Maravi

I’m ahead of NCC – Sata

I’m ahead of NCC – Sata
By Patson Chilemba and George Chellah
Mon 25 Jan. 2010, 04:01 CAT

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata has said he is way ahead of his opponents who are trying to fix him at the National Constitutional Conference (NCC).

And Syacheye Madyenkuku has said the MMD and its sympathizers have been caught flat-footed on the degree clause because Sata is unstoppable.

Commenting on the revelation that he has a degree, a direct reaction to what some people view as attempts by the NCC to stop him from contesting the 2011 presidency following the adoption of the degree clause for one to be a presidential candidate, Sata yesterday said he had not been sitting idle since the MMD brought up the issue of a degree for one to be eligible for the Republican presidency in 2006.

“The NCC is being run by the PF rebels. The rebels are telling NCC what to do, and now they are making MMD and Rupiah Banda very foolish. We are far much ahead of them. They started in 2006 and only a foolish person will wait for them,” Sata said. “They started shouting about that degree in 2006, and we are not as dull as they are.”

Sata said he was aware that people like former president Frederick Chiluba, Luapula PF 'rebel' member of parliament Peter Machungwa and Nchelenge independent member of parliament Ben Mwila were trying to fix him in order to save their skins.

However, he said all those who had committed crimes should be ready to account for them when the PF and UPND pact assumes office next year.

“Peter Machungwa can't explain how MMD has forgotten about the K2 billion scam since Golden Mandandi died. And my brother BY 'Nashala neka', remember he was given money to repair that building in town?” Sata noted. “Even those at NCC, they are scared because they have been using NCC money for some other things.”

On the nomination of education minister Dora Siliya as the new MMD spokesperson, Sata said Siliya had been appointed to protect and speak for plunderers.

“So the spokesperson must be a person who protects plunderers. She is the right person to be there. So the spokesperson needs to be one who is dented like Dora. Everything is making our job much easier,” he said.

Sata revealed that President Banda had secretly given Chiluba back the properties that were confiscated from him on the Copperbelt.

“All the shops that were confiscated in Parklands have been given to him. He has been lying that he has gone to campaign for Banda, but he is renovating the shops and looking for tenants,” said Sata.

And Madyenkuku, who is former sports minister and Sinazongwe member of parliament, said he was extremely disappointed that the country had not learnt the dangers of legislating against individuals.

“Every constitution or any subordinate law must be for the country not for an individual or against an individual. It is very clear then that the intention to include the presidential candidate's qualification was ill-conceived. It was intended to deter an individual called Michael Sata from becoming eligible to stand as a candidate because of the massive following the man enjoys throughout the country as the figures show in the 2006 and subsequent 2008 presidential by-elections,” Madyenkuku said.

“Now that it has been disclosed that Sata has a degree, the MMD and those sympathisers who are some of the delegates who were convinced to support that clause have been caught flat-footed. It means that the whole idea of holding the NCC has been rendered futile, the credibility of most of those resolutions from the NCC now are going to be looked at with a lot of suspicion.”

Madyenkuku, who served in the MMD national executive committee (NEC) as an elected member from 1995 to 2001 before the late Levy Mwanawasa brought him back in 2007 to 2008, said the wind of change was unstoppable and that anything that would stand in its way would be crushed.

“Let me tell you that all of us have been destined by God to do certain things in life. And if it was by God's plan that Michael Sata will one day lead this country, no mortal being will stop that. Only God can stop Sata from becoming president,” Madyenkuku said.

“To legislate against individuals, we have seen how Chiluba enacted the former president's Act. Among those things in the former president's Act is the prohibition of former presidents partaking in politics. But you have seen that that thing has caught up with him Chiluba. Now he is himself now involved in politics, he is the one who enacted the former president's Act. That is the danger of enacting with an individual in mind.

“So really if Michael Sata was destined by God to lead this country, no human being can stop him because if it is God's plan it will always be fulfilled. In South Africa, where Jacob Zuma was being persecuted... and by persecuting Zuma they actually built him and made him much more stronger politically and today Zuma is President of South Africa.”

He advised the supporters of the degree clause to do first things first and level the playing field.

“...We have a lot of school leavers but cannot go to the university because of lack of space. Those that finally squeeze themselves in might not even access university education on account of financial constraints. In a climate like that how can you make it a requirement for anybody who wants to be a president to be a university graduate? That doesn't make sense,” he said.

He advised members of parliament to reject the clause with the contempt it deserved.
“... Because some of those MPs might have presidential ambitions, they might even have the ability to do so but will be limiting themselves. It should be the preserve of the Zambian people to know among the presidential candidates who has the credentials that will make a more efficient and effect president. You cannot take away that right and tie it to the Constitution," said Madyenkuku.

Labels: NCC, PRESIDENCY, SATA, SYACHEYE MADYENKUKU

posted by MrK @ 9:16 AM