Rupiah, ‘rebel’ MPs will be crushed in 2011 polls - Sata

Rupiah, ‘rebel’ MPs will be crushed in 2011 polls - Sata
By George Chellah
Fri 03 Dec. 2010, 04:01 CAT

RUPIAH Banda will be jointly crushed with PF rebel parliamentarians in the 2011 elections, says Michael Sata. Commenting on Copperbelt provincial minister Mwansa Mbulakulima’s protest at the recent caucus at State House that some people within MMD did not want to accommodate the PF rebel members of parliament, Sata said none of the rebel parliamentarians would be re-elected in 2011.

“The rejection of those rebel MPs by some people within the MMD has vindicated me. I told MMD that those people did not command any support in their constituencies, but they did not listen. They went jumping around as if they had struck gold and yet what they had was not even gold but soaked charcoal, which is of no use,” Sata said on Tuesday.

“Those rebel MPs are rejects and there was no way we could have even considered them for adoption next year. Let them continue eating Rupiah’s money. What Rupiah must not forget is that he will be jointly crushed with those rebels in 2011.”

He said MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba was the only member of parliament who was still a factor in Luapula Province.

“If Mbulakulima thinks some of those hired mercenaries will help them next year…let him dream on,” Sata said.

And Luapula Province PF chairman Kennedy Sakeni said the PF rebel parliamentarians were only a factor in selected quarters of Lusaka.

Sakeni said he was more than 100 per cent certain that all the PF rebel parliamentarians would be offloaded on the streets of Lusaka after the elections.

“Let those without careers find something else to do because they will not be MPs after 2011,” said Sakeni.

On Monday, the MMD caucus held at State House resolved to accommodate popular PF rebel parliamentarians within the party. The caucus expressed doubts over the unpopular ones because it was generally felt that these might make the MMD lose the forthcoming elections.

This was after Mbulakulima protested that there were people within the MMD who did not want to accommodate the parliamentarians.