CHAISA MARKET FOR RB AND MMD

BY SUFZ CORRESPONDENT

Chaisa marketers have urged women in the country to vote for President Rupiah Banda because of his quality of leadership, respect for the Zambians, had work and safe guarding the nation’s peace and unity.

They said Mr. Banda deserved another term so that he could continue with his developmental agenda for the nation which he started.

Mary Banda said voting for the Patriotic Front would only bring anarchy in the country because their leader Michael Sata does not embrace peace and unity.

Mrs. Banda 63 said when Mr. Sata was Lusaka governor he used to harass marketers using UNIP vigilantes.

She said since Mr. Banda came into office no party cadre had harassed them at Chaisa Malasha Market.

Mrs. Banda said even when PF councillors harassed them; they always ran to MMD office in Chaisa for help.

“The leadership that president Banda has provided in the MMD is good.  He deserves another term for safeguarding peace and unity.  We do not need leaders who have no respect for others,” she said.

Mrs. Banda thanked the government through the Lusaka District Office for working on the drainage at the market; she said the marketers were now able to work in a clean environment with no stagnant water.
Zikonde Mwanza said President Banda should be given another term because from the time he took over he had infrastructure development on his agenda.

He said it was during Mr. Banda’s tenure that a health centre was built in Chaisa.

“We thank the leadership and Mr. Banda for building the clinic and living up to their policy of bringing health services close to the people.  We used to walk to either Chipata compound clinic or Mandevu and it was difficult if one was pregnant and had no transport money,” she said.

Mrs. Mwanza urged Zambians to judge Mr. Banda by his works.  She said the opposition had nothing to offer and resorted to insults.

Mrs. Mwanza implored president Banda to continue promoting peace, unity and respect for every Zambian to avoid anarchy in the country.

“We have no any other country apart from Zambia.  We need to safeguard the peace and unity we have enjoyed from years back.  Those promoting the politics of insults should be rejected,’ she said.

She appealed to the government to beef up security in Chaisa Township because crime was on the increase. 

Ebelia Lungu said the building of the school and the opening of the Olympic Development Centre (OYDC) in Mandevu constituency had helped youths to concentrate on school and sports activities.

She said youths now wanted only to excel in their education and become international sports personalities.

She said in the past the youths used to roam the streets and markets but now were busy sharpening their sports skills because they were attracted to a number of sports activities taking place at the centre.

She said Mr. Banda deserved another term even for instituting the woman empowerment fund under the Ministry of Community and Social development.

Ms. Lungu said the work that Mr. Banda had done in the two and half years that he ruled Zambia showed that he was a committed leader.

SATA: KING OF ANIMAL FARM

By JOHN MUSONDA

The defectors of those soar grapes joining the Patriotic Front (PF) at the last minute have earned themselves names of animals of varying description on the sarcastic leader Michael Sata.

Sata boasted as having poached buffalos from the ruling MMD when he referred to disgruntled Chongwe Member of parliament Sylvia Masebo and her Chipata Central counterpart Lameck Mangani who joined the PF in their desperate tempt to survive the current political storm.

The PF “Serpent” further mocks the MMD which has a National character as going for rabbits which in his elusions , were small time cadres like councillors and others at the grass roots level.

The Zambian carrying a research to determine the impact Sata was making by comparing animal behaviour with human beings, and on the outset it was discovered that the PF monster has no regard whatsoever for people as long as he remains at the helm of his sinking boat.

Not long ago Sata rebuffed the massive project President Banda was doing to rehabilitate the Chipata –Mfuwe road which links the Luangwa national game park meant to benefit the local people of Mambwe District but also boost tourism to earn the country the much needed foreign exchange.

Nevertheless, in his myopic assessment Sata scoffed at the road work in question because according to him, it did not deserve attention to rehabilitate as it was only going to benefit  animals;  hyenas, buffalos, rabbits inclusive.

As a result people of Mambwe have since been in arms with lose tongued Sata for referring to them as animals and have declared their area a no-go territory for him as they feel insulted by the king Cobra, the name associated with the Animal world.

They have also warned that even if Sata uses the name of the Kaunda family to field Kaweche Kaunda in the Malambo parliamentary seat in the same district, they will not change their mind to reject him as well, simply because of one of the insults they got from the PF leader.

