Kunda’s ‘Sata will never be president’ remark annoys Sacika

Kunda’s ‘Sata will never be president’ remark annoys Sacika
By George Chellah
Sun 24 July 2011, 14:14 CAT

TIME is up for MMD, says former Secretary to the Cabinet Sketchley Sacika. And Sacika warned Vice-President George Kunda and the MMD not to push Zambia in the direction Laurent Gbagbo pushed Ivory Coast or do something equally foolish. In a statement, Sacika stated that nothing would stop PF leader Michael Sata from winning this year’s elections.

“George Kunda’s statement at a campaign rally in Mpika, aired on ZNBC TV that Michael Sata will never become president of Zambia, is frightening, alarmist and full of malice. Sata is the frontrunner and nothing will stop him from winning the election,” Sacika stated.

“How is Kunda going to prevent him from becoming the next president of Zambia? Kunda and his ilk should not push Zambia in the direction Gbagbo pushed Ivory Coast or do something equally foolish. Zambians will not take kindly to such political tactics.”

He stated that the desperation from Vice-President Kunda, Dora Siliya and others in the MMD is a threat to the political stability of the country.

“Already, in their quest to win the elections, they have destroyed all the foundations and pillars of our multiparty democracy. In a country, which is supposed to be a multiparty state, what is happening at ZNBC, Times of Zambia and Daily Mail is shameful really,” Sacika stated.

“It is equally shameful that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), which is supposed to ensure that elections are held on a level playing field, is powerless to do anything about the abuse of the electoral process by President Rupiah Banda and his supporters.

“To all intents and purposes, the electioneering period is already on us and the Electoral Commission of Zambia is, therefore, supposed to enforce the Electoral Code of Conduct in order to level the playing field. But the Commission has failed to do so because it is compromised.”

Sacika stated that winning or losing an election should not be a matter of life and death.

“Politics is just a game; you win or you lose. You do not have to pull down your stadium simply because you have lost a game of football,” Sacika stated. “UNIP, which brought independence, lost the elections in 1991 and has gone into oblivion but Zambia is still here; and Zambia will still be here long after the MMD has ceased to exist.”

He stated that the time for MMD was up and Vice-President Kunda and company should be preparing hand-over notes.

“After 20 years of MMD misrule, corruption and the gravy-train mentality, the people of Zambia now want to have a more powerful and action-oriented government, which will be responsive to their aspirations,” Sacika stated.

“Zambians want to have a government which will create jobs; a government which will provide meaningful pensions and other social security benefits for the aged and a government which will repair the damage caused by the MMD.”

He stated that the PF manifesto was very clear on these issues and Zambians should give the party chance to implement its manifesto.

“The PF government must ensure that the people responsible for the destruction of our state institutions are punished,” Sacika stated. “It must also ensure that ministers and other government officials using public funds on MMD campaigns pay back those funds to the state. It is time to put an end to impunity.”