Maravi

Kenneth Kaunda attends PF conference

Kenneth Kaunda attends PF conference
By George Chellah in Kabwe
Tue 05 July 2011, 04:00 CAT

DR KENNETH Kaunda yesterday received a thunderous welcome when he arrived at Kabwe’s Mulungushi Rock of Authority for the PF general conference. Dr Kaunda’s official vehicle drove into the main arena at exactly 11:24 hours, sending thousands of PF delegates converged in Kabwe into wild jubilation.

There was ululation and passionate singing as the first Republican president alighted from his vehicle to greet PF leader Michael Sata, who had hurriedly left the podium to welcome him. “Lelo, lelo, lelo! Kaunda ayisa! (Kaunda has arrived!)” chanted the crowd in unison as Sata led Dr Kaunda to the high table to join senior party officials.

Dr Kaunda’s arrival derailed the proceedings for a while as both the PF officials and delegates could not hide their excitement and joy upon seeing the former head of state whose presence seemed to have taken a number of them by surprise.

Just upon sitting, Dr Kaunda was thronged by a large group of PF officials, invited guests and observers who took turns in greeting him.

And opening the party general conference, which was also attended by US Ambassador to Zambia Mark Storella, British High Commissioner to Zambia Carolyn Davidson and Germany Embassy Counselor, deputy head of mission Astrid IIper, Sata praised Dr Kaunda for the numerous developmental projects his government left countrywide and yet there was no billboard bearing Dr Kaunda’s portrait despite the numerous developmental projects he left for the country.

“Dr Kaunda, we are very grateful for your coming… Dr Kaunda exposed me to real administration,” Sata said amidst cheers and ululation from the ecstatic crowd.

Sata urged delegates to inform party members and supporters to keep the oath of ‘Don’t Kubeba’.He said the MMD could only hope to win this year’s election by bribing the voters because they have run out of promises to the nation.

“I have every confidence in our people that no amount of bribery will persuade them to vote for the MMD this year. You must tell our members and supporters to remember our oath of ‘Don’t Kubeba’, which has worked very well in the by-elections held this year,” Sata said.

“Take the free houses, take the money brought to you at night, go and eat their food, receive the sugar and salt including their chitenge materials, switch on the geysers but don’t kubeba that you are PF.”

Sata said the PF national campaign committee would deploy 18,000 polling agents in all polling centres to guard the votes that will be cast for PF.He said PF would put in place mechanisms to prevent the MMD from ever rigging the elections again.

Sata said PF should remain committed to a culture of building a party leadership which is accountable to the general membership of the party and the country at large.

“It has been our firm belief that a general conference of PF which is not supported by established local and democratically elected party organs at all levels would be a mockery to democracy,” Sata said. “It is not, therefore, the fear of elections or the fear to lose positions which has prevented us from convening a general conference over the years.

“It is instead the fear to compromise the principles of democracy and to pay lip service to its foundation coupled with financial constraints. With this general conference, I am confident that PF will cement its ideals to enable it to excel in all its social and economic programmes in government.”

Sata said the PF constitution recognized the principle that the party shall be the leading political force in the affairs of the state.

“And shall in this regard pursue and promote social and economic policies to ensure equality, justice, liberty, solidarity, peace and prosperity for all citizens,” he said.

Sata urged delegates to build on the unity, peace and solidarity in the party, which had been exhibited by the lower organs during the party elections held over the last two years.He said he wanted to see the general conference make resolutions to guide the Central Committee in the promotion of dignity of all citizens and hence ensure social justice and equity for them.

“In order to achieve these principles you must, during this conference, elect leaders who are compassionate towards those of our citizens who are under privileged, leaders who are selfless and not self-interested and leaders who exhibit humility in the service of others,” Sata said. “My personal experience has taught me that public life is a great sacrifice with no financial rewards. It is like a missionary’s work.”

Sata said as PF, they must commit themselves and promise the people that they shall be different in exhibiting the spirit of public service in their deeds from those in government before them.

“Our people want to see a concerted fight against corruption, abuse of public resources by those entrusted with them, tribalism and nepotism which are divisive to our country,” Sata said.

“We shall without undue delay upon forming government move to engage those of our people who have been desirous to enter into dialogue with the government about their grievances but have instead been rewarded with mass arrests and beatings by the police and consequently imprisonment.”

Sata said PF shall decentralize the power structure of government administration which has given rise to some of the grievances since independence.He said the PF government would forge a strong link and partnership with traditional establishments and the people.

On the constitution, Sata said since independence, the cry of Zambians for a constitution, which represents the will and legitimacy of its people, has been unequivocal.

“The Chona commission, the Mvunga constitutional review commission, the Mwanakatwe constitutional review commission have all been attempts by the government to resolve the constitutional question in our country but to no avail,” Sata said.

“In order to respond to the demands of our people for a constitution which will reflect the people’s will and aspirations and hence guarantee them a firm foundation of the rule of law, social justice and an equitable justice system we shall within 90 days in government establish, in consultation with all stakeholders, a committee of experts to review the recommendations of all the previous constitutional review commissions in order to draft and present a constitution for submission to a referendum and subsequent enactment only by the National Assembly.”

