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Barotse Agreement is liberating - Sata

Barotse Agreement is liberating - Sata
By Patson Chilemba
Fri 08 July 2011, 14:40 CAT

Michael Sata says the Barotse Agreement can go a long way to liberate other provinces of Zambia. And Sata has urged President Rupiah Banda to stop bribing Western Province residents directly affected by January’s Mongu shootings but instead address their demands over the Barotseland Agreement.

Commenting on President Banda’s secret ‘compensation’ to Western Province residents directly affected by the shootings and arrests while telling them that the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) caused their suffering, Sata said President Banda should stop bribing the people.

“The point is, it is not a question of Mr Rupiah Banda bribing the people who have come out of prison. To start with, why did he arrest them? Why did he shoot them? Dr Kaunda appended his signature to the Barotse Agreement.

The Barotse Agreement can go a long way to liberate other provinces,” said Sata yesterday when he featured on Hot FM's Hot Seat programme.

“Let’s take Southern Province, Southern Province makes lots of money out of tourism but how much do they get out of it? Nothing. Lumwana in North Western Province at the moment is making money; Copperbelt makes lots of money from mining. What do they get? Nothing. Even our chiefs if you look at their houses. So you find in that Barotse Agreement, there is a lot which we can learn.”

Sata said other provinces would benefit from the decentralisation of power in Western Province, citing South Africa where they had created provincial assemblies.

“For example why should people come from Mumbwa to Lusaka, go to the Copperbelt to go to Kasempa, when Mumbwa is only separated by 160 kilometres from Kasempa?” Sata asked.

Sources within the BRE disclosed that the government was secretly ‘compensating’ the victims who were shot in January and those who were imprisoned.

And Sata said unemployed people, who were being looked after by their wives like Edward Mumbi were saying that PF had been given US$45 million by Afghanistan and Taiwan for campaigns.

He wondered how PF would get the money from Afghanistan which had no administration, nor did PF have anything in common with Afghanistan to send party youths to be trained in that country.

Sata also questioned the rational in those who were saying that he would give the land in Chawama, Kanyama and Mandevu to foreigners when all the land in those areas had been taken up.

“For Mr Mumbi we understand, we provided the first and last employment for him. So he could have sour grapes,” Sata said.

He said the PF owed no debt to anyone, saying even the just-ended general conference which was attended by over 3,000 people was funded by Zambians, not foreigners.

“When Dr Kaunda created the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) there is no way the Times of Zambia, Daily Mail were going to speculate about 45 million dollars. Who supplied the 45 million dollars in Taiwan, in Afghanistan?

How did they come here? Because the same people went to drug Enforcement Commission and said ‘Mr Sata, money laundering’ and DEC came to take me like a common criminal,” Sata said.

“And then somebody says ‘we are auctioning, we are going to send people to Afghanistan’, our defence and security people need to be looked after because at the moment they survive by the grace of God. We don’t need to add more problems.”

Sata said he wished those media bodies who were condemning PF for allegedly barring journalists from the state-owned and government-controlled Zambian National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), Times of Zambia and Zambia Daily Mail, could emulate the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) to condemn the bias by the government-controlled media.

He said they had not said anything when Chanda Chimba was being paid to insult and malign innocent citizens.

Sata said he was glad that “the father of the nation” Dr Kaunda attended the PF general conference, as well as United States Ambassador to Zambia Mark Storella, British High Commissioner to Zambia Carolyn Davidson and other dignitaries.

Asked on assertions that he did not have enough people who could be cabinet material, Sata wondered if the likes of education minister Dora Siliya and information minister Ronnie Shikapwasha were cabinet material.

He said there were no bootlickers in PF, saying in people like Wynter Kabimba, Given Lubinda and Inonge Wina the party had enough cabinet material.

Sata mentioned himself and opposition FDD president Edith Nawakwi as experienced politicians who could run government.

He said those who were joining PF from the MMD would bring with them some experience, saying they were joining PF because UNIP had gone to the MMD.

Sata called on voters to turn out in numbers on the polling day to defeat rigging because rigging was made easier when there was apathy. He said in 1963 and 1991, there was no apathy and people managed to change the system of government.

He also said he knew of some people who had been sent to Mauritius for training so that they could temper with the elections.

He said Zambians should not be hoodwinked like being given geysers when they had no running water in their homes.

“If the people of Zambia want to continue suffering let them be hoodwinked by MMD. They should not be hoodwinked,” said Sata.

Labels: BAROTSE FREEDOM MOVEMENT, BAROTSELAND AGREEMENT, DECENTRALIZATION, EDITH NAWAKWI, MICHAEL SATA, WESTERN PROVINCE

posted by MrK @ 6:05 PM