Instead, the people of Mambwe who are largely the Kundas have thrown their weight behind President Banda and the incumbent MMD MP Maxwell Mwale who is Minister of Mines and Mineral Development, all because of the massive development taking place in their area.

By inference therefore, the so-called high profile defectors such as Masebo and Mangani by virtue of Sata calling them Buffalos, means that they too are untamed cannot so that their rightful natural habitation is the forest or the game reserve.

And the research further confirms that some of the animals Sata is attracting to his vanquished vessel are in fact; fit to be called the wounded Buffalos because of their shady activities as they left the MMD.   If anything, they deserve to be thrown in the animal sanctuary for tourism attraction.

Referring to Sata’s rabbits, the direct opposite of these animal species are the wild dogs, which might as well be attributed to Sata’s small time cadres while the MMD rabbits which by nature, are peace loving and tameable animals, and ready to boost the membership of the ruling party and ensure that President Banda is voted back to power.

A timely warning for Sata – Please beware of your damaging public image or risk to lose the little you may have come the forthcoming tripartite elections.

EDUCATED LEADERS ARE VITAL TO ZAMBIA’S FUTURE

BY JOHN KABWITA

The assertion by some top opposition leaders that Zambia does not need educated people to run the country’s affairs is not only dangerous but ill-timed.

For all intents and purposes, the statement is meant to give opposition parties that may not have sufficiently qualified candidates for the presidency or members of parliament in the forthcoming tripartite election later this year. A valid argument to ensure that their candidates are not rejected by the people on account of their poor education. Those who hold this view are aware that most discerning voters will not vote for leaders who are not educated because a complexities of the modern world require people who are properly educated and have the right exposure in terms of local, national and world affairs.

It is no longer sufficient just to know how to write one’s name. Zambia now needs a new brand of leaders who are capable of making things happen in whatever arena you they find themselves in and can confidently and decisively make decisions on behalf of the Zambian masses.

This is why the MMD’s vision on education, among other things is to expand access to high schools so that two-thirds of those completing basic school education can proceed to institutions of higher learning. They are also proposals to establish a teaching council for “the accreditation of teachers and for insuring the continuous professional development.”

There is, in addition, a commitment to expand education training opportunities at tertiary and vocational levels. This is supported by more specific commitments. First, MMD proposes to ‘’ensure that each province has a degree awarding institution.’’

Secondly, it plans to facilitate the establishments of the long scheme for students who cannot meet the academic or living costs of university education. Thirdly, MMD aims to establish a higher education authority “with the responsibility allocation of resources to various institutions to ensure programmes and public universities respond to national needs and for the monitoring of standards.”

In an urge where 5 year olds can do research on the internet and be able to withdraw money from any bank once they are given the right information. It is folly to think that the country does not need educated leaders. Such thinking is a recipe for disaster for any country more so, a developing one that has just acquired middle income status.

At a time when the government and Private Sector are critically looking at ways to make education the nation’s number one priority and that the masses are sensitized enough to allow the children to go beyond basic education standards, it is saddening to listen to leaders who think that“Zambia does not need educated people to run the country”. Such thinking will not only create a problem for the country but will serve only to de-motivate those who aspire to better education and consequently a better future for themselves and a nation as a whole.

What this means, in reality, is that those who view education as non-essential as Zambia’s developments, do not really know what they want or it could be that what they want is at a variance with all the good things that President Banda his government and the public at large want. if this is truly their view of education, then their manifestos on the subjects are definitely hollow and Zambians should reject and for what they really are quacks.

Zambian leaders must themselves be sufficiently educated in order for them to create the kind of environment that can ensure a better quality of life for everyone. They should be leading examples of the quality of citizen who can help upcoming leaders and others to aspire to new heights in their education so that they can be suitable to take Zambia into a truly bright future.

It is important to stress that life’s surprises are not so surprising when one is prepared for them and there is no better way to prepare for them than getting a good solid education especially in today’s technologically advanced world.

The old adage that “when the going gets tough, it’s the tough that gets going,” cannot be over emphasised. One can only add that in such a situation“it’s the educated that will get going”. That this is true, there is no doubt, although in exceptional cases, some may take it without education if they worked extremely hard. The emphasis is on the term “extremely”.

