Maravi

Barotse visit is an eye-opener, says Sata

Barotse visit is an eye-opener, says Sata
By George Chellah in Senanga
Tue 24 May 2011, 04:00 CAT

PF leader Michael Sata has vowed to return to Barotseland and tour all the remaining districts before the general elections. And Sata has described his recent visit to Barotseland as an eye-opener.

Meanwhile, Sata addressed a huge public rally in Senanga where he urged people to cast their vote early on polling day. Sata, who visited Western Province over the weekend, expressed satisfaction with his trip to the region.

“We have had an extremely successful trip. In fact, not only had this trip been very successful but an eye-opener too,” Sata, said. “I definitely have to arrange to come back and camp in Barotseland and visit all the remaining districts.”

He said there was need to return to the province and share the truth with the people.

“The people of this province are thirsty. The people of Barotseland have been marginalised. The lies that the MMD is peddling about development in this part of the country are most unfortunate,” he said.
Sata advised the government to speak the truth.

“What I have discovered is that the truth is suppressed in this part of the world. You will find the MMD lying to people that there is water when in actual fact there is no water. Where there is no road they will say there is a road. The truth is suppressed here by the MMD,” he said.

And during a rally in Senanga, Sata said he was surprised that none of the MMD members of parliament from Barotseland complained against the brutality and shootings that occurred in Mongu.

“The meaning of the Barotse Agreement is power to the people. The British government ruled this country for 70 years. In this 70 years they ruled through village headmen. They ruled through the chiefs,” he said.
He wondered why 47 years after independence, the government has not respected the chiefs.

He said King Lewanika was a wise leader who built the canals in Barotseland.
“How has the Zambian government failed to build a bridge across the Zambezi to Shangombo?” he asked.

He urged the people to stand up and be counted.
“Even this slogan that ‘2011 Sata State House!’ What State House? State House is when you the young people get employed,” said Sata amidst cheers from the crowd.

“…All of us who are here and those of us who are not here, there is no way we can fail to implement the Barotse Agreement.”

He told the people not to be discouraged by talk of rigging the elections.
“We know that people from neighbouring countries have been brought here to come and register as voters. But you being the owners of the country, on polling day go early and vote,” Sata said. “Young men, sleep at the polling stations.

If you go later, they will vote for you. We defeated MMD in Kasama, Chifubu and Mporokoso because people woke up very early to vote.”
He said once voted into office, PF would create employment for both men and women.

“We will have to increase rice production in Western Province. We have to bring advanced fish farming in Barotseland. We have to bring a cashew nut processing plant,” Sata said.

“PF will not come and lie to you that ‘we are building a road to Kalabo’ when there is no road. We will build houses for everybody because there is no way the district commissioners and ministers can be the only ones staying in good houses.”

He also said once in government, PF would change the civil service structure.
“If a DC is behaving like MMD, they will have to go to MMD so that we employ a civil servant,” he said.

He promised rural hardship allowances to all civil servants working in rural areas.

“We will bring back dignity to the people of Zambia,” he said.
Sata said he visited the province because a lot of lies had been spread about him.

“Somebody was saying ‘Sata doesn’t like you’. Who am I not to like beautiful people like you? If we are made in the image of God, then there should be nobody living better than the other,” Sata said. “The job of government is to build better houses, better roads and provide good education for all.”

And Sata advised the MMD to desist from insulting Catholic priests.
“Without the missionaries, this country will not be what it is today. We have to respect them priests,” he said.

And Kabwata PF member of parliament Given Lubinda described Sata’s visit to Western Province as a grand re-entry.

“I say re-entry because Michael Sata entered Western Province in 2008 but now he has launched a grand re-entry into the hinterland of Western Province. And the reception he has been accorded by the people is symbolic of a people who are eager for a liberator,” Lubinda said.

“There is no doubt that what president Sata has been saying about the second liberation of Zambia and about power to the people is resonating very well with the people of Barotseland.

“It actually gives shivers to people like me who are in urban constituencies outside Western Province because we have always bragged that PF is strong in urban areas. But seeing from the multitudes of people who have showed up and the ones who are lining up the streets is an indication that soon the powerbase of PF shall shift and we in Lusaka and Copperbelt have to pull up our socks.”

Labels: BAROTSELAND AGREEMENT, MICHAEL SATA

posted by MrK @ 5:43 PM