Sata said in order to entrench the foundations of democracy in the country, Zambians must advocate for the existence of an electoral system, which serves the interest of all stakeholders.

“Dr Kaunda did not use the media to injure other people. Today, in the public media they want to paint Michael Sata very black,” Sata said. “Let’s use the media for the benefit which it was created for, which is to inform, educate and entertain.”

Sata said PF was committed to a peaceful and violent free election.He said PF had widely circulated its manifesto and disseminated the information in the social and economic sectors of the document in the country to all stakeholders.

“We have learnt from the history of other countries that a country must develop its human capital in order to foster national development. This human capital development must be supported by a good health care system which is accessible by all,” Sata said.

“As PF, we shall pursue and create a pro-poor economic growth which shall target an improved livelihood of the majority of our people in villages and townships.We shall place emphasis on and allocate our budgetary expenditure on four core programmes within the first three years in the areas of education development, health services, agricultural development and local government and housing development.”

Sata said the PF strongly believed in the social and economic development of women and the youth.He said the PF in government would use the Church as a mirror of spiritual and moral conscience in the area of good governance and the promotion of social justice.

He said PF shall also promote constant dialogue between the state and civil society.Sata said in its bid to improve the performance of the country’s economic activities to achieve maximum benefits for the people, PF in government shall diversify its international economic partnerships in order to learn from those countries with similar experiences.

“We shall in this regard seek close economic collaboration with the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and Turkey in addition to our traditional bilateral and multilateral co-operating partners,” Sata said.

“Whereas we welcome foreign investment in the exploitation of our natural resources, the investment must ultimately go to improve the life of our people who are the owners of these natural resources.

We shall expect our people to work under conditions, which are not detrimental to their safety and health.
“We expect our people to be paid a living wage in exchange for their labour.

As a government, we shall support that foreign investment which promotes the transfer of technology in order to improve our industrial output and production. We shall introduce policies for the establishment of micro, small and medium scale business ventures or enterprises which are known to enhance the creation of sustainable employment in the economy.”

Sata said PF shall also reduce marginal tax rates on income for both labour and capital.He said PF shall ensure that the trend of brain-drain is reversed through the introduction of policies which guarantee an equitable distribution of wealth and income.

“A vibrant economy which creates employment opportunities will be an automatic catalyst to reversing the brain-drain syndrome for our skilled labour,” he said.
Sata said Zambia was a rich country.

“Zambia has more minerals than people and you have these thieves who sold Kagem mine and Luanshya mine coming to say ‘they want change’,” he said.
Sata said PF’s immediate and major challenge was to win the 2011 elections.

“We have to translate all the indicators and opinion polls which favour PF into reality. We all must commit ourselves to hard work after this general conference,” he said.

Sata said from July 8, 2011, PF shall have the duty to interview aspiring candidates for parliamentary and local government seats.

“I implore you to execute this responsibility with utmost loyalty to the party. The party will not take kindly to any acts of bribery or corruption during this exercise both on the part of aspiring candidates and the interviewing committees,” Sata said.

“We shall deal firmly with those officials who shall engage themselves in such unbecoming behaviour which is detrimental to the interest of the party. Candidates who shall use money to win favourable recommendations from the interviewing panel shall automatically be disqualified by the Central Committee.”

And PF vice-president Dr Guy Scott urged party members to remain focused and concentrate on rural areas while the party’s national chairperson Inonge Wina said despite what had been said about PF in the past, the party was currently the biggest in Zambia.

PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba said the party wanted to show its critics that it was today the largest party in the country.

“No political party in Zambia today has been able to put up a gathering to show its democratic process apart from UNIP, and today it is PF,” Kabimba said. “This party is being transformed to the most democratic party in the country. Please show some sacrifice.”

And Chongwe member of parliament Sylvia Masebo’s presence sent the delegates into wild jubilation.

“I want to commend you for your good work that you have done. Your strength is not doubted. We have not come to PF to make PF win, you have done the work yourselves. We have just come to participate,” said Masebo as the crowd cheered in approval. “We are not here for positions.

We are here just to help to ensure that we have a real president in the name of Michael Chilufya Sata. I have no doubt having been a politician from the grassroots that Michael Chilufya Sata is set to be president.”

And Lukulu West member of parliament Eileen Imbwae said she had joined PF in order to add to the party’s strength which it already had.
“Politics is about numbers and you cannot do anything in this country without us the women,” she said.

Former works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti said he was happy to attend the PF general conference.

“MMD threatened me that ‘if you come to the convention you will die.’ But PF who knows democracy, you have allowed me to come here. This convention has brought shame on your colleagues,” he said as the crowd ululated.

Dr Mbita Chitala said he was delighted to be party of the ‘chi bwato’.
“We shall work together to ensure that we cross the sea. Work even harder, this year is not easy, we must work even harder,” he said.

Other notable personalities present at the general conference included former ZCTU president Fackson Shamenda, Professor Nkandu Luo, former tourism minister Patrick Kalifungwa, women rights activist Sarah Longwe, George Mpombo, Wendy Sinkala, former home affairs permanent secretary Susan Sikaneta and a number of Lusaka based lawyers, among others.

Labels: KENNETH KAUNDA, PF

posted by MrK @ 3:35 AM