Most people will certainly agree that in today’s world, one has to be pretty ambitious, intelligent or gifted in a particular way to make a decent living without a good education.

When discussing the subject of education, therefore, leaders should not be frivolous, emotional or greedy but approach the subject with the seriousness it deserves because they have a moral obligation not to deliberately mislead others, especially gullible young people, for personal gain.

There are young people that may take what such leaders say as gospel truth and therefore, care must be taken to ensure that young fragile minds are not destroyed through half truths whose only purpose is to gain mileage during this year’s tripartite elections in which the opposition is increasingly running out of tactics.

While some of Zambia’s pioneers may not have been as educated as some of today’s leaders are, under the prevailing circumstances, they did extremely well in stealing this nation to what it is today. Of course there have been mistakes along the way, but we should begin to understand that they did the best they could under very difficult circumstances.

They did not have as many schools as we have today. Part of the reason was that the colonialists favoured less educated natives that they could easily manipulate. Even then, the policies of our freedom fighters on education ensured that most of us today including the children of all those who resided in Zambia at the time got educated.

However, one cannot deny the fact that today’s world, requires a different crop of leaders and professionals. But judging by some of the wild pronouncements from some opposition leaders on the subject of education, there is need to exercise great caution as Zambians go to the polls to elect individuals to lead them.

This is because today’s world if different. We live in a globalised world where interdependence is the norm. Therefore, it is imperative that levels of education should be better than those held by people in the past. This is necessity. The Zambian people should once again exercise their democratic right to vote for a leadership based on, among other tenets, integrity, capacity and the ability of that leadership to deliver on the promises. It is hoped that the Zambian people will vote for a leadership with the necessary experience, stability and vision that will guarantee and ensure a secure future for all Zambians and their children and not those who deliberately mislead in order to gain political mileage.

RB STEERING ZAMBIA’S ECONOMY TO SAFETY

BY HELLEN NGOSA

Some economists have described the recently reclassification of Zambia as a lower middle income country as a step in the right direction for the country.

Private Sector Development Association Chairperson Yusuf Dodia said the World Bank’s reclassification of Zambia as a lower Middle income country was a sign that a country was making steady social economic progress.

The July’s World Bank annual assessment of poor countries, Zambia was the 27th country to be reclassified since the year 2000 ahead of Ghana at 28.  Zambia and Ghana are among 63 countries which the World Bank has classified as middle income countries since the year 2000.

Speaking in an interview in Lusaka recently, Mr. Dodia said there was need for the government and the Private Sector to forge a stronger partnership so that there could be further progress.

Mr. Dodia said such progress does not easily come by and that there are a sign of economic maturity and good policy framework from the government and its cooperating partners like the Private Sector.

“Otherwise, what we would like to say is that this is a good development, an indication that we are on the right track on our goal to be a prosperous nation,” he said.

And an economist, Mark O’Donnell said the new development was a positive reward for the business community which has been striving for the reclassification for a long time.

Mr. O’Donnell said the reclassification is proof enough that government and the business community were committed to taking Zambia into high heights.

Another economist has urged Zambians to harness and help sustain the status of the lower middle income country reclassification so that the grass roots can feel the benefit of the status.

Edmond Soko said it is justifiable for Zambia to move to a higher status considering the higher current economic successes that it has recorded.

Mr. Soko said the infrastructure development being seen around the country and the increased capital inflows in the mining industry, construction, and agricultural sectors among others, are indicators of economic growth.

He stated that several economic successes that Zambia has been recording in the recent past have earnestly convinced the World Bank and other international institutions to rerate the country to the category of lower middle income nation 19 years before the planned period of 2030.

He said the reclassification of Zambia as a middle income country has come unexpectedly but at the right time especially that everyone thought the developmental sentiments by government and economist were part of the election propaganda.

Mr. Soko said the fears by some sections of the society that the country might lose out part of the donor aid after this rating are not justified because the country cannot entirely depend on donor aid forever but gradually wean economically.

He said that this is why it is important to harness this status and consistently sustain it so that the grass roots can feel the impact.

