Maravi

Thieves don’t deserve people’s respect – Sata

Thieves don’t deserve people’s respect – Sata
By Patson Chilemba and George Chellah
Wed 27 Jan. 2010, 04:01 CAT

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata yesterday said he agrees with assertions from various quarters that thieves do not deserve the respect of reasonable members of the public. And UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema warned that Chiluba risks foregoing his benefits as a former head of state due to his active engagement in politics.

Commenting on Chiluba, who is on the Copperbelt Province decampaigning Sata and Hichilema, saying people should not vote for them because they would destroy the country, Sata said campaigning against the PF on the Copperbelt was a waste of time.

“We leave him as he is doing that then we will see how far he goes. The whole point, yes, I am saying all the problems, which they have in this country were brought by him. And what he is fighting for is his US $8 million. Anyway, let's see how far he goes," Sata said.

He said Chiluba was fighting hard to be given back the unexplained US $8 million he put in the Zamtrop account.

Sata said Chiluba had to show President Rupiah Banda that he was working in order to be given the US $8 million in the Zamtrop account.
And Hichilema warned that Chiluba risks foregoing his benefits as a former president due to his active engagement in politics.

He described Chiluba's comments in Ndola as unfortunate.
“First, it will be unfortunate if the former president would want to engage in a political battle with us, with UPND and PF," Hichilema said. "It's very unfortunate, unfortunate in the sense that he is retired and I think there are provisions which do not allow a former president, who is on a government payroll at the same time engaging themselves in politics."

Hichilema said it was his personal desire that they do not engage in a political battle with Chiluba.

"... Because he is a former president he is retired. According to our constitutional provision, he is also somebody that I really don't wish to do battle politically with him because a political battle can bruise people along the way," Hichilema said. "And I think we need the former president to remain dignified and to be asked for advice from different sectors of our society, so it will be unfortunate.

"But if he chooses to do that the former president ought to understand the legal provisions that do not allow him to continue doing that. At the same time, if he wants to do politics he is got to forego the pension, the government payroll that he’s on because that's a constitutional provision."

On Sunday, Chiluba told tenants at Ndola's Itawa Flats not to vote for opposition leaders Sata and Hichilema because they would destroy the country once in power.

Sources told The Post last week that State House had bankrolled Chiluba's trip to the Copperbelt to de-campaign the PF and UPND pact but Chiluba's spokesperson Emmanuel Mwamba said the former president had gone to attend funerals.

Meanwhile, Sata said President Banda did not respect procedure and the law.
Sata's remarks come in the wake of President Banda's appointment of Akashambatwa Mbikusita Lewanika as acting managing director for the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) without following laid down procedures enshrined in the TAZARA Act.

“First of all, why are you asking me to expect Banda to follow procedure? He is not a procedure man...what I am saying is, Dr Banda doesn't follow any Act of Parliament, he is an Act himself," Sata said. "He Aka must realise, because today he might think he is getting a favour from Rupiah Banda, but all Rupiah Banda wants is to get rid of him."

Well placed sources at State House, TAZARA and the Zambian mission in Tanzania confirmed that President Banda appointed Aka without following laid down procedure.
Sata said the appointment of the two Easterners, Dora Siliya and Chembe Nyangu, into senior party positions was a wake-up call to the MMD.

He said President Banda wanted to infiltrate all the important institutions in the nation with his tribesmen.

“By the time they realise, Rupiah Banda and his Chipatees would have taken over all the committees in the MMD. You look at the appointment of Dora, the firing of Jeff Kaande and the bringing in of Nyangu to replace him, their Kaande stay in the party depends on which side Rupiah Banda wakes up. Jeff Kaande went out of his way saying 'no convention, no convention', but where is he today?" asked Sata.

President Banda over the weekend nominated Siliya and Nyangu as MMD spokesperson and deputy national secretary respectively.

Labels: CHILUBA, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 8:57 PM