PF threatens to expel Msiska
Written by Katwishi Bwalya, Mwala Kalaluka, Diniwe Mumba and Agness Changala
Friday, May 01, 2009 2:39:23 PM
PATRIOTIC Front vice-president Guy Scott has warned that the party will expel its councillor, Charles Msiska, for defying the party’s directive not to challenge Robert Chikwelete for the position of mayor for the City of Lusaka. And Chikwelete narrowly beat ‘rebel’ councillor Msiska by one vote to become the new Lusaka mayor.
But local government minister Ben Tetamashimba has postponed the installation of the new mayor for Lusaka to May 29, 2009.
Meanwhile, MMD Chasunsu ward councillor Dominic Katwishi on Tuesday went through unopposed as new Mansa mayor.
In an interview after Chikwelete was declared winner of the mayoral elections, Dr Scott said when the matter of the defiant councillors is tabled before the party, Msiska and new Lusaka deputy mayor, Davison Mulenga, who is Chawama ward two PF councillor, would be expelled.
“I am just predicting because I m not the disciplinary officer for PF but I am giving you a prediction that when this matter comes before the attention of the party, they will be expelled,” he said.
Dr Scott said attempts by the ruling MMD to take over the control of the Lusaka City Council by sponsoring Msiska were all in vain.
Chikwelete polled 19 votes against Msiska’s 18.
And Msiska has called for calm among the PF leadership, saying expelling him was not necessary at the moment.
“I gave him [Chikwelete] a good run so I am very happy and I am not a bitter person and I must not be misunderstood that this is insubordination or that I am being defiant but it is a matter of trying to set the records right and perfect,” said Msiska.
And councillors took town clerk Timothy Hakuyu to task to explain why Tetamashimba had postponed the installations of the new mayor which was to take place on Wednesday.
This was after Hakuyu had informed the councillors that the installation ceremony would only take place on May 29, 2009.
“The minister would be in a position to explain,” said Hakuyu as councillors shouted “Teta ayambako”.
And Mansa town clerk Bwaanga Kapumpa said in an interview that Katwishi went through unopposed at the elections that took place at Mansa Council.
Katwishi said his election as Mansa mayor was exciting.
"Winning is all the time exciting," he said.
Katwishi said he wanted to use his position to provide better services to the people of Mansa.
But PF Bahati Constituency secretary Jewis Chabi said councillors from the opposition party walked out of the conference room where the elections for the new Mansa mayor were being held because they were outnumbered.
Chabi said the election of Katwishi was undemocratic.
He also complained that the PF was placed at a disadvantage because four out of its eight councilors could not take part in the electoral process due to a myriad of circumstances.
Chabi explained that one PF councilor died in December last year while the other one was jailed in the same period but that no by-elections had been conducted in the two wards since then.
And Mongu Municipal Council acting town clerk Frank Kalenga was forced to apologise to a sizeable crowd that went to witness the installation of new Mongu mayor Shalala Simushi and his deputy Pereira Francisco after the event was postponed.
Kalenga said the installation of the mayor and his deputy could not take place because President Banda had not cleared the guest of hounour, local government and housing deputy minister, John Chinyanta.
And during the installation of new Choma mayor, Tennyson Hajongola and his deputy Simon Mpasela, defence deputy minister Eustackio Kazonga called on the Ministry of Local Government and Housing to appoint auditors to scrutinise the utilisation of funds in councils on an annual basis.
Kazonga noted with sadness that some audit reports in some councils were quite bad.
Labels: BENNY TETAMASHIMBA, CHARLES MSISKA, GUY SCOTT, MAYOR, PF
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PF is on its way to calvary – Msiska
By Patson Chilemba and Lambwe Kachali
Saturday September 08, 2007 [04:00]
PATRIOTIC Front (PF) is on its way to Calvary because of Michael Sata’s dictatorship, former Lusaka deputy mayor Charles Msiska charged yesterday as he resigned from PF. And PF councillors complained that they were compelled to vote for Stephen Chilatu as mayor because of intimidation from the top party leadership on Thursday night.
But PF president Sata said Msiska had been burnt by his ‘democracy’.
Meanwhile, UPND mayoral candidate Jimmy Dons withdrew from the race at the last minute in order to avoid splitting votes with Msiska, whom he opted to support. In an interview after losing elections to Chilatu, Msiska said he had resigned from PF because there was too much dictatorship in the party.
“I’ve always said that the party is full of dictatorial leaders and this is what will kill this party,” Msiska said. “PF is on its way to Calvary because of Michael Sata’s dictatorship. PF is gone because of dictatorial tendencies. I have resigned to join the MMD. I have joined them. After all we find democracy in the MMD. It’s a viable party so I thought I should support them. In this day and age, democracy is the cornerstone. If you continue peddling in the affairs of members of parliament and councillors then the end is near.”
Msiska, who polled 14 votes against Chilatu’s 21, said the elections he lost to Chilatu were not fair. He said he was confident that he would retain his Kabulonga ward 16 if given an opportunity.
Earlier, PF spokesperson Given Lubinda said Msiska’s case had been referred to the party’s disciplinary committee because he defied party orders not to contest the position of mayor.
“What has happened is a sign of defiance. Msiska decided to go against the will of the party as expressed in the meeting we held on Wednesday that he should contest the position of deputy mayor and not that of mayor,” Lubinda said. “Msiska did the same last time and got away with it. This time around it won’t be left unchecked.”
Lubinda also warned that PF would trace defiant councillors who voted for Msiska and take disciplinary action against them.
And Sata mentioned councillor Wizza Daka as one of the defiant members. He said Msiska’s perceived democracy had bitten his fingers.
