Maravi

Rupiah has now become Chiluba’s disciple, says Sata

Rupiah has now become Chiluba’s disciple, says Sata
By Patson Chilemba and Chibaula Silwamba
Thu 22 Apr. 2010, 04:00 CAT

PF and MMD cadres singing at the burial of Kasama MP Geoffrey Mwamba’s mother Grace Chileshe Mwamba and nephew Muma Matthew Mwamba, at Leopards Hill Memorial Park in Lusaka on Tuesday. Looking on is PF leader Michael Sata - Picture by Eddie Mwanaleza
RUPIAH Banda and Frederick Chiluba are becoming more desperate, Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata charged yesterday.

And President Banda on Tuesday made wide-ranging verbal attacks on Sata, UPND president Hakainde Hichilema, The Post editors and Fr Frank Bwalya describing them as mad, peculiar and evil, while re-affirming his respect for Chiluba.

Reacting to President Banda's attacks on him and the PF-controlled councils, Sata said desperation had gotten over President Banda and former president Chiluba and they would do anything to save their skins, especially that the elections were only a year away.

"They are becoming more desperate. I am saying that comrade Banda and comrade Chiluba, they are both desperate at the moment. Instead of going to the Copperbelt to tell the people what they intend to do on there, they go there to attack me and UPND president Hakainde Hichilema.

They are trying to show their inefficiency through attacking me," Sata said. "They won't be fruitful. People of Zambia are more intelligent than the way they look at them."

Sata said it was clear going by President Banda's utterances in Kitwe that he had now become Chiluba's disciple.

"He has confirmed that he is his master’s voice. The person who is ruling is Chiluba because he went there to speak openly for Chiluba. Now Chiluba is running everybody. Chiluba is going to open chiefs’ meeting in Luapula and will be followed by Vice-President George Kunda," Sata said.

On President Banda's assertions that other people should not expect him to join their madness of hating Chiluba because his matters would be handled by the police and the courts, Sata wondered how the courts would proceed with Chiluba's cases when President Banda had stopped Zambians from appealing against the former president's acquittal.

"The whole point is when he says ‘madness’; it is madness to stop a system from appealing. It is madness to stop your own system from appealing. That is madness. And there is no one who is pressuring him; we know that he came here to defend criminals...because we know the true type of the President we are dealing with. We know what he is capable of doing," Sata said.

"It is him who instructed people not to appeal because he knew why he stopped them from appealing. It is him who started advertising that, 'I am grateful people have accepted Chiluba's acquittal' before it was even announced.

So we know what he is preparing for. There is a purpose to everything the President is doing. There is a very big purpose. Chiluba and Rupiah Banda, they are all birds of the same feather."

Sata said President Banda was feeling the impact of the criticism on his failure to govern, and that was the reason for his emotional outbursts and hallucinations against his critics.

"He should go to the Copperbelt and say what he went there for. But for him to go there and start talking about my councils, he is feeling our impact, and we shall continue putting pressure on him. This is just the beginning of the year, by June the man will go berserk.

We will continue piling more pressure on him," he said.
On President Banda's statement that PF-controlled councils had failed to perform, Sata said President Banda was a very ignorant man because despite having served as governor of Lusaka, he had little understanding on how the local government operated.

"He should remember that all the rates are approved by the Ministry of Local Government. So there is no council which can do that arbitrary without the approval of the minister. When he says money they receive, receive from where?

PF councils, there isn't a single council who have got arrears in salaries and wages, which is common system for MMD councils," Sata said. "If Rupiah Banda is saying we fire the people, let him start with the government."

Sata demanded the disclosure of the audit President Banda instructed against the PF councils.

"He accused one organisation The Post Newspapers of owing US$30 million dollars. We haven't seen anything out of it. He accused our councils of misusing funds and appointed auditors to carry out an audit. Before we have an audit report, today he is saying they have been stealing funds.

Where is the report from that auditors they appointed?" Sata asked. "What type of President who makes allegations which he can't substantiate, because we are still waiting for the US $30 million? He has not substantiated it. Probably he has become an audit himself. He has gone back to repeat everything Chiluba said."

On President Banda's statement that he had refused to be controlled by The Post like they controlled Sata and Hichilema, Sata dispelled President Banda's utterances.

