Maravi

Sata pledges to run Zambia better than Rupiah

Sata pledges to run Zambia better than Rupiah
By Patson Chilemba
Tue 05 Oct. 2010, 12:40 CAT

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata has pledged to run Zambia’s affairs not in the manner President Rupiah Banda is doing.

He said this during a meeting with Canadian High Commissioner to Tanzania and Zambia Robert Orr at Chit Chat Café in Lusaka’a Rhodes Park area last Thursday. He said Zambia was drifting into a very dangerous path on the fight against corruption by removing abuse of authority from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Act.

Sata said Zamtel had been corruptly privatised to LAP Green of Libya.

“As we are talking, the leadership of government are always in the aeroplane. The man where you originally came from was a Johnnie Walker but what we have now is a John flier,” Sata said.

He said the Canadian government helped Zambia to reduce the infant and maternity rates but there was no one paying attention to such issues now. He said he wanted to reinstate human dignity, saying if leaders respected the people they would not steal from them.

“If you respect people you don’t get doctors striking,” Sata said.

He said conditions for paying tax in the mining industry should benefit all, and not only the Chinese mines.

At this point, PF vice-president Dr Guy Scott chipped in by asking High Commissioner Orr if the Canadian economy was on a drive to cut government spending.
High Commissioner Orr said Canada had tried to spend its money on ways which were appropriate.

He said as a result, Canada had doubled assistance to Africa in the last five years.

Dr Scott there were some worries about the conduct of elections because the number of voters captured looked selective.

“I am told that what used to be of Rhodesia and Nyasaland to help each other into elections, we send experts into Malawi. I understand Mr. Robert Mugabe has now sent some experts and we know his style of elections,” said Dr Scott.

In response, High Commissioner said Canada wanted free, fair and transparent elections which would result in the will of the people being respected.

On the same issue, Sata said a free and fair election provided a conducive environment for good governance and investment.

[And that is about as far as they should go in making concessions to FDI. It is time for Zambia to start developing. And that means that the mines pay 50% of their incomes (or more) in taxes to the state. Plus pay a road tax as long as they oppose the rail option and keep destroying the roads with their millions of tonnes of ore. MrK]

“No investor will risk bringing money into a country where they know very well that the person who is in charge of the country has not won an election,” said Sata.

Labels: CANADA, MICHAEL SATA, PRIVATISATION, RUPIAH BANDA, ZAMTEL

posted by MrK @ 12:30 PM