Maravi

(DAILYMAIL) Pact poll choice in new twist

By WALLEN SIMWAKA and YANDE KAPEYA

THE choice of a candidate to lead the United Party for National Development and Patriotic Front (UPND/PF) Pact in next year’s elections has taken a new twist with the UPND also announcing it will soon declare its president Hakainde Hichilema as the one to lead the alliance barely 48 hours after PF leader Michael Sata declared himself frontrunner.

And MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga says the ruling party has been vindicated on its stance regarding the UPND/PF alliance.

Southern Province UPND vice chairman John Chidyaka said even if Mr Sata has declared that he is the presidential candidate in 2011, the UPND will continue campaigning for Mr Hichilema to lead the pact.

Mr Chidyaka described Mr Sata’s statement of standing in the 2011 elections as political propaganda.

Mr Sata has said that no law or any piece of paper will stop him from achieving his political ambitions.

He was referring to the National Constitutional Conference’s adoption of a clause which prescribes that a Presidential candidate should have a first degree from a recognised university.

Mr Sata also said the clause was discriminatory.
But Mr Chidyaka said in an interview yesterday that the UPND has no problem with Mr Sata’s ambitions of contesting the presidency because even Mr Hichilema has the same ambitions.

He said according to the UPND/PF pact, Mr Sata and Mr Hichilema are both presidential candidates.

Mr Chidyaka said Mr Sata’s claims that he will be the president after the 2011 elections are only meant to disguise the pact’s presidential candidate and confuse other political opponents.

“We are going to continue marketing Mr Hichilema as a presidential candidate for the 2011 general elections. The UPND will also declare its leader Mr Hichilema as a presidential candidate for the pact.

We are gunning for the elections in 2011 and as UPND, H.H will be the one we are going to declare as a presidential candidate. What Mr Sata is saying is just political propaganda meant to disguise the true presidential candidate for the pact,” he said.

Mr Chidyaka said members of the pact are fully aware of who shall lead the alliance in 2011 and that assertions that the two political parties are confusing them are unfounded.

And Mr Mabenga said the MMD has been vindicated on its pronouncements that the pact will crack.

He said the UPND/PF alliance has no future because the two parties have different ideologies and agenda.

Mr Mabenga said the pact does not have a preferred candidate and that this is the reason the two parties are selecting their own presidential candidates.

“We have been telling you people that this pact has no future and the truth is coming out now. So the MMD is vindicated because this pact is slowly cracking,” he said.

And Mr Mabenga said Mr Sata is free to contest the 2011 general elections as long as he meets the qualifications enshrined in the constitution.

Mr Mabenga said it is wrong for Mr Sata to assume that the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) is enshrining certain clauses in the constitution to disadvantage him from contesting the 2011 general elections .

“What Mr Sata should understand is this constitution is meant for all Zambians and so he is free to contest the presidency as long as he meets the set standards.

“So as MMD , we are not scared of him, he is at liberty to contest the elections but he should qualify,” Mr Mabenga said.

UPND Mazabuka Central member of Parliament Gary Nkombo, when contacted for a comment on Mr Sata’s statement, said it is not news that the PF leader has been aspiring to be president.

Mr Nkombo said while Mr Sata has presidential ambitions, the UPND leader equally has similar aspirations and that the two leaders should be allowed to continue campaigning.

“Do not create an impression that we are fighting.

We are still working together and in fact, you cannot ask for a comment from me. You ask Given Lubinda (PF spokesperson) about what Mr Sata said.

And is it news to you that Mr Sata has been aspiring to be president? And is it news that Mr Hichilema wants to be president of this country? You leave us alone and do not ask me about PF, ask me about the UPND,” Mr Nkombo said.

And Chief Mwanachingwala of the Tonga people in Mazabuka has denounced Mr Hichilema for allegedly lying to the people of Southern Province that he was going to contest the presidential elections in 2011.

The chief said all the people of Southern Province know that Mr Hichilema is going to lead the UPND/PF pact in 2011.

Chief Mwanachingwala challenged Mr Hichilema to announce his position on the matter now that Mr Sata declared his intentions of standing in the 2011 elections.

The chief said Mr Hichilema must tell the people of Southern Province the truth about his ambitions.
Chief Mwanachingwala accused Mr Hichilema of having indirectly sold the people of Southern Province to the PF through the pact.

“What we all knew here in Southern Province was that Mr Hichilema was going to lead the pact. Now that Mr Sata has declared himself presidential candidate, Mr Hichilema must have read and heard, he must tell us the truth because he told us that he was going to be the one. When I spoke with you last time, they called me names,” Chief Mwanachingwala said.

The traditional leader revealed that soon after predicting the collapse of the PF/UPND Pact, Mr Sata called him to complain about the story.

“After you spoke to me, Mr Sata called me and read the whole story to me. I did not dispute anything but I asked Mr Sata what his motive of forming the pact was,” he said.

Labels: PF-UPND

posted by MrK @ 11:02 PM