UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema yesterday said he will continue to offer himself as a presidential candidate to lead Zambia because the Pact has not chosen a candidate for the 2011 presidential polls.
And All People’s Congress (APC) leader, Ken Ngondo has said political parties in Zambia that have formed a pact were just wasting their time because people of Zambia do not want a pact but an alliance.
Mr Hichilema said yesterday he had ambitions to take over Government next year considering the immense qualities and capabilities he wields but Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata was also allowed to express his desire to lead.
The UPND leader said candidacy for the UPND and Patriotic Front (PF) Pact remained open to any of the two partners in the alliance formed in 2008 but only announced last year.
His declaration was based on the fact that a candidate to run the Pact into the 2011 presidential election had not been chosen by the technical group involving the two parties.
Asked when the two leaders would announce the candidate, Mr Hichilema said it would remain a secret until the right time came.
“The message is that we have not chosen a candidate for the Pact. When a candidate is chosen things will be clear,” Mr Hichilema said.
Mr Hichilema on Sunday declared he was the best candidate to lead Zambia next year because of the younger age and urged Zambians to take a leaf from countries like Tanzania, United Kingdom, United States of America and Germany that had elected leaders with modern leadership postures.
Mr Sata has also made similar declarations, raising questions about the extent of confusion and power struggle between the two leaders as the election fast nears.
Mr Hichilema said suggestions by 11 districts in Southern Province for his party to forge an alliance with the MMD lacked background and clarity considering that his party already has an alliance with PF.
He said the resolution to forge an alliance with PF was passed by the national management committee in consultation with the general membership and the new dimension by Vernon Mwaanga had never been on the party’s agenda.
Mr Ngondo during a Press briefing in Chipata on Thursday said he would not support any pact because the current pact could not form Government even in 2011 tripartite elections.
He said the current pact (UPND/PF) was not a factor in the Zambian politics because there were two leaders who had different divergent views with different manifestos.
[Times of Zambia]
Times of MMD that is not confusion both leaders have the right to sale themselves to the people of Zambia. You have seen such thing happen here in USA as it more less like primary election and that is what we call democrancy than in the MMD where there is no democrancy as long as they agree to each other that they will stand by each other to whoever will be choosen to be candidate.
I think the campaign is open to either candidate. its something that the PACT members can agree on through its technical group. Therefore current pronouncements by two candidates are healthy.
‘Mr Hichilema said yesterday he had ambitions to take over Government next year considering the immense qualities and capabilities he wields but Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata was also allowed to express his desire to lead.’
This is a slap on the face to Sata by HH and I can imagine how the Cobra is feeling right now.I await for his reaction.I hate speculating but I know for sure where the Pact is heading to.
The Pact in UK it has a very different view but today they form a govt for the seek of UK hence if it can happen there we can also do it and YES WE CAN.
# 3 there is no slap in anyone’s face, it is simply democracy at its best. Im surprised taking it you live in the UK that you can express utmost surprise when different leaders express themselmelves. Im sure even Nicky Clegg expressed himself as the best candindate in the UK elections but Cameron beat him to it yet they have formed a coalition govt. The pact has just shown Zambians that different views dont necessarily mean you are against. Go ahead HH campaign for the post, You too Sata do the same
The anti Pact demis are getting confused everyday. They were expecting Sata to react badly to HHs statement last Sunday but never did. They still can’t believe whats happening.
The UK govt is a coalition formed after election results in a parliamentary system. Cameron and Clegg stood and won as Parliamentary candidates for their respective parties. In Zambia we have a Presidential system. The so called PACT have a problem on their hands. They seem not to have worked out the modalities of how they are going to contest the elections i.e whether they will contest the Presidency separately or have a single candidate. They have merely postponed the problem and this will be their undoing. I would advise Pact supporters to stop pretending that things are okay. They are definitely not. There should have been a ‘prenuptial agreement’ before this marriage was entered into. Smells like “Fikai Solva” type of arrangement!
#7 have you really read the above story in full? If you have read and undstood the content then you should have noticed that the modalities of how the Pact will contest next year’s elections were partly mentioned by HH (“His declaration was based on the fact that a candidate to run the Pact into the 2011 presidential election had not been chosen by the technical group involving the two parties”).
As I mentioned earlier most anti Pact demis did not expect this kind of democracy to be practiced by the Pact’s leadership.
