Maravi

Rupiah vows to continue campaigning as presidential candidate for 2011

Rupiah vows to continue campaigning as presidential candidate for 2011
By Salim Dawood in Lusaka and Mwala Kalaluka in Mpulungu
Sat 23 Oct. 2010, 04:20 CAT

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has vowed to continue campaigning as presidential candidate for the 2011 general elections despite the ruling MMD not having endorsed him as the party’s sole candidate. And President Banda has said he can knock down anyone who writes newspaper articles portraying him as a weakling if such a person availed themselves before him.

Speaking at a public rally at Mwembeshi Basic School on Wednesday afternoon to drum up support for MMD parliamentary candidate, Keith Mukata, in the forthcoming Chilanga by-election, President Banda said he wanted to see peaceful campaigns as opposed to campaigns of hatred, insults and lies.

“In 2011, I think you have heard, my party is indicating that they want me to stand. I have raised my hands and said yes, I accept! I will stand and I will campaign, I will beg all Zambians and I am sure they will give it to me,” he said.
President Banda expressed hope that Zambians would vote for him next year because they voted for him when they did not know him in 2008.

“They gave it to me when they didn’t know me, when they didn’t know my work, when I had not built any road, hospitals, no roads, no health centre but still the people of Zambia gave me the presidency. And now that they know just next to me here where we are standing a brand new secondary school is coming up for the benefit of the people here.”

President Banda, whose address was largely centred on his personal campaign and attacks on Patriotic Front leader (PF) Michael Sata said he was experienced in capsizing the boat (PF symbol) because he had capsized it before.

He said one did not have to form pacts to be a president because if the people did not choose a person, he would never be president.

President Banda said while the UPND and PF had formed a pact, his pact was with the people of Zambia and that with them, he was assured he would scoop the 2011 general elections.

“We are going to campaign and you can see we are strong, they are telling stories that…some of you who have never seen me, when you just read in the newspaper, particularly those newspapers that try to portray me as some weakling; ‘nine weakling neo olo niwamene uja olemba mu newspaper’, (Who is a weakling between me and the same person who writes in the newspaper)? I can knock him down if he came straight to me,” President Banda said, provoking applause and cheers from MMD cadres.

President Banda said he was thankful to God that he was still able to stand, walk and campaign and be welcomed the way he had been welcomed at Mwembeshi Basic School.

He said some of the projects that he was now completing were begun by late president Levy Mwanawasa, who belonged to the same party - MMD.

President Banda said there were projects that stayed uncompleted for the last 20 years but were only being completed in his tenure of office.
He told the gathering that he needed more time to be able to complete the projects and bring positive development to Zambia.

And speaking at the same rally, local government deputy minister Moses Muteteka said the opposition political parties were being used by the devil to discredit positive government projects.

Meanwhile MMD Kafue district chairman, Goodson Sansakuwa said expelled MMD Chilanga parliamentarian Ng’andu Magande was a well behaved member of the MMD until he decided to contest the party’s presidency.

And Mukata begged the electorate to vote for him, saying he was a young and capable leader who would provide credible and quality representation for the constituency.

In Mpulungu on Thursday, President Banda pleaded with the people of Isoko ward not to get tired of voting for him.
During a campaign rally held at Isoko Basic School grounds ahead of Monday’s by-election, President Banda urged the electorate in the area not to listen to people that were telling them to fight for change.

He told the people that anybody seeking their vote should first explain what they would do for them. He said they should demand an explanation from the political parties.

“We have been going around the constituency since I came in the morning but I said there is no way I can cancel my appointment with the people of senior chief Tafuna’s area,” said President Banda, who started his rally one hour and 47 minutes behind schedule.

“You know that we lost honourable (Lameck) Chibombamilimo, who was ill, and we tried to take him for advanced treatment overseas. I took him to India. Unfortunately, he passed away. There is an election taking place…you need to replace your representative, that is our system.”

President Banda skirted away from discussing what caused him to fire the late Chibombamilimo and expel him from the party at a heated State House rally.
He instead pleaded with the people of Mpulungu to replace the constituency’s late MMD parliamentarian with the ‘young man’ Given Mungo’mba.

President Banda nevertheless said the people of Mpulungu gave him Mung’omba as the candidate for the MMD in the October 25, 2010 by-election.

“And I am very proud to announce to you that we accepted him and we have come here to come and ask you to vote for him on Monday so that he can be fully fledged,” said President Banda, as the sun started to set. “He is a child of this area.”
President Banda said he had travelled all the way from Lusaka to ask the people of Mpulungu to vote for Mung’omba.

“I have also come here to say thank you. As you know I was vice-president to the late president Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, who passed away, may his soul rest in peace; now I am President after the election in 2008 for which you the people of this area voted for me in big majority,” President Banda said.

“Osa beba iyai kuni votela, (don’t get tired of me). I have been President for only two years and during these two years, myself and my colleagues the ministers, permanent secretaries, all in the government, we have tried to complete the projects which my predecessor started and we have created new projects all over the country.”
President Banda said his government had opened up Mpulungu district by working on the road from Kasama to the district via Mbala.

“I was very proud to see the road between Mbala and Mpulungu because when I was here, that road was not there and that road from Mbala to Kasama was not there,” President Banda said. “These are the reasons why you should vote for a particular candidate either as a president, member of parliament or as a councillor. We are very ready to continue to work with you to improve your condition of living.”

President Banda said he was grateful for the confidence that the Zambian people had continued to direct towards the MMD and pledged to build a school in the area before calling Mug’omba to address the rally.

Mung’omba only said he was lucky the MMD had adopted him as its parliamentary candidate and was asking the people of Isoko to vote for him; and he ended his oration.
President Banda, surprised by the snappy oration from Mung’omba, asked: “You have finished, eeh!”

President Banda told the crowd, comprising young boys and girls, that Mung’omba was a young man of very few words but with a lot of action.
“I have seen your road. The road from the main road to here is in a very bad condition. Give us a chance together with him (senior chief Tafuna) to fix that road,” President Banda said.

“I also hear at the palace there is a problem of water because…the solar panels were stolen. These are simple things.”
Meanwhile, classes were disrupted for the whole day on Thursday when the MMD campaign team decided to hold their rally at Isoko Basic School grounds near senior chief Tafuna’s palace in Mpulungu.

The pupils, boys wearing khaki uniforms and girls wearing green dresses with white collars, were found dancing to MMD campaign songs blaring from huge loud speakers mounted on a light truck, before President Banda’s rally.

During President Banda’s rally, the children made the bulk of the crowd.
Governments in the world’s developing countries have up to 2015 to achieve the universal primary education goal for all children of school-going age within the context of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Labels: 2011 BUDGET, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 6:53 AM