Our victory is a verdict against the thieves, says Sata

Our victory is a verdict against the thieves, says Sata
By Patson Chilemba
Sat 07 Aug. 2010, 04:00 CAT

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata yesterday said the PF’s victory in the Chifubu parliamentary by-election is the people’s verdict against thieves and their allies. Commenting on PF’s victory in Chifubu, Sata said Zambians wanted change because they were fed up with President Rupiah Banda’s playfulness and friendship with thieves.

He said the MMD failed to win the seat despite pumping in billions of kwacha to buy the people. Sata said the MMD’s bribery failed to buy the electorate. He said President Banda and his consultant, former president Frederick Chiluba, campaigned heavily in the area, but to no avail.

“It is a verdict against thieves and their allies. People on the Copperbelt are suffering because of the thieves, because of all the thieves and their allies,” Sata said.

“The people of Copperbelt cannot be cheated by Chiluba. The people of the Copperbelt cannot be cheated by thieves. Chiluba went to camp in Chimwemwe but the people there have rejected him. They have also rejected him in Chifubu. He is a good consultant.”

Sata said it was embarrassing for the ruling MMD to continue losing parliamentary by-elections. He said in the past, ruling parties faced no difficulties winning by-elections.

He said the MMD losses in Chifubu and Luena constituencies showed that the people had lost confidence in the ruling party.

“Even if our Pact partner UPND has not won in Luena, we are consoled that the seat has gone to the opposition,” he said.

Sata boasted that PF had never lost a parliamentary by-election in its strongholds.

“I am celebrating our parliamentary victory. Rupiah Banda has gone to celebrate a ward victory in Kaputa with chief Puta where they bought 105 votes in Mansa, using Elizabeth Mulobeka. Rupiah Banda has gone with the police to cement the conviction of Katele Kalumba,” he said.

Sata said PF had won the elections under very difficult conditions because some people could not vote as their polling stations had been changed.

He said people were still registering as voters during the campaigns and at the time of voting, a thing he said was unheard of in Zambia’s history.

Sata said the MMD was deceived to think that they could use the weaknesses in the Pact to win the elections.

He said as a result of the loss, President Banda had vented his anger on the police by making radical changes in the police command on the Copperbelt.

“The police have realised that they are suffering the same way the other people are suffering. And you see it is unthinkable for Rupiah Banda and Inspector General of Police Francis Kabonde to take Antonnel Mtentwa, the divisional commander Copperbelt to come and be director medical when he is not a doctor,” said Sata.

On the PF’s local government losses in Mansa and Lupososhi to the ruling MMD, Sata said the losses should not raise concern because it was easy for the ruling party to buy voters in one ward.

He said the MMD used the people’s poverty to buy votes.