Maravi

Zambians living in US believe Sata will deliver

Zambians living in US believe Sata will deliver
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe in New York
Sun 30 Sep. 2012, 10:00 CAT

ZAMBIANS living in the United States believe President Michael Sata has a vision for Zambia and will be an extraordinary leader despite expectations of failure from some cynics.

And foreign affairs minister Given Lubinda says President Sata's anti-graft crusade is for posterity.

Henry Sakala, chairperson of the Zambians living in US, said Zambians in the Diaspora believed President Sata and the PF government would deliver on their campaign promises.

"We deeply believe our President has a vision for our nation and we are certain that he is going to be an extraordinary President," Sakala said on behalf of other Zambians who overwhelmed the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Zambia to the United Nations.

"We refuse the disappointment expectations coming from cynics and other people who oppose his President Sata's government. We still have confidence that he can and he will deliver as he promised to the Zambian people even when it is hard in this time of the global financial crisis. We look to the future with ever increasing faith."

Sakala also urged the government to clarify on the Diaspora policy in which former president Rupiah Banda set a desk at State House.

He also urged the PF regime to continue its fight against corruption which he described as a gorilla which hinder implementation of key projects and the attraction of key investments.

"We know our government is capable and our President is able," said Sakala.
And Lubinda told the Zambians in the Diaspora that President Sata's anti-graft crusade was aimed at securing the country's future from the effects of corruption.

Lubinda said President Sata's fight against corruption had earned him a lot of enemies.

"We are extremely determined to fight corruption and if it means losing positions because of the fight, we will do so," Lubinda said.

He said the "temporal repossession" of some former government parastatals that were corruptly sold by the previous regime should not be misconstrued for nationalisation.

In the first 12 months of his Presidency, President Sata has among fundamental decisions, reversed the sale of 75 per cent of Zamtel shares to LAP Green Networks of Libya and aborted the concession granted to Railway Systems of Zambia to run Zambia Railways assets.

"We temporally took over Zamtel because Zambians got a raw deal and Lap GreenN are at liberty to go to court," he said. "Of what use is it to sell the family silver and yet the family does not get anything out of it? Make no mistake about it; it is not President Sata's intention to nationalise companies.

His intention is to ensure that any company or public property which was sold without the benefit accruing to Zambian people because of corruption will come back, be re-advertised, and sold so that the owners of the silver - Zambians - must be paid for that silver. So, we are determined to fight corruption and this is a fight we don't intend to lose.

And I call on all of you Zambians to join us. It's not our fight for now but most importantly, it's our fight for posterity. We lose the fight now, it will never be won so we have the opportunity now."

And Lubinda said the government was concerned about the high number of Zambians living abroad as economic refugees.

"We have no intentions of neglecting you and we would like to encourage you Zambians living in Diaspora to regularise your stay so that you will be able to contribute to Zambia because in that case you will be productive," said Lubinda. "What we don't want to hear is that a Zambian has died abroad and has died a vagabond and there is not even a coffin to put their body in."

Lubinda, who was accompanied to the meeting by commerce minister Robert Sichinga, tourism minister Sylvia Masebo and Attorney General Mumba Malila, said the government had abandoned the Diaspora desk at State House and was currently working on draft policy.

Lubinda encouraged Zambians living abroad to input into the new draft Diaspora bill. Others who accompanied Lubinda to the meeting were acting deputy secretary to cabinet Peter Kasanda and Zambia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dr Mwaba Kasese-Bota.

Labels: CORRUPTION, DIASPORA, GIVEN LUBINDA

posted by MrK @ 6:54 PM