According to the World Bank, the upward adjustment in Zambia’s income growth is as a result of foreign aid driven in interventions and surging prices of copper in the last few decades.

Low income countries are those with average Gross National Income (GNIs) of less than US$ 1,005 per person annually.  Lower middle income countries have per capita GNIs of between US$ 1,006 per year and upper middle income countries have per capita GNIs between US$ 3, 976 and US$ 12,275.

The World Bank did its annual assessment of poor countries in mid July and the new middle income countries this year are Zambia and Ghana.

The reclassification comes as a result of the price of copper (Zambia’s major export) which was depressed in the 80s and so its price rise in the middle of the last decade as China and India’s economies grew and demand for Copper soared.

The Middle income countries now account for most of the world population leaving in absolute poverty and they need aid allocation models which will take account of poor people and deprivation beyond income.

The World bank also states that Zambia and Ghana have done well although the progress to attain the goals is slow.

“However, in both Ghana and Zambia, a number of children in primary school has climbed along with literacy rates and infant mortality has fallen.  Even if there are not on track to meet the MDGs, quality of life is getting much better,” the World Bank report says.

There are only 35 low income countries remaining out of the countries being accessed by the World Bank.

In March this year, Zambia was assigned a B+ sovereign credit by 2 internationally recognised credit agencies – Standard and Poors and Fitch.

Earlier This Year: Plot-sharing scam at the Lusaka City Council (LCC) is a tip of the iceberg, Banda

PRESIDENT Banda says the plot-sharing scam at the Lusaka City Council (LCC) is a tip of the iceberg as the practice may be taking place at other local authorities run by the Patriotic Front (PF).

Meanwhile, the President has said the MMD will soon set the date for its national convention after successfully concluding provincial conferences at which new executive committees have been ushered into office.

The President said PF leaders have been accusing the MMD government of being corrupt, but what has been unearthed at the LCC is an indicator of what could be taking root in various councils headed and dominated by the opposition political party.

Mr Banda was speaking to journalists at City Airport in Lusaka on january 23 shortly before leaving for Chipata to attend the funeral of late former Cabinet minister in the UNIP government Amok Phiri.

“That is how poetic justice works. They have been accusing us of corruption, but they are there in charge of the Lusaka City Council, and see what they are doing,” he said.

Mr Banda said land is a precious natural resource to all Zambians.

It is, therefore, unfortunate for political leaders to turn around and use land to benefit themselves after being given power by the people to administer the natural resource.

“I am sure this is just the surface. If you look a bit deeper, you will find that they have done much more, perhaps not only here (Lusaka), but also on the Copperbelt and other councils which they are heading,” he said.

Recently, the Zambia Daily Mail unearthed a scam in which councillors, the town clerk and other members of staff at the LCC allocated themselves 80 plots at the Lilayi Housing Development Project, leaving only 11 for members of the public.

This was after a swap deal involving farm 915 in Lilayi between the LCC and Messrs Lilayi Housing Development.

The move prompted the Ministry of Local Government and Housing to suspend the council for a period of 90 days in accordance with the Local Government Act, Cap 281 of the laws of Zambia to pave way for investigations.

Minister of Local Government and Housing Brian Chituwo, who announced the suspension of the council last Friday at a press briefing in Lusaka, said Government has since appointed Copperbelt provincial local government officer Solomon Sakala as administrator.

Various stakeholders have welcomed the decision by Government to suspend the LCC to allow for smooth investigations into the alleged irregular allocation of plots at Lilayi Housing Development Project.

The United Party for National Development, the MMD, the National Restoration Party, Transparency International Zambia and Southern African Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes have all welcomed the investigations.

The organisations have called on the Anti-Corruption Commission to thoroughly investigate the council.

And President Banda has said the MMD will soon announce the date for its national convention.

“The date for the national convention will be announced soon, very soon. We are going to have one more meeting of the top four elected leaders from all provinces. I am sure you are all looking forward to that, aren’t you?” the President said.

The MMD concluded the process of holding provincial conferences on Saturday with the Lusaka meeting that saw incumbent William Banda retaining his position as chairman after going through unopposed.

Meanwhile, MMD spokesperson Dora Siliya has advised Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata against attacking the ruling party, but concentrate on creating harmony within his party.