He said he and Hichilema had in fact refused to be used by the state owned and government controlled Times of Zambia, Daily Mail and Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC).
"Rupiah Banda is a joker, he doesn't know why he is there for," Sata said.

On President Banda's attack on Fr Frank Bwalya, Sata said President Banda was scared of Fr Bwalya.
"The man President Banda has so much hatred. The man has so much hatred for the Catholic Church and all its servants," said Sata.

Addressing a press briefing in Kitwe on Tuesday, President Banda said he did not want anybody to bring chaos in Zambia.
“There is that other man who has no children and he is called a father and he is not even a Catholic father anymore.

He must be told that his red card nonsense will take him nowhere and will not be allowed,” President Banda said. “I am happy that the people of the Copperbelt have refused to join his madness, the so-called Fr Bwalya.

As a democracy, there will be elected leaders in councils and in Parliament from different parties but all of us must work to promote the welfare of our brothers and sisters and fellow Zambians together with the government. Not against the government.”

President Banda said he would continue to respect his predecessor and that he would also like to be respected when he leaves office.

“How can Zambians work to reverse the very noble empowerment programme initiated by Dr Chiluba with regard to the houses? I am being told by whoever that I should not respect Dr Chiluba. I am a President.

All the people who are telling me have never been presidents and will never be. I am a President and therefore I respect all former presidents. My brother the late president Levy Mwanawasa when he was alive, I gave him all the respect that I will give him especially that he appointed me his Vice-President.

I wish he was alive to hear this which I am saying,” President Banda said. “Dr Chiluba brought democracy to this country. He may have done whatever you are accusing him of.

That will be sorted out by the police and the army and courts. Don’t ask me to join your madness against him. I am the President, when I finish I want to be respected too. How are you going to respect me if I don’t respect the previous ones who did so much for the Zambian people?”

President Banda credited Chiluba for the freedoms that Zambians were enjoying.
“Even the freedom which they have to insult presidents, the freedom of the press, the freedom of setting up different political parties, it was for president Chiluba and his colleagues who brought this democracy.

Let us build our country and Zambian people should be clear in their minds what they are defending. Nobody should continue to cheat us,” President Banda said.

“Tomorrow answer me. Don’t insult me. Tell me that these facts are not true. Don’t call that I addressed a press conference in a short sleeved shirt. That has no importance. As they told me when I went to give people of Western Province that I was wearing a white beret. They were so jealousy.

I looked so good. Amambala! Crooks! Nabauza! I have told them! We are going to expose them as hypocrites, people who just want power at all costs.”

President Banda said he was not scared of the PF-UPND Pact and vowed to defeat its leaders in the 2011 elections.

“I am not worried about the so-called Pact. In arithmetic they say: 0+0=0. They have had zero success. In three elections Mr Sata got zero. In two elections Mr Hakainde got zero. Take the two and all their five zeros and put them into a Pact we will deal with them,” he said.

President Banda claimed that The Post hated him because he refused to be its puppet.

“I am so friendly to journalists, all of you, including those from The Post because I know that the young people who go with me every day from The Post are not the ones who write those things.

There is some evil man there waiting in the office for the report which will come from me, wanting to find out how he can twist it so that I can look ridiculous,” President Banda said. “But unfortunately for him, I don’t look ridiculous. I am focused, my eye is on the ball, I want to grow this economy.

I want every mine which was in problems to be re-opened and I have done so and I want new mines to come. I want investment in agriculture, I want investment in all sectors, I want to build more power stations so that there can be enough electricity to service the growing industry. I am focused. It doesn’t matter what they say or do.”

President Banda bragged about the alleged developmental projects his government was implementing.
“A lot of you have wondered: ‘why doesn’t he answer them The Post? I always wait to answer them at an appropriate time with the work that I do.

This country is growing. You will see if you go to any part of this country. Of course, we are not magicians, we can’t build roads over night in every place, but we are building roads.

We are building schools, we are building secondary schools, primary schools, the kindergartens, hospitals, clinics, health centres, and clinics everywhere we are building with medicines available in the country, perhaps for the first time in the history of this country,” President Banda said.

