| Maravi

Wednesday, October 09, 2013

Hichilema accuses Sata of failure, intimidation
By Abel Mboozi
Wed 18 Sep. 2013, 14:01 CAT

UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema says he takes President Michael Sata's statement on Monday that he was engaged in activities to disrupt production in two Copperbelt towns as intimidation because he had failed to run the country in a formidable manner.

Responding to the head of state's statement, Hichilema yesterday said he was not aware of any illegal activities that he and his party were planning to undertake on the Copperbelt.

He said President Sata should have revealed the two towns instead of issuing "baseless threats".

Hichilema said he only visited Solwezi and Mwinilunga, where he went to mobilise the party, especially that the opposition was being denied permits to hold rallies.

"Let me state here that it is our legal right to mobilise the party anywhere. I was out of town in Solwezi, where I was refused to hold a rally and yet his militia cadres marched without a permit. I therefore take his comments to imply intimidation because he is aware that the PF has failed; the PF is now a third or fourth choice in Zambia," Hichilema said.

He claimed that President Sata was fond of venting his anger on him instead of striving to deliver on his campaign promises to the Zambian people.

"I don't understand why he likes venting his hunger on HH when he has failed the Zambia people through lack of jobs; no money in their pockets; vaccinations are in short supply," he said.

Hichilema said President Sata and the PF were losing popularity going by the party's recent losses in by-elections.

"I am not responsible for his mismanagement of the country; he is only getting the taste of his medicine. He has failed to run Zambia," he said.
Hichilema said Zambians had now realised that the PF had failed to deliver on the many promises they made, a situation which was unsettling President Sata.

"PF went into government without any plan; in fact, the two years of PF in government can be described as a failed project. My time will come to run Zambia, courtesy of God and Zambians to show how best to run a country," he said.

On remarks by President Sata that there was no formidable opposition to offer proper checks and balances to government, Hichilema said President Sata was contradicting himself.

"Just yesterday, (Monday), he was telling his ministers to be defending the party from attacks by the opposition but today he is talking about something else. The President is contradicting himself, which is most unfortunate. The issue is that the PF has failed to run the country," he said.

Hichilema insisted that the PF government was bloated and that President Sata presided over a tribal Cabinet.

On Monday, President Sata cautioned Hichilema against engaging in activities intended to frustrate production in the mining sector.
President Sata said the government was fully aware and prepared to thwart UPND's planned illegal activities in two mining towns on the Copperbelt.

"As elected representatives of the people, the PF government will not sit idle and allow frustrated, unpatriotic and bitter politicians engage in premeditated acts of sabotage," said President Sata.

Labels: HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, MICHAEL SATA