Ms Siliya, who is also Minister of Education, told journalists at City Airport in Lusaka yesterday that Mr Sata should realise that the MMD has successfully concluded the democratic process within the party, and will now be moving to the final stage of holding a national convention.

“I think he should concentrate on trying to create harmony within his party to institute the culture of democracy because you can’t continue wanting to be president while in your own party there is no semblance of democracy at all,” she said.

The minister was reacting to a story in the Sunday Post of January 23 in which Mr Sata was quoted as saying 2011 is the year to remove President Banda’s government, alleging it has failed to deliver.

And President Banda has described the late Mr Phiri as an educated, calm and dignified person who will be missed by many people. Mr Banda said Mr Phiri studied in Germany and was appointed to various positions, including at Cabinet ministerial level.

“I think we have lost a great Zambian,” the President said.

President Banda declared on January 23 a day of national mourning in honour of Mr Phiri.

Sata's 90 day action plan condemned

Several sections of society have urged Patriotic Front President, Michael Sata, to come up with issue based campaigns in order to woo voters in this years election. They say the same old story of "action in 90 days" is outdated and has been overiden by events that unfolded in the PF run City Councils. They complained that when they hear Mr. Sata on radio telling the nation how he will do this or that within 90 days, PF as a party becomes less desirable and it becomes clear that its leadership needs to be renewed. They cited the gross theft of funds at the LCC, lack of service delivery and theft of public property through land allocations to councilors, as the end result of Sata's 2006 pledge of how he would show Mwanawasa how to run the public sector.

　

"We are tired of being told stories about 90 days. Within 90 days, the PF councilors in our city council started stealing money instead of improving on service provisions in the city." said Mr. Chomba outside Society House on Lusaka's Cairo Road. He further said that "Sata failed to deliver on his promises in 90 days and his councilors took us for a ride. He even failed to reprimand them when their wrong was exposed. Instead, he defended their crooked ways."

　

A shop keeper in Lusaka's City Market said "90 days is just a myth to get blind support. We have given PF a total of five years and they have failed to clean the city. They have failed to kick out the Lebanese, Indians and Chinese who have taken over most of the market stalls. Today, we even have Somalis, Congolese and unknown people being given stalls which were meant for Zambians. The PF councilors are taking bribes for stalls from foreigners at the expense of national development. Now my sales have dropped because of price under cutting." Mrs. Mweene, who sells cosmetics and hair products, also complained bitterly about intimidation by PF cadres and councilors.

　

In Kitwe, Mr. Bwalya, who is a resident of Wusakile Township, complained bitterly that the PF led council has failed to keep to its promises of 2006. "These PF councilors led by their president promised that our area would be cleaned within 90 days. They said drains would be cleaned and bridges would be built over drains. They said they were concerned about our health and living conditions but they have done nothing. This is 2011 and we are still suffering. The councilors have allocated plots to themselves and they have threatened us with taxes and market fees in order to increase revenue. We have paid and they have in turn used the money to pay themselves hefty cheques. The 90 day promise is nothing more than a campaign gimick which has been over used." he said.

　

A Ndola resident complained that when the PF won the local government elections, it promised to speed up house sales and issuance of title deeds. "This process stalled after the 2001 elections and in 2006 PF said they would accelerate it. Five years have passed and we are being told to pay exorbitant rentals or face eviction. These useless PF councilors want to take our houses away from us and keep them for themselves. Is this the change Sata promised us in 90 days? The PF leadership just watches as we are robbed of our homes like they did not promise to settle our titles. When we confront our MP, we are threatened by the Kaponya's who are PF vigilante." Mrs Mwaba went on to say that "It was only after FTJ came that our issues were heard and President Banda ordered the issuance of title with immediate effect. All the developments you see today are owed to FTJ and Rupiah Banda."

　

Minister of Education, Dora Siliya, has advised the Zambian people to reflect and remember all that was supposed to have been done in 90 days when PF won the local government elections in major towns. She said the PF should be judged by its performance over the last five years in the same vein that MMD is being judged after President Banda took over to continue what Late Levy Mwanawasa started. She said it is important to note that PF is full of empty promises because the people in the party are opportunists who only want to enrich themselves.

