Maravi

You're going to see all the thieves on Sept 22 - Sata

You're going to see all the thieves on Sept 22 - Sata
By George Chellah in Lufwanyama
Thu 15 Sep. 2011, 13:55 CAT

PF leader Michael Sata has vowed to initiate a vigorous fight against corruption upon assuming the office of head of state. Addressing a public rally, Sata pledged to launch a crusade against corruption immediately the Zambian people give him the mandate to rule the country.

"On corruption...if you decided yourselves you are going to see all the thieves on 22 September 2011. Levy Mwanawasa started the anti-corruption crusade and all the thieves scampered," Sata said.

"Mr Rupiah Banda has come. Mr Banda is a friend of thieves and thieves are very free, they have more independence than you people. Rupiah Banda has been told he can't win this election and my brother is very confused."

He said a few months ago, President Banda was in Kalulushi to cheat people that road works would commence in the area.

"Mr Rupiah Banda a few months ago came to Kalulushi. He borrowed some tractors and said he was coming to do the roads. They came here they said ‘Sata doesn't like Lambas'. Is it me who lied to you that I'm repairing this road?" Sata asked.

"There are only two people in the political history of this country who knew Ndola rural well. One of them is my late brother Levy Mwanawasa and number two is, myself."

He said there was need to open up Lambaland with a proper road network system.
"Where we are standing today we are supposed to have three roads. We need a road from Mpongwe…that tar road from Mpongwe is supposed to reach Lufwanyama," Sata said.

"The second road is supposed to come from Mpatamato to where we are now. And the over celebrated road, Kalulushi - St Joseph - Kasempa road. Once we open these roads, you people here, the sky is the limit."

He said it saddens him when he looks at how people in Ndola rural are suffering.

"Sometimes when I look at some of my brothers and sisters, I cry. God gave copper in Lambaland and God gave us emeralds in Lambalanda. If you have all that richness, can people look the way they are looking?" Sata asked.

"We have all this wealth but we don't appreciate God. I can't see a person who works in a grinding mill but doesn't have mealie-meal or a person who goes in the bush and kills an animal but doesn't have meat."

He said PF in government would look into the welfare of traditional leaders.
"I am not going to be like Rupiah Banda by threatening to remove the chiefs. These chiefs the last salary which they had it's me who gave them," he said.

He told the crowd that President Banda had failed the farmers.

"Mwanawasa used to buy maize on 1st June. Today is 13th September and Rupiah Banda has not bought your maize. The rain can come anytime. All that maize is going to rot," he said.

He stressed the need for the government to give rural hardship allowance to civil servants.

"To keep a teacher here in Lufwanyama is a big punishment; to keep a policeman in Lufwanyama is a big problem and to keep a clinical officer and all other civil servants in Lufwanyama is a big problem. The only way we can attract the best civil servants is to give them hardship allowance," he said.

On the sale of Finance Bank, Sata said President Banda was encouraging the so-called investors to overthrow local investors.

"Yesterday Monday, Rupiah Banda sold Finance Bank. Finance Bank doesn't belong to government. Dr Rajan Mahtani built it after hard work," he said.

And former State House special assistant for policy implementation and monitoring Jack Kalala urged people to vote for Sata in order for the country to move forward.

Kalala said he worked with the late Mwanawasa up to his death hence he knew the projects that were initiated by the late president's administration.

He said President Banda was busy putting up billboards bearing his portrait because he wanted to get credit for the developmental projects initiated by the late Mwanawasa.

"Mr Banda has achieved nothing. On the 20th of this month you have got the power to choose your leader and don't make a mistake to vote for Mr Banda because Mr Banda is a corrupt person," Kalala said.

"He has amended the ACC Act. He removed the abuse of office clause so that he could have the freedom to do whatever he wants. Mr Banda is a wasteful person. Instead of buying you drugs in hospitals and building roads, he has gone to buy MMD campaign vehicles when our police have no transport. So please don't make a mistake to vote for him."

Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS, CORRUPTION, MICHAEL SATA

posted by MrK @ 5:59 PM