only to the Tonga people. The Tonga people rejected that as well. We all know that we Zambians want to be together. Imagine what the two of them together what they can do to this country.”
He denounced violence, tribalism, racism and other vices that divided the country.
He said Zambia had a young population and that the country needed to be looked after in such a way that development was not disrupted.

He urged Solwezi Central voters to elect Chifita as their member of parliament.
Meanwhile as President Banda stood on the podium to speak, a number of children who were in a mango tree nearby fell after a branch broke as they clung on to it trying to catch a glimpse of the head of state.

President Banda then shouted: “Bana abo! Bana abo! Please! Please help the children! I hope they are all alright. Can somebody check.”
Luckily the children appeared fine as they emerged from the fallen branches and leaves.

And some residents of Zambia compound in Kimasala ward called for a good road as President Banda's convoy drove through after the rally at Kimasala Basic School.
As President Banda's convoy drove through the bumpy gravel road, which leads to the main one into Solwezi town, the residents shouted “umusebo! umusebo! The road! the road!” while pointing at the gravel road.

And featuring on Radio Solwezi, President Banda said Hichilema had no justification in condemning the privatisation of Zamtel because he participated in a failed privatisation programme.

"You are aware that Zamtel is undergoing revolutionary changes. There will be some people who will be saying that privatisation of Zamtel is giving it away. Let Mr Hichilema stop talking like that," President Banda. "Mr Hichilema of all the people he was involved in the privatisation of over 20 companies. And many of the privatisation failed. So he is assuming that we are going to fail as he did."

President Banda said it was necessary that Zamtel be privatised in order for the ICT sector to grow.

He wondered why some people were against privatisation of Zamtel when the oldest communication company in the country was the least developed.
"Two new companies have come...Zain and MTN and have since grown 10 times bigger than Zamtel. Is it not a shame that Zamtel is the least developed telecommunication company in the country? Is it not a shame that Zambia has the highest communication rates?" he asked.

President Banda said the privatisation of Zamtel was aimed at reducing the communication costs.
"Is it not shame that we have no e- education and e-governance in this country?" he asked.
President Banda charged both Sata and Hichilema were looking for employment in their quest to lead the country.

"The two gentlemen have been standing for presidency and failed. In case of Mr. Hichilema as young as he is, he has tried twice to stand for presidency and failed... and for Mr Sata, he has tried three times and failed. Perhaps they can tell us what they are looking for in this country. Do they want to win an election and say now I am satisfied and retire...and go back to their businesses," he said. "They are looking for jobs as well."

President Banda said he had restrained from using the presidential powers to react to Sata and Hichilema's attacks because he believed that he was the custodian of the country's democracy.

President Banda said he would start exposing the hypocrisy between Sata and Hichilema because both of them were eying the Republican presidency.