Maravi

Poverty in Mpongwe saddens Sata

Poverty in Mpongwe saddens Sata
By Misheck Wangwe and Abigail Chaponda in Mpongwe
Tue 26 Feb. 2013, 14:00 CAT

PRESIDENT Michael Sata says it pains him to see people looking frail due to poverty. Addressing a rally at Mpongwe business centre on Sunday afternoon to drum up support for PF candidate Gabriel Namulambe, President Sata said the levels of vulnerability in rural areas remained high and his government remained committed to changing the situation.

He said the government had outlined a number of serious interventions that would see poverty levels reduce drastically in the country. President Sata said the people of Mpongwe must give Namulambe a vote so that he can work closely with the government to deliver the much-needed development.

"The only thing I have seen in Mpongwe that looks healthy is your well-fertilised maize fields.

They look green, they look healthy. But look at our women here and the children. They are too vulnerable, they look weak and these are things you my ministers, you Namulambe, you must work on. Our people must look nice and healthy. Let's eradicate poverty. Our people must enjoy good life, gain weight and some must start looking like GBM (defence minister Godfrey Bwalya Mwamba) who is my 'fat Albert' (a popular cartoon character) in government," he said.

President Sata said the government was not sitting idle about the many challenges the country was facing, adding that since taking over power in September 2011, the PF had so far created 50,000 jobs for the people in various sectors countrywide.
He said many more jobs would be created and citizens' empowerment would be strengthened as a way of reducing poverty.

President Sata further challenged Namulambe to be humble to the people and exhibit good leadership once elected member of parliament on the PF ticket.
"The people of Mpongwe never wrote to you to say come here we give you a job. It's you who is looking for a job from them.

So they are your bosses. Respect them, love them, especially these women and children - they need you. Talk on their behalf, they need schools and hospitals," President Sata said. "If you are indeed umulamba wa kutanga (a typical Lamba) as you pride yourself, you will look into their welfare. Leave a footprint by developing this area and the people will say that indeed there was a man in Mpongwe one time," President Sata said.

And speaking earlier, National Revolution Party (NRP) president Cosmo Mumba, who accompanied President Sata in Mpongwe, said he had decided to work with the PF because of its open-door policy.

Mumba said the PF was a progressive party and he had refused to associate himself with political parties full of confusion.
He said if his brother, MMD president Nevers Mumba, had not been fired as ambassador in Canada, he would have been working for government and he wouldn't be the leader of the MMD.

And commerce minister Emmanuel Chenda said a circuit of development would only be completed in Mpongwe once the people voted for Namulambe.

Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, GABRIEL NAMULAMBE, MICHAEL SATA

posted by MrK @ 10:26 PM