Maravi

Opposition lucky I'm head of state - Sata

Opposition lucky I'm head of state - Sata
By Moses Kuwema
Thu 08 Nov. 2012, 14:00 CAT

PRESIDENT Michael Sata says the MMD is very lucky that he is now head of state because he could have taught them a lesson in the Mufumbwe by-election. And President Sata says the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has so far exhibited a very independent and mature way of running elections.

President Sata, who approached ECZ chairperson justice Ireen Mambilima after swearing in ECZ commissioners and two permanent secretaries in the ministries of education and agriculture, said opposition political parties were very lucky that he was now in charge of the government.

This was in reaction to the exclusion of 18 polling agents from conducting the Mufumbwe parliamentary by-election after complaints from the MMD that they were politically inclined to the ruling PF.

"They are lucky I am no longer in opposition…you justice Mambilima, you know too well what I am capable of doing," President Sata said as he led justice Mambilima outside for a photo shoot.

And President Sata has urged justice Mambilima to sit down with the newly-appointed ECZ commissioners and ask for more money so that they could hire their own personnel.

He said the tendency by the ECZ to hire 'outsiders' to conduct elections was tarnishing the image of the Commission.

"For example, yesterday Tuesday or two days ago in Mufumbwe, that returning officer who is a council secretary, under the instruction of Nevers Mumba, he excluded 18 teachers, accusing them to say you are PF. Now how do you expect the returning officer to behave that way? So madam, you sit down with your new commissioners…," President Sata said.

"When I was in opposition I said the same thing, the earlier you have your own independent human beings instead of relying on the council employees…it's a big problem. I know the country is very big for you to employ all those people but the elections only come once every five years and on intervals of by-elections."

He said the ECZ has so far exhibited a very independent and mature way of running elections.

"But you still have a few individuals here and there, like the one we saw in Mufumbwe. A council secretary excluding 18 teachers to say they are PF, then what is he himself?" President Sata wondered.

And speaking to journalists later, ECZ director Priscilla Isaacs said the institution has plans under its decentralisation programme to have permanent staff in each district.

Isaacs, however, said the establishment of permanent staff at district level was dependent on funding.

"I think we have made our needs known to the Treasury and once the commission is funded for decentralisation, then of course we will be able to have permanent staff in the district. But for the conduct of elections, given the number, you are well aware that when we have general elections we recruit over 60,000 temporary staff. For elections and by elections, we will still need to recruit temporary staff to man the polling stations," she said.

On the exclusion of 18 polling agents from conducting the Mufumbwe parliamentary by-election, Isaacs said the issue was deliberated upon by the district conflict management committee.

She said the committee felt that in the interest of maintaining public harmony, there was need for the officers to be replaced.

"But the commission is looking at it that in future, when we do have such cases, there must be very concrete evidence that should be considered before we replace any officers. As at now, the replacement was done and officers are being deployed today yesterday," said Isaacs.

The two ECZ commissioners that were sworn in are Justice Christopher Mushabati and Dr Fredrick Ng'andu.

And President Sata has urged newly-appointed education permanent secretary Chishimba Nkosha to ensure that the schools that the MMD government started constructing were completed.

"The outgoing government or the gone government left so many schools which Mr Nkosha and Mr John Phiri you have to complete. There are so many schools where I have travelled which have not been completed and you are duty bound. They started those schools, they did not win the elections but we are supposed to finish them because the innocent children need to stop crowding," he said.

President Sata further urged newly-appointed Ministry of Agriculture permanent secretary Siazongo Siakalenge to ensure all farmers that supplied maize to the Food Reserve Agency were paid because the government had already released the money.

"Then you should look at the storage, we don't have the silos...," said President Sata.

Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, ECZ, LEADERSHIP, MICHAEL SATA, MMD, MUFUMBWE

posted by MrK @ 6:26 PM