“So they can say whatever they say and I was just saying that I know all of your journalists you are honest people, you write the truth about what you have seen but there are always those peculiar people sitting at the desk and waiting to distort what you have said.”

President Banda said Sata, Hichilema and MMD Chilanga parliamentarian Nga’ndu Magande were puppets of The Post.
“I know why they The Post dislike me.

They dislike because their power to manage this country, the power of The Post to manage all the politicians, to turn all of us into their puppets is finished. I am not their puppet. And their puppets, I defeat them. I defeat Sata, I defeat Hakainde, defeat Magande at the elections of the party. I will defeat them again! I am ready for them!” President Banda said.

President Banda condemned the violence in Mufumbwe ahead of the April 29, 2010 by-elections.

“I do not condone any violence at any election. We don’t need that. Our country needs its democracy to grow.

It needs to remain united so that we can grow the economy of our country so that the lives of our people can improve. I am directing the IG to ensure that this violence is stopped forthwith.

It doesn’t matter who is behind this violence because what happens in our country is that they think that by saying MMD is the one causing violence then I will find it difficult. I condemn that as well. I condemn the violence by the opposition party against MMD also,” President Banda said.

“We want a peaceful election. We want to find out the truth as to who the people of Mufumbwe and indeed the people of Zambia, whenever they have elections, who they want to choose as their leaders.”
President Banda threatened that government officials refusing to implement his directives would be fired.

“Let me warn that government officials, no matter how senior they may be, they do not have authority to challenge my directive. The civil servants’ role is meant to implement government decisions generally and presidential orders specifically, just as they are given whether one agrees with them or not.

Unfortunately, that is how life is,” President Banda said. “If you are given a directive and you are the employee of the government and you don’t fulfill, you will be removed. It doesn’t matter what political party you come from, you will be removed and those leaders who are telling you to oppose will not be there to give you a job. You will just make you family suffer.”

President Banda accused PF-controlled councils of abusing public funds. He said PF councillors and parliamentarians on the Copperbelt and in Lusaka were taking public money and employed their relatives in councils.

“When people complain that ‘this government, why our roads so dilapidated?’

…It is Rupiah Banda’s government. That is why he is annoyed today and decided to come and expose them,” President Banda said. “The emphasis, so that you present here and those listening or who will read this get the full picture.”

He said even developed countries required foreign investment.
“Even in America at the airport when you arrive you find the sign post calling for foreign investment, calling for tourists to come to America and set up businesses and spend money. Even in China they look after their tourists.

They are much richer than ourselves. How can a man who aspires to be a president of this country say, ‘we don’t need foreign investment?’ Or ‘we don’t need Chinese investment?’ Or ‘we don’t need Indian investment?’” President Banda said.
He warned that any government or leader that abuses public resources would be disciplined.

“I want to make it clear that all ministers, their deputies and permanent secretaries and workers in all categories of government service, those in local authorities and all institutions of government and indeed all our members of parliament shall not escape this blame, censure and even discipline or punishment if they are found wanting in the implementation of government policies and providing quality services to the expectant citizens who have reposed their trust in us,” President Banda said.


He directed the Ministry of Lands and all councils to expedite the issuance of all title deeds to deserving sitting tenants in Copperbelt Province before the end of August 2010.
“I will not accept any further delay,” President Banda said.

“I have also decided to sell the Itawa complex flats. I am happy to authorise this. Congratulations to sitting tenants who will be offered these houses. A warning to all; I expect no manipulation of these sales, I am going to follow up this sale together with my colleague and ensure that the people benefit.”
President Banda also pledged to help ex-miners acquire funding for their projects.

“Ex-miners association are seeking financial assistance from the government to enable them access machinery and equipment in order to start various projects. I want the ex-miners association to know that government is considering this request as well,” said President Banda. “I have noted with great satisfaction that more and more of our people especially ex-miners have turned to farming.

This is good for this country. The request to government to increase the amount of fertiliser in a season per farmer will be discussed and explained and will go on to give them support and we will try to give them more fertiliser support.

My government is a caring government. Nobody can deny that. And I want to ask my colleagues in my party not to be ashamed to tell these people that we were elected by the people in order to serve them.”

Labels: CHILUBA, RUPIAH BANDA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 3:17 AM