Maravi

Rupiah will continue being an old playboy – Hichilema

Rupiah will continue being an old playboy – Hichilema
By George Chellah
Mon 04 Jan. 2010, 04:00 CAT

UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema has said President Rupiah Banda will continue with his habits of being an old playboy even in 2010. In an interview, Hichilema said he does not expect President Banda to reform in this new year.

“You can’t teach an old horse new tricks. The habits will continue of being an old playboy. The whole behaviour is reminiscent of an old playboy so I don’t see any reformation there. You can’t change this man. …George Mpombo says when he President Banda was removed as foreign affairs minister by Dr Kenneth Kaunda it was for the same reason that people are complaining now.

So you are talking of over 20 years…probably 30 years back, his behaviour hasn’t changed. You know… sectional appointments when he was foreign affairs minister,” Hichilema said.

“He is doing the same now where almost every MP in Eastern Province is a minister. So you can’t change this man, this is who he is. The only good thing is that the people of Zambian now have confirmed. Maybe they felt he had reformed when he had retired and went in hybernation on a little farm in Chipata. People thought maybe he had changed, he hasn’t changed, he is still the same person.”

Hichilema said there wasn’t much to expect from President Banda in 2010.

“My only appeal to the people of Zambia is to be resilient so that we can enter 2011 and change government decisively. But what I’m hoping would happen is to conclude the constitution-making process in 2010 so that we can have a new constitution as a platform in 2011,” Hichilema said.

He urged the government to rebuild roads in Western Province and other provinces, which he described as a total disaster. He said MMD did not even take advantage of regional opportunities.

“Mabenga even should have no moral right to talk about the things he talks about because he is a discredited individual. I don’t even want to waste time talking on him… He is known as ‘Mr CDF’ in his area,” said Hichilema in apparent reference to the case where the Supreme Court found Mabenga guilty of abusing the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

“I want to wish the people of Zambia a resilient new year. There is no happy new year at all. In Lukona, people are eating mangoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the mangoes will run out. What is the happy new year to talk about?”

Hichilema asked Zambians to be steadfast because help was on the way in 16 months time. He also criticised the government’s agricultural policies.

“If you look at the farmer input support programme there was an haphazard reduction from six bags to four bags and the fertiliser and the seed is so minimal and people cannot produce viably. There is a dysfunctional thinking by those who designed the programme. Maybe they don’t understand farming,” Hichilema said.

“I hope going to 2010 somebody will remind this government that they are not doing well in agriculture both in input supply system… you are aware that as we sit now a number of farmers have not received basal dressing not even received seed.”

Hichilema hoped that the government could correct all these issues in 2010.
“So that we can secure food for our people and avoid importing GMO maize, which obviously children and relatives will be given. Maybe they are doing it deliberately so that we can have a shortage of production and then they give contracts to family members to import GMO maize,” Hichilema said.

He also spoke against the policy of supporting foreign farmers at the expense of local farmers.

“…2010, I see MMD in a panic mode the way Mabenga has already entered that panic mode. But I don’t see much hope for the people of Zambia in that sense because MMD’s confusion will extend in 2010 but my expectation is that there is not really much that will come out of MMD because we have always said that MMD is beyond a point of diminishing returns,” said Hichilema.

“MMD has lost value contribution to society. Our view is that the people now will prepare themselves to have a new government come 2011.”

Labels: GEORGE MPOMBO, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 9:50 AM