From the look of things the pact appears only good enough if HH leads it and sata appears to share the same view. in essence it does not exsist in practice. its like two people shivering with one blanket each but are scared to combine and share the two blankets to warm themselves for fear that the other person might pull both to his side leaving the other one in the cold.:-?
N# 9……
GOOD ANNALIST
the pact is the biggest threat to mmd now.and i thank HH and Sata for working together.this govt has failed the people .and katele kalumba cannot force the mmd on the people .let the people decide,and not ken ngondo .the pact has the potential to provide an alternative govt and any concerned zambia must support it because it is thye only chance to remove the mmd govt.ken ngondo has the right to stand but he has not have the support that the pact enjoys.what is however required in the pact is a serious give and take .
The problem with pact is that its like a person eating ground nuts while you are enjoying you make mistake of throwing in one rotten one, you will be forced to spit out the rest of them including the good ones. The very big rotten element in the pact is the one nut who has already been in several governments, willing to violate constitution for kafupi. This rotten element spoils the whole thing for me, if they can remove this old and rotten nut, then we can continue to enjoy ourselves.
#8. Wanzelu Are you telling me that when Sata and HH are taking turns in announcing their intentions and suitability to stand they are merely doing this to impress the so called “technical group” that will pick the best candidate? I am afraid a lot of people will be disappointed when this Pact collapses. I would advise them to sort out the issue now. Otherwise like I pointed out; they are merely ignoring a time bomb. You cannot do this thing close to the elections otherwise the fistures will be too big to heal. Expect some followers of the two; Sata and HH to walk away if either is picked. Ignoring a problem never makes it go away no matter how much you pretend. What is so difficult with the so called ‘technical group’ picking the Pact candidate now if indeed there is such a group?
#12 Mulenga….I agree with you, thats preciesly my view. PF without the big nut would be a trust worthy partner in the PACT but as it stands, its a risk venture.
Power struggle has just started in the PF/UPND PACT.By the goings,very soon the PACT will divorce.Those who have been following my comments will concur with me.It is not a GIVE and TAKE situation.
The real situation on the ground is HH will stand on UPND 2011
SATA will stand on PF 2011
Now where is the PACT?Zambians mark my words,i have been preaching about this since the inception of the so called PF/UPND PACT.
#14 PF is all about the Big Nut, Like him or hate him the man has charisma and it is that charisma that has made graduates, kaponyas and all well informed people, of both Lusaka and the Copperbelt, which are the most developed provinces in Zambia to VOTE for the PF. Mind you most PF MPs won because of the Big Nut. You take him out PF dies, period.
The PACT is between SATA and HH,once SATA and HH differs in principle,that is the end of the PACT.
I think there is nothing wrong with HH campaigning to lead the pact, it just shows how democratic the pact is, both HH and Michael Sata are freely campaigning unlike in other parties were there are so-called ”sole candidates”.
#18
Whoever will lose in the PF/UPND PACT,will go it alone,this is a stand alone situation.No matter how much you will want the PF/UPND PACT to be together.
Opposite poles attract each other.
Same poles repeal
PF and UPND attracted each other as OPPOSITE POLES.
Now PF and UPND have the same POLES,they have started REPEALING.
Yeah go for it man! As much as RB and Sata got more votes in 2008, inside our hearts we all know u are the best candidate.
You people from Human Resource(HR)/Personnel,why do you always ask for qualifications when you put up adverts. for employment?
The reason is simple to get the best for the job.So HH is the best as far the PF/UPND PACT.
Degree holders get this vacant job in 2011.
RB Degree holder you qualify
Milupi Degree holder you qualify
HH Degree holder you qualify
the list is endless
Sata you do not qualify,we can not even call you for interviews,sorry,try to be the HEADMAN.
I’m happy the bloggers are sober in their contributions keep it up guys.
#21, but Sata has 2 degrees, which makes him more qualify than HH. But look at what RB with degree doing
#23
Never be deceived,which degrees are talking about?
To be honesty HH ani taya ya pact.That guy is good and i guess he would have done well by himself going the way he started.Therefore,kowing sata, to allow him to be pesident of the pact?Kaya mwe.Everyone here will agree with me that sata mr king cobra has a tendance of side lining others when elections are closer.Anyway time will tell as we keep our fingers crossed.Good luck HH and sata.
#25
In politics,dribbling is the order of the day.SATA/HH do not trust each other.Sata will be more confortable to appoint key positions to PF members,equally HH might do the same.These are facts,look at Zimbabwe Govt and Kenya Govt.Similar problems will come up in the PF/UPND PACT.