“He has resigned because the MMD sent him. Had he won he would not have resigned. He is going to lose the same seat on the same MMD. That’s a lesson to the other councillors. Msiska has resigned because he can’t swallow his pride,” Sata said
He said PF exercised democracy by coming up with the person they wanted for the position of mayor.
Councillor Mary Phiri was elected deputy mayor.
And Dons withdrew his candidature at the last minute to avoid splitting of votes with Msiska. Dons said there was no democracy in PF and it would be difficult for the party to bring development in their respective wards.
“I was contacted by the councillors about the threats and I thought it was important for me to withdraw so that we support Msiska,” said Dons.
PF sources said Lubinda called and threatened PF councillors against voting for Msiska or Dons. The source said it was disturbing to notice that PF was unable to bring democracy among its members.
“Lubinda was busy calling councillors at about midnight threatening that should any councillor defy the party directives to vote for Chilatu, they will be expelled. So we actually voted under coercion. It was not our wish to vote for Chilatu, we just had no option,” the source said. “The truth is that the elections were not free and fair. There is too much dictatorship in PF.”
The source said as a result of these threats, PF councillors decided to work on a strategy on how to defeat Sata and his colleagues in the top leadership.
“And early this morning (yesterday), we decided that Dons withdraws from the race to avoid division of votes between himself and Msiska,” said the source.
But Lubinda said he only phoned Msiska on Thursday night and not the rest of the councillors as it was alleged.
“I told him that if he continued to defy party directives, then he would face the consequences. But I didn’t coerce any councillors. That is a petty lie,” said Lubinda. “I also called Daniel Chisenga (who contested the position of deputy mayor) to find out if the decision he took to contest for that position was a well-thought one.”
Labels: CHARLES MSISKA, PF, SATA
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Sata should allow democracy to flourish – Lusaka deputy mayor
By Patson Chilemba and Bivan Saluseki
Sunday July 29, 2007 [04:00]
LUSAKA City deputy mayor Charles Msiska has urged Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata to allow his councillors handle local authority matters without undue influence from him (Sata). Meanwhile, the PF is seeking the help of Catholic Vicar General Rev. Fr Oliver Mukunta to trace ‘rebel’ PF members of parliament who said their president, Michael Sata, was a dictator.
But Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) spokesperson Fr Paul Samasumo said Radio Yatsani would protect its news sources.
In an interview ahead of the civic year ending August and the mayoral elections that would be held thereafter, Msiska said it would be important for Sata to allow democracy to flourish, particularly in PF controlled councils.
Msiska, who is PF Kabulonga Ward 16 councillor, said during the last mayoral elections, he contested the position of deputy mayor even though Sata preferred a lady for the position.
However, Msiska said most PF councilors chose to uphold democracy by voting for him.
He said he hoped Sata would allow democracy to flourish during the upcoming mayoral elections.
“It’s my humble prayer that my president this time around will be more understanding over the prevailing circumstances and it’s my humble appeal that he will let the councillors handle their affairs without undue influence from him because by doing so, councillors will choose who is their best leader,” Msiska said. “My president preferred that there should be a woman on my position. At the last mayoral elections he told us that the deputy should go to a woman, Mary Phiri of Ngwerere Ward.”
Msiska said he contested the position not because he disrespected Sata but because he believed that democracy should flourish.
“Why I did that was to open the party because often times we have been accused that we are not democratic,” Msiska said. “There is a deliberate policy that there should be a man and woman for the position of mayor and deputy mayor but…it’s the question of people having confidence in you.”
Msiska also disclosed that he would contest the position of mayor during the upcoming mayoral elections.
Msiska was elected deputy mayor last month when he polled 18 votes against his closest rival Mary Phiri’s 14 votes.
But when contacted for comment, Sata said he could not be reduced to answering what a councillor was talking about.
“I was a councillor a long time ago in 1983, I can’t be answering what my councillor is talking about,” Sata said.
However, Sata said he wanted Phiri for the position because he wants to ensure gender balance in the party.
“You the media are the people making lots of noise on gender equality so when you have a female councillor, the only one for that matter, is it wrong to make her not even mayor but deputy mayor? PF has more women in Parliament than any other party. So we don’t talk, we act,” said Sata.
Sata said his party’s position was that women should be given equal opportunity to men.
“If we don’t do it when we are in the party, what about in government?” Sata asked.
And according to a letter to the Vicar General and copied to Archbishop of Lusaka among others, PF lawyer Mathew Pikiti of Pikiti and Company stated that the members of parliament had threatened to resign.
Some members of parliament from PF had threatened to resign from the party but before they could do so, they intend to go back to their constituencies to sensitise their constituents.
Lusaka's Catholic Radio station Yatsani carried the story on July 14th, 2007.
"The news item was an allegation against Mr. M.C. Sata, president of Patriotic Front, that he is a dictator, who is concentrating on removing President Mwanawasa and ignoring the development in constituencies. Those alleged members of parliament threatened to resign from Patriotic Front but before they do so, they intended to go back to their constituencies to sensitise their constituents before they resign from the party," stated Pikiti.
"We have been instructed by the aforesaid party to approach you with a request that you undertake investigations to establish the names of the members of parliament who issued such a story for the integrity of the Catholic radio which must be factual and transparent as the Catholic church preaches."
But Fr Samasumo said Lusaka Archdiocese had since engaged lawyers to respond to Pikiti and Company.
"Suffice to say that in its own investigations, Radio Yatsani will be guided by journalistic ethics which seek to protect its news sources," he said.
Fr Samasumo said the Vicar General was in possession of the letter addressed to him.
Sources said there was agitation in PF because of the way Sata was bulldozing members of parliament and councillors.
"He cannot be questioned, he is always right and most of us are beginning to feel he is more of a dictator than President Mwanawasa," said one source.
Labels: CHARLES MSISKA, MAYOR, PF, SATA
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