Maravi

Munkombwe wants 2nd term for Sata

Munkombwe wants 2nd term for Sata
By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone and Christopher Miti in Chipata
Tue 30 Oct. 2012, 14:00 CAT

THOSE who think that President Michael Sata will just do one term amid the massive support he receives and the votes he amassed are politically crazy, says MMD member Daniel Munkombwe.

And Lameck Mangani says it is the people that will decide in 2015 and 2016 whether President Michael Sata will continue as President or not.

In an interview Munkombwe, who is former deputy minister in the office of the Vice-President said the PF should protect President Sata and not subject him to only one term.

"It is a political party that determines the presidential candidate and it is wrong for anyone to start campaigning to be a candidate when there is a sitting President. Wynter Kabimba PF secretary general is 100 per cent right when he says no one should destabilise the party.

"It is political craziness by anyone to think that President Sata will just do one term after all the massive votes he received during the 2011 elections and the other past elections in which he was coming second-highest to the MMD," he said.
Munkombwe said the Constitution provided for two terms for anyone to hold office and that it was only God who had the power to take that way.

He said in determining who becomes president, Dr Kenneth Kaunda was kept for too long by UNIP and was indomitable but that the current situation only provided a maximum of 10 years and the PF would serve the Zambian people by letting President Sata contest the 2016 elections.

"The PF should allow President Sata go for a second term. He has spearheaded the PF for a long time until victory was attained and he still has life to continue, and mind you, it's only God who determines life. I'm older than President Sata; I'm 80 and half years old. I know that he has the energy to steer this country out of its unemployment misery and poverty.

"I want to avoid platform politics as much as possible as I'm leading a very comfortable life with my family, but when I see something in the governing party, I'm forced to react mildly as I do now. I have done my contribution to the nation and will continue in any small way," said Munkombwe.

And in an interview on Saturday after officiating at the Chipata Central Constituency cultural dances festival, Mangani, who is former home affairs minister and losing Chipata Central PF parliamentary candidate, said President Sata was given a five-year mandate by the people of Zambia and it's the people that will decide.

"As far as I am concerned there is no division in the PF and the way the people have projected what are perceived to be differences between the defence minister and secretary general, they (people) are projecting as if there is serious division. I think this is an in-house thing which very soon the President will be able to address," Mangani said.

"Although PF is a democratic party, we have times for campaigns. We have just finished the elections; we are only one year old in government, so I don't think it is opportune time for us to start the campaigns for 2016."
Mangani said the government's major preoccupation should be to ensure that it delivered development to the people.

Mangani said the government should reorganise and market itself.
"What you have seen today (cultural dances festival) is part of the reorganisation, we have to make sure that we market our party.

We have to make sure everybody is involved and we have to create structures on the ground and show presence. So early campaigns may not be helpful to anybody, not even to the party not even to the people that are perceived to be candidates," Mangani said.

He warned party cadres to be careful with their opponent's ploy of creating an impression of confusion in the ruling party.
And Chipata district PF chairperson Peter Msimuko urged party members to remain united, adding that there was strength in unity.

The cultural dances festival was attended by over 2,000 women from Chipata Central Constituency.

Labels: DANIEL MUNKOMBWE, LAMECK MANGANI, MICHAEL SATA, MMD

posted by MrK @ 6:35 PM