Maravi

Rupiah accuses Sata of abandoning Luapula

By By Kabanda Chulu
Tue 18 Jan. 2011, 04:01 CAT

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda says Michael Sata and his cohorts in PF will pay dearly for abandoning the people of Luapula who campaigned and voted for them. And President Banda says it is shameful for Sata to challenge the current government about health matters when he did nothing as Minister of Health.

Welcoming PF Chipili constituency chairman councillor Kalumbwa and 67 others at Mansa airport on Sunday, President Banda said the defectors were special people who should be treated nicely.


He hoped that PF leader Sata had learnt a lesson for taking the people of Luapula for granted.

“Traditionally when a person visits, they slaughter a chicken for him but I am very happy that you have given these people and these are the ones who knocked us in past elections. It is not Sata and his arrogant MPs but it is these people who did door-to-door campaigns and convinced people to vote for PF but now they are stranded,” President Banda said with a broad smile.

“I urge MMD leaders to welcome them without reservations since they have shown affection towards our party and they will still play a big role in defeating PF in this region. I want to thank all PF MPs present for having stood with us because Sata’s victimisation cannot be tolerated since he has no respect for others.”

Some people who thronged the airport to catch a glimpse of President Banda were seen raising the PF symbol at the motorcade.

And President Banda warned that those people agitating for violence in Western Province would be arrested and charged with appropriate offences.

“What is happening in Western Province is sad but everything is under control and people there are solidly behind Zambia. So don’t listen to those agitating violence because ‘fyakale ifyakulwa fyalipwa nokupwa Physical fighting is a bygone issue’. Trouble makers have been rounded up and we shall find out who is behind this confusion trying to sway the good people of Western region,” he said.

Officially opening the MMD provincial conference, President Banda, who digressed from his speech, said he would release all correspondence between Sata and himself.

He said he received and accepted a letter of gratitude from Sata for taking his wife, Dr Christine Kaseba, to South Africa for treatment.

“But within the same letter, which he meant well, Sata also decided to be argumentative by releasing it to the Post Newspapers. And who is Sata to challenge this government about health matters because when he was health minister he only left uniform trousers for nurses and he is also waffling about free and fair elections. Though it is not my habit, I will release the correspondence between him and myself so that people will see clearly,” President Banda said. “Sata is not new to Zambian politics and he was the cause of problems Chiluba faced during the third term issue so we shall expose him for Zambians to know him well. It does not matter whatever a certain newspaper will write about him.”

He described Sata as a hypocrite who had started attacking Chiluba for not supporting him.

“When Chiluba supported Sata it was alright and when Sata wins a case the judiciary is independent but ever since the courts found Chiluba innocent, Sata has started attacking everyone. But he is forgetting that Chiluba brought press freedom, democracy and several good things. Why focus on wrong things only when Chiluba is human who can make mistakes?” asked President Banda. “I can talk all day about Sata’s contradictions and his lies about participating in the independence struggle and formation of the MMD when he was not there but joined at last minute.”

And Luapula Province MMD chairman Emmanuel Chungu said the ruling party suffered heavy losses during the past elections because chiefs and many people thought the prosecution of Chiluba and other leaders amounted to persecution of people from the region.

Chungu, the younger brother to former intelligence chief Xavier Chungu, said the outlook for the MMD’s electoral victory in Luapula was positive.

MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga said the MMD would not abandon Chiluba but would instead use him to reclaim Luapula Province from the PF.

Mabenga castigated and described Anglican priest Richard Luonde as a liar for saying that President Banda’s alliance with Chiluba would destroy Zambia.
“What alliance is he talking about because it is a big lie since both President Banda and Chiluba are MMD and we shall never shun Chiluba,” said Mabenga.

Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS, MICHAEL SATA, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 4:20 AM