You should have an eagles’s eye on what is happening on the polictic front
Young and vibrant HH go for it
Hi Peter Mulenga. I support your contribution No. 26. To add to that, I think these guys should just separate because they are all hungry for power. I am a confused citizen because I don’t know who to vote. All party leaders don’t have vision for this country. RB and HH are opportunists because they assuned the party leadership after the deaths of leaders who had vision. Sata seem to be an old model politician.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend”
all these pipo who want to becum President ve no vision 4 Zambia(i)RB doesnt knw wat to do wer to strt n hw to do it as he said it himself he nevr tht of becumn President hw cn sch a person who jst woke up n found himself in State hse improve the livn standards of the Zambian wallowing in abject poverty(ii)HH is hungry 4 pwer the Man wants to use the Presidency to futher his success he does nt feel 4 the zmbian pipo ths is the sme persn who usd to feed his workers Lion meat at the safari camp he ownd 2gethr wit his partner Leopard Ridge(iii)Cobra is so inconsistent one cn wondr wat his principles r based on i personaly feel Sata wud onli want to becum President to settle political scores n 4 HH to thnk he wil b the Pact’s Candidte is a joke Sata wil stop at nthn to prvnt thm frm…
my bad prevnt tht frm happenin,i beliv Zambia wil ve a President evry1 cn b proud of in 2016 nt nw
Truthfully speaking, ignoring all biasness, HH stands out. All things being equal,The decision to make or break the country lies in our hands
HH is the best candidate Zambia has at the moment. If people can look beyond tribe and other petty stuff it is easy to see that there are few candidates that can match up to his qualities. He must now start to speak more on what he will do for Zambia instead of getting involved with cheap insults which is typical of Zambian politicians.
#33
I support you in totally,we(Zambians) desperately need a young a vibrant leader.
Zambians,let us support the young generation to takeover leadership roles of this country.
The old guys SATA+RB+KK did their part and you have seen how we have remained static for years. HH is the right man for the job. Why is there a retirement age limit. The answer is simple, that person is tired and needs to rest and only gives advise when neccessary.
Lastly, can’t you see how Willim Banda is causing problems. He is old and has no direction, he can not differentiate between development and backwardness.
2011 is for us Zambian(0-50 years) to chart the way forward for our mother zambia !!!!!!!period!!!!.Unless these who seem to be between 0-50 years but their thinking is as old as 70 years and above !!!!!!period!!!!! and they think this is what zambians deserve.
Hi Guys, from the look of things, I don’t see the PACT winning the elections come 2011. I still see the big division between the two leaders and this has also caused the people to be divided between HH and Sata. To call a spade a spade, Sata or HH will not take Zambia if they work independently. We need these two men to work together and choose a Leader and support that leader. If HH or Sata thinks they are popular enough or young and capable enough to win the 2011 presidential election, Baleibepafye, and they are simply wasting our time. We were not born yesterday and I am older than Zambia and her story hasn’t changed. You canm’t win Sourthern, Western and North werstern and expect to be a Zambian leader, you must win in all 9 Provinces. My message to Sata and HH is simple, work…
#36
Zambians,Sata is not ready to be under HH,equally HH is not ready to be under SATA. It is nice that what these guys(sata/HH) have been habouring against each other has started coming out.
Remember SATA was MMD,differed in PRINCIPLE with then PRESIDENT CHILUBA,Sata formed his NOAH PARTY(PF).What will not stop him(SATA) this time not to divorce with HH.Sata is unpredictable
Let the best seller get the rewards of leading Zambia in 2010.
I guess HH has the best agenda and young plus intelligent as well, but we have to be democratic and democracy is all about this.
Viva HH, the best seller at the moment
A big crack in PF/UPND PACT.
(1)Hichilema and Sata at loggerheads
(2)HH for 2011 president campaign badges on sale
(3)I’ll contest 2011 polls, vows Sata
(4)I’ll contest 2011 polls, vows HH
Sata/HH tell us your roadmap towards this animal (PF/UPND PACT).
Mr.SATA should take a backyard role and let fresh blood to led the PF/UPND PACK.Period
The best solution for these guys is simply to step down and let a neutral person from either of the parties lead the pact. These two should just be advisers so as to avoid confusion which exists btwn the two leaders and their supporters who not even socially compatable (southerns and Northerners)