Maravi

Sata extends his challenge for medical tests to Rupiah, Mulongoti

Sata extends his challenge for medical tests to Rupiah, Mulongoti
By Patson Chilemba
Tue 11 May 2010, 04:00 CAT

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata yesterday extended his challenge for medical tests to President Rupiah Banda and works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti.

And Sata has written to home affairs minister Lameck Mangani stating that PF would seek legal redress should they not see an extensive publicity programme on radio and television and in the print media informing the stakeholders about the dates and places in their respective areas when the mobile National Registration Card exercise shall start and end.

Reacting to Mulongoti's statement that he had been forced to challenge Sata after observing his careless talk on the health condition of government leaders, Sata asked Mulongoti to watch his words and steps very carefully.

"In reply to Mulongoti, I am challenging comrade Rupiah Banda and comrade George Kunda and comrade Mike Mulongoti for us to go for specific tests of three conditions: (1) heart condition, (2) HIV/AIDS and three Caposi Sacoma,” Sata said.

“And I will bear the costs of the test whether they will be done in Zambia or not. In fact, what Mulongoti was saying has been cancelled by the headline in The Post because many people read The Post than the Times of Zambia."

Sata said those in government should not be angry when citizens demanded to know the health status of their leaders. He said it was sad to see the anger which came from Vice-President Kunda when the nation was merely asking to know more about his medical trip to South Africa.

On the civil servants who have not yet received their salaries for April, Sata said this was the biggest misuse of civil servants the nation had experienced in a very long time.

He said he had inside information that the money meant for the civil servants was diverted towards the payment of allowances to ministers and other supporting staff during the Mufumbwe parliamentary by-election.

On the mobile issuance of National Registration Cards, Sata said he visited NRC centres recently and was very disappointed with what he found there.

He said President Banda and Mangani thought that they were doing a favour to Zambians by giving them NRCs.

"Rupiah Banda's government does not realise that it is a right to have an NRC when you have reached the age of obtaining NRC. People don't vote every day. But these people have tied collection of NRCs to voting. The NRC is a security feature for getting employment and entering college," Sata said.

"This government is panicking, making so many mistakes. In some places they have appointed some MMD officials as ones to be issuing NRCs."

And in a letter dated May 5, 2010 and addressed to Mangani, Sata stated that on March 31, 2010 the government announced that phase III of the mobile NRC exercise would commence on August 1, 2010 to cover Luapula, Copperbelt, and Lusaka provinces and that the announcement was carried on ZNBC TV and reported in the Times of Zambia edition dated April 1, 2010.

He stated that the issuance of NRCs was extended by Mangani's office in Eastern Province from 90 to 100 days.

Sata stated that the exercise had not yielded the intended results due to lack of publicity by the government print and electronic media to inform members of the public to participate “in this important exercise”.

He stated that the NRC was a legal requirement for any citizen upon attaining the age of 16 and the law made it an offence not to be in possession of the document.

Sata stated that there was therefore and implied duty on the part of the government that citizens who had lost their NRCs and those due to obtain were informed accordingly.

"In view of the foregoing, we would like to see an extensive publicity programme on radio and television and in the print media informing the stakeholders about the dates and places in their respective areas when the exercise shall start and end in the absence of which we shall seek legal redress from our courts of law for disenfranchising our eligible citizens," stated Sata.

Labels: HEALTHCARE, HIV/AIDS, MIKE MULONGOTI, RUPIAH BANDA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 3:49 PM