Maravi

Zambia needs new leadership - Sata

Zambia needs new leadership - Sata
By Ernest Chanda and George Chellah
Sun 31 Oct. 2010, 04:02 CAT

ZAMBIA needs a new leadership to address corruption, tribalism, nepotism and unaccountability, PF leader Michael Sata has said. And Sata said President Rupiah Banda has continued to weaken the electoral system. Meanwhile, the PF has called for more applications from aspiring candidates in all constituencies held by PF rebel members of parliament.

Opening the PF Central Province provincial conference in Kapiri Mposhi yesterday, Sata said Zambians could not continue to witness the deliberate and systematic destruction of the country at the current rate.

“The country needs a new leadership which shall provide a new vision to take the reins of government and hence redeem its citizens from vices such as corruption, abuse of public resources, tribalism, nepotism and unaccountability to citizens,” he said.

He said the government has failed to implement the decentralisation of government administration, which would incorporate traditional rulers in the country's governance.

He cited the MMD government’s gender policy as a complete failure and condemned its antagonistic attitude against the Church and civil society.

Sata said unemployment figures amongst youths have continued to rise a development that continued to impact adversely on the citizens.

Sata pledged that social justice would form the core of the PF government in its domestic and foreign policy.

He also said under the PF government, the fight against corruption would be driven by independent institutions of government in collaboration with an independent judiciary, which commands the respect and confidence of citizens.

On agriculture, Sata said maize marketing and credit finance under the MMD government has disadvantaged small and medium-scale farmers due to lack of credit and the determination of the floor price of maize by the government without taking into account the production costs incurred by farmers.

He said the PF government would ensure that agriculture plays a pivotal role in creating employment and promoting national food security.

“PF will facilitate the establishment of an autonomous farmer's bank, compliment the private sector by being a buyer of last resort especially from emerging farmers in rural areas and review the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) Act in order to nationalise its operations and functions, including its role in maintaining strategic reserve of food crops,” said Sata.

And Sata has accused President Banda of damaging the country's electoral system.

“In 2008, Rupiah Banda stole 35,000 votes through Western Province. Since then he has continued weakening our electoral system. For example, he has issued instructions that 'you are all requested to identify potential and influential councillors from PF and UPND pact',” Sata said.

“The purpose of this assignment is to recruit councillors from PF and UPND who are influential and popular enough in individual areas who can resign from their individual parties to join the MMD in readiness for the 2011 presidential and general elections. Councillors are said to be closer to electorates than members of parliament.”

He said the government has sent three officers from the Zambia Security Intelligence Service (ZSIS) to Mauritius for a one-year three months, further computer training course.

“The purpose of sending these officers is to make sure that 2011 presidential results are manipulated to Rupiah Banda's advantage so as to retain the presidential seat. The trio are already in Mauritius and the delegation leader is a Mr Mwanza from State House. They shall later go to Netherlands for a similar computer training course for three months and come back to Zambia a week before the presidential general elections next year,” he said.

He said the MMD is paying people money in exchange for voter's cards and National Registration Cards details.

“This vice which started with Chawama, Kanyama and spread to other parts of the country has been going on for a while now. Residents are being given as much as K5 million so that they can surrender their cards. This is a criminal act which should not be tolerated,” Sata said.

“We would like to appeal to the Anti Corruption Commission and the Zambia Police Service to show that they still have some semblance of professionalism to take these reports seriously and investigate so that culprits can be brought to book.”

He said people have been seeking change of government as seen from recent elections.

“I want to state that it will be gambling with the patience of our people to continue resorting to crooked and uncouth practices just to satisfy our selfishness. In as much as I dislike violence, I think it would not be in the interest of our people any more to be on the wrong side and help perpetrate the continued stay in office of a regime that has brought so much misery on our people; a regime that the people themselves want to get rid of,” he said.

He urged PF supporters to turn out en masse whenever they hear that money is being dished out.

“Please go there and collect as much as you can, after all, this is your money which the MMD are misusing,” he said.

He called on the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to ensure that provisions of the recently adopted electoral code of conduct were enforced now that the commission has acted to raise hope in stakeholders by making adjustments to the code.

“We have in the past reported incidents involving the MMD that have clearly been against the provisions of the code but the commission has openly ignored such complaints. This has led to loss of confidence in the ECZ by stakeholders such as ourselves,” he said.

He condemned President Banda for keeping quiet over the shooting of miners by Chinese nationals in Southern Province.

He said it was almost 47 years after independence but the country has very little to show to its citizens in the areas of social and economic development.

“The economy has continued to slide into the abyss whilst the country's resources have continued to be mismanaged and misapplied by the MMD government. The MMD government has shown many a time that it is not accountable to the people of Zambia,” Sata said.

“The constitution-making process through the NCC on which the MMD government spent a colossal sum of over K135 billion, the sale of Zamtel and the repeal of the abuse of office provision in the Anti-Corruption Act in 2010, were processes opposed by the people of Zambia but which were undertaken by a government acting with impunity and contempt towards its citizens. Once again the dream by the Zambian people to enact a legitimate constitution has been betrayed by the regime in power.”

Meanwhile, the PF has invited applications from aspiring candidates in all constituencies held by PF rebel members of parliament.

Labels: CORRUPTION, MICHAEL SATA, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 5:16 PM