Maravi

PF-UPND pact is courting some ministers – Sata

PF-UPND pact is courting some ministers – Sata
By George Chellah
Tue 08 Dec. 2009, 04:01 CAT

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) leader Michael Sata yesterday confirmed that the PF-UPND pact is courting some ministers in President Rupiah Banda's Cabinet.

Commenting on former defence minister George Mpombo's disclosure that President Banda has accused some Cabinet ministers of supporting the opposition PF-UPND pact and planning to resign next year, Sata said the pact was fully aware of the Cabinet ministers that are backing them.

“This is just the beginning. We know the ministers and we are just waiting…at the most agreed time we will tell them to go ahead. At the right time they will make the decision, they will go at their own time table, not on Rupiah's timetable,” Sata said.

“We know them, these people are annoyed because Rupiah is paying more attention to our rebels than to them. Let him be careful because by the time these Cabinet ministers hit him, they will hit so hard that he won't recover.”

Sata warned that if President Banda was not careful, the MMD might lose its majority in Parliament by June next year.

“The recently held Solwezi Central by-election reduced their majority by one. So together with these ministers we will wipe out his majority and them we will sort him out,” Sata said.

“His own ministers have weakened him beyond repair. Without information from his own ministers, he would not be as weak as he is today. He should know that when he signs those deals, we will know even before the ink on the paper dries.”

Asked whether the pact would welcome all Cabinet ministers and members of parliament that want to defect before 2011, Sata responded: “They are politicians… why not welcome? Rupiah is encouraging our rebels so why shouldn't we welcome and encourage rebels in his own government?”

Sata said President Banda's time to struggle with rebels in his own camp has come.

“Rupiah Banda as Vice-President and leader of the government business in the House encouraged our rebels and now they are paying him in his own coin. And we are just waiting for his time…the time has come for him to pay back,” Sata said.

“His time has come as well because in Bemba we say ukutangila tekufika. During the last elections, Rupiah released money and gave it to the rebels to go round and decampaign me. So this is his time as well.”

He said the National Assembly has been assisting President Banda in consolidating the opposition 'rebel' parliamentarians.

On Monday, Mpombo revealed that he had information that President Banda is linking some members of his Cabinet to the opposition UPND and PF.

“There is now panic and uncertainty… and these two have become regular patterns of governance. That's why he has resorted to intimidatory gimmickry by perceiving everybody as members of the PF-UPND pact,” Mpombo said.

Labels: GEORGE MPOMBO, PF-UPND, SATA

posted by MrK @ 5:53 AM