　

She pointed out how President Banda has seen that PF have failed and he has come to the aid of our people by taking on responsibilities of the local authorities. He has ordered the issuance of title deeds, the repair of roads and drains, and the slashing of house prices in order to empower our people to be able to take loans from CEEC and commercial banks.

　

"This i will do this or that in 90 days has been tested and it failed to generate a better living for our people. Instead, in 90 days, PF was able to enrich its MP's and councilors by paying out inflated administration fees and allocating themselves plots meant for the masses." She said. "So tell us now Mr. Sata, what promises are you going to sell us in 90 days for this years election? Ask him what he will do to his theiving councilors and MP's in 90 days before the election, which he should have done 90 days after winning local government elections in 2006."

　

In 2006 after the general elections, Mr Sata is on record saying he would show President Mwanawasa how councils should be run. When PF had won seats in most of the councils, Mr Sata promised that the councillors would collect garbage, work on roads and deliver social services to the people of Zambia but to date, none of these promises have been honoured.

In FJT's last press conference, he said "It would be politically naive and dangerous for the nation to forget the strong 2006 post-election policy statement, the PF leader Michael Sata made when he said; ‘Mr Mwanawasa will run State House but I will run the country through the councils. We must never forget that because people are now paying a high price for electing PF councillors and MPs who have followed their leader’s policy statement to the letter and caused all the misery."

WYNTER’S VAIN ATTEMPT TO CLEAN GUY’S MESS

28th July 2011 - 'The Zambian' Editorial

We have heard.  The learned Legal Counsel Wynter Kabimba, also Patriotic Front Secretary General, has effectively distanced the Pf from the reckless and irresponsible actions of PF Vice President Guy Scott.  That is the way it should be.  A wrong is a wrong and in this instance, Guy Scott, has become a serious liability to the Patriotic Front, just like its leader Michael Sata, who out of nothing, begun a homosexual campaign to “benefit” Zambia.

But that said, Guy Scott’s media assault, remains a sore point for Zambia’s democracy.  He has shown the whole world that he is so intolerant, unreasonable and willing to play to the gallery.  Kabimba justified the PF anger, symbolised by its slogan and power –sign.  If there was a possibility of asking Osama Bin laden, why he though killing and taking away innocent lives by Al Qaeda was good, he sure would be able to justify all those senseless killings.  But can other civilised persons accept that justification or explanation, in the midst of pools of human blood?

Put simply, can any reasonable official, justify the banishing of National Media   from covering what is supposed to be a national affair? Or, is fighting at a place of work or any other, justifiable?  This is the dilemma that our Wynter Kabimba finds himself in.  he is having to clean up the mess that others are willing and wittingly creating.  It is sure a hard job, and we doubt if Wynter is enjoying what appears to be a deliberate ploy to seek publicity even when the very reason for seeking publicity, is at variance with fundamentals of democracy.

We have said before and we now repeat that THE Patriotic Front is in a hurry to destroy Zambia’s democracy.  Sata was in the MMD as National Secretary.  During his time, as expected, he brutalised many but failed to undo the party, whose democratic credentials, are too solid for any joker.  The creation of the Patriotic Front was an attempt to have another vehicle for dissent but others like Michael Sata have taken it somewhere else.  As recently announced by Peter Sinkamba, the PF’s consolation is its perceived popularity.  We want to argue and argue very strongly that popularity alone, cannot be an effective measure for assuring the patriotic Front victory because, there are equally many indicators which show how Sata and company failed to tick, when they were in government.

So, while the statements by Kabimba are welcome, we at the Zambian remain worried and concerned because crocodile tears have no space in our democracy.  We saw the damage and pain Hitler caused and know too well the tragedy that could envelope Zambia, if war mongers were allowed access, to State power.

Remember, Dr. Guy Scott, also a Columnist in the Post Newspaper, is the Vice President.  We all know that Sata is said to be sick, meaning that if he was indisposed and unable to do what he must do, then Dr. Guy Scott, with all his shortcomings, would be the next PF president.  If The PF was to be in government, Guy Scott would be republican President – and that would mean compounded trouble for the Media.  Sad, but this is the “Plan” we must all join hands to stop! It is unpatriotic, it is hypocritical, it is an abomination and a danger to our PEACE.