President Rupiah Banda today leaves for Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, to attend the World Economic Forum on Africa.

Defence Minister Kalombo Mwansa will act as President during the absence of both Mr Banda and Vice-President George Kunda.

Special assistant to the President for Press and public relations Dickson Jere said in a statement yesterday that Dr Mwansa would act because Mr Kunda is also out of the country for medical review.

In a statement, Mr Jere said the President would be among other African leaders who had been invited to participate in the World Economic Forum sessions. The theme of this year’s forum is ‘Rethinking Africa’s growth strategy’.

According to Mr Jere, the forum will discuss issues pertaining to higher education for Africa, unlocking Africa’s growth potential, a new vision for Africa’s agriculture and the China-Africa partnership for growth.

President Banda will meet some investors at the forum who are interested in investing in Africa. He will be accompanied to Dar-es-Salaam by Education Minister Dora Siliya, Deputy Minister for Finance and National Planning Chileshe Kapwepwe and other senior Government officials.

The President and his delegation will return to Lusaka after scheduled business in Tanzania.

[Times of Zambia]

CHIEF Mumena of the Kaonde people in North-Western Province has said it is inhuman for the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) to hold a victory procession after winning the Mufumbwe parliamentary seat when many people were injured and others died.

UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma, however, said there was nothing wrong in celebrating victory after beating MMD who had held the seat for more than 20 years.

Chief Mumena said if the political party was there for the people of Mufumbwe, it would not have celebrated its victory, but it would have sympathised with those who were injured and mourned with those who had lost their loved ones because of the incidence that took place in the area.

Chief Mumena said in an interview in Solwezi yesterday that the violence which rocked the Mufumbwe parliamentary by-election was an indication that some politicians were so desperate for power that they were capable of mobilising thugs to shed the blood of innocent people to get what they wanted.

Chief Mumena condemned the behaviour of some politicians who were campaigning in the Mufumbwe parliamentary by-election for promoting violence in the area by transporting thugs from outside Mufumbwe to engage in various forms of violence.

He said the politicians who transported thugs to Mufumbwe from other parts of Zambia should be ashamed, apologise and resign from their positions because they were not fit to be leaders of the people.

“I condemn the behaviour of some politicians who went to campaign in Mufumbwe, especially those who were transporting political mercenaries to go and shed blood in the area. This is a failure of political agenda in Zambia and it is being driven by failed politicians who have run out of ideas of what multi-party politics is all about.

“If these politicians really care about the people, they would not have celebrated the victory because there was nothing to celebrate about. You don’t celebrate violence, injuries or deaths,” Chief Mumena said.

He said the royal establishment in the area would now reorganise itself and ensure that the violence that took place in Mufumbwe did not recur because people wanted peace and development in the area.

He said North-Western Province would now be a no-go area for politicians who wanted to fuel violence and set the nation ablaze because of their desperation for power.

He said he was shocked that the members of Parliament (MPs) in the area had remained silent on the violence that rocked the by-election when they were expected to air their condemnation.

Mr Kakoma said cadres used their initiative to come up with a mock coffin to show that MMD was dead in Mufumbwe and that there was nothing wrong in celebrating victory after beating MMD who had held the seat for more than 20 years.

He said his party condemned the violence in Mufumbwe and denied that UPND cadres abducted a police officer.

“We strongly condemn the violence that took place in Mufumbwe and we were not involved in the transporting of youths from other parts of the country to Mufumbwe.

‘‘On celebrating victory, I must say there is nothing wrong in celebrating the victory after beating MMD who have been holding the seat for the last 20 years,” Mr Kakoma said.
[Times of Zambia ]

By By Kahlastwayo Cele

In life to attain greatness, whatever greatness we measure up against, we are certain to meet battles, which we cannot, indeed, must not, run away from. The darkest and most eerie demons and nightmares must be met head-on. This we must do, otherwise, we are certain to be miserable failures in life. The option of failure is a cruel one.

HH is a leader of a Political Party who aspires to the great office of commander in chief of the Armed forces, the Chief Executive officer of the Republic of Zambia. Has he counted the costs to meet such a high goal?

There is a daunting task ahead of him, no doubt. On the way to greatness one is bound to stumble, not once but many times. His recent behavior could be taken as mere slip-ups from which he could recover?

But on the other hand, these slip-ups could mean something deeper, an outward admission of failure. As an aspiring President to be, it is expedient of him not to portray a flaw in character. His reaction in Mufumbwe, at the Police station, is certainly disappointing, to say the least. The rigors and pressures of the highest office require impeccable resilience, an inner strength. So far, he has proved to lack that.

The Presidential elections are just about 12 months away and all is clear that things are gearing up. The political temperature is bound to rise even higher as we draw near to the day. And the nation is watching, every step the Politician takes. This is not a time for the aspirant to whimper and throw tantrums. There will certainly be more poking to be done.

What are the battles before HH, what hurdles lie ahead before he submits his candidature at the Chief Justice office?

His Party (UPND) in pact with Sata’s (PF) must choose between the two of them to lead. Therefore if ever HH intends to lead the nation, he must in the first place face his partner (Sata) in battle. This will be the preliminary round. This is one of his demons and nightmares. Fate demands that he cannot shy away from this battle.

HH cannot afford to be viewed as negotiating for a position from Mr. Sata. That will be the end of him.

The basic aim to form a party is to lead the nation. Any message by the Party leader that supposes that the highest office is secondary will not hold. It is inconceivable that one could form a party only to aspire for an office less than the goal. Any person who aspires to lead the nation cannot do so with a secondary objective. He would be a laughing stock.

[pullquote]The win in Mufumbwe has made it worse because whilst it proves that he is gaining popularity, it is however threatening to tip the balance away from Mr. Sata. He must face the man who called him a ‘calculator boy’ before He ever dreams of making an appointment with the Chief Justice to file his nomination papers.[/pullquote]

That is why even those who have hardly been able to have enough supporters at the final declaration of interests will still go ahead to stand as Presidential aspirants. In Politics there are no assured positions of appointment. For HH to assume he will be appointed by Sata as his Vice, in a PF government is just utter recklessness and the worst Political naivety ever.

The demons that confront HH will not sit with him and negotiate a settlement of interests, no! He must make up his mind to face his adversary. What complicates the matter is that he is not dealing with a preliminary within his own party but with another independent party.

The win in Mufumbwe has made it worse because whilst it proves that he is gaining popularity, it will however threaten to tip the balance away from Mr. Sata. He must face the man who called him a ‘calculator boy’ before He ever dreams of making an appointment with the Chief Justice to file his nomination papers.

Mr. Michael Sata, it seems has so far taken it for granted that he is the most popular between the two and as such the default candidate, portrayed by the ‘Post’ as the mature and natural option.

When HH was given to lead the UPND, the instruction handed him was to rule the nation. This is the expectation from the grassroot and the Party hierarchy. On joining the ‘pact’ the promise was with the view to win Sata’s support, who is expected to ‘return a favour’ with history in view. There is no other expectation from HH’s supporters outside this.

This is precisely why the Party stalwart, Major Chizyuka, has been under attack from within the ranks, refusing to buy into Mr. Sata’s promise. This is the thin line by which the Party holds – HH’s promise that he will lead the ‘pact’. Failure to deliver the promise will mean doom to HH and his Political life.

This explains so much why the Mufumbwe seat meant so much to him, it has given him that extra confidence besides giving hope to his supporters that he means business.

Will the staunch grass root supporters take kindly when they hear that in fact HH has accepted to fall for a deputized position under Sata? For that matter even within Sata’s PF, the Party figures such- Guy Scott, Given Lubinda who considered themselves eligible will not take kindly to such a proposition.

‘Assumption is the mother of all failures’ so it is said. HH is making a terrible assumption if he thinks Sata will allow him to lead the ‘pact’. Sata has not even as much as once allowed anyone in his Party (PF) to challenge his leadership. So why on earth does HH think that the ‘Cobra’ will give him such a favour, on a silver platter? Surely HH cannot be so naïve!

It would seem on the bare face of it that if anyone in PF showed even a slight intention to challenge Sata’s leadership, that person would literally be bitten by his bare teeth. So how on earth has HH come to the conclusion that he has become so good buddies with he, who by the way, not long ago called HH a ‘calculator boy’, that he will now hand him the candidacy? Mind you Sata’s followers have previously likened their leader as ‘their Obama’. Sata for them is fondly Obama. HH must desist from making cheap assumptions if he is to be great.

For HH to become great, he must surpass the oratory skills and brilliance of Obama, he must prove to be a greater mind than Professor Chirwa, surpass the ingenuity of Chiluba and the Diplomacy of Rupiah Banda. For to be a President of the nation requires something greater than his current circle of admirers. What a daunting Task before him.

But then, this is the price of greatness yet a great opportunity for him. HH must surpass the idea that his piece meal cattle donations are sufficient to win him a national following. Failure, as we began, is not mere easy way out, it is a great cost.

Government has dismissed rumor going round that Vice President George Kunda who is receiving treatment in South Africa has died.

Acting Chief Government Spokesperson Dora Siliya told QFM in an interview that the vice president is well and continues undergoing routine medical check-ups in South Africa.

Ms Siliya has accused a named private media organization of creating malicious and false rumors about the vice president’s condition.
She says the vice President is expected in the country by the end of this week.

QFM

MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba says the ruling party intends to write to the Netherlands Institute for Multi-party Democracy (NIMD) to express its concern about unfolding reports that the institute is allegedly funding the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) to spearhead regime change.

This follows revelations by Committee of Citizens executive director Gregory Chifire that NIMD and the PF have allegedly entered into a working relationship to directly fund the latter contrary to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) which NIMD signed with ZCID.

Dr Kalumba said yesterday in Lusaka that it would be a deceptive act by NIMD to pick on one political party and fund it directly because the MoU it signed with ZCID was done in good faith and it pledged to work with all political parties both outside and inside Parliament.

“My own view about the matter is that ZCID should not be a victim. We should find alternative funding for it. The ZCID concept is to create a good platform for resolving conflicts between political parties,” he said.

Dr Kalumba said ZCID should remain independent because it has seen a number of positive developments with one of them being the National Constitutional Conference which is its brainchild.

He appealed to well-meaning donor communities with no hidden agenda to financially support ZCID as a way of deepening inter-party dialogue and democracy in the country.

Dr Kalumba said there should be no donors to selectively sponsor political parties of their choice in order to advance certain hidden motives because ZCID is there to strengthen various political parties’ capacity.

“Selective funding of one political party by NIMD will defeat the concept upon which ZCID was founded and will mean that NIMD is not an honest partner,” he said.

Dr Kalumba said there is need for various political parties in the country to sit and find alternative ways of funding ZCID either through subscription or engagement of honest co-operating partners.

And in a statement issued on Friday, Mr Chifire alleged that the PF has entered into a working agreement with NIMD and that a separate account has already been opened to sponsor campaigns to spearhead regime change.

“Under the NIMD/ZCID MoU, the parties agreed that the NIMD shall only fund political parties that are members of the ZCID through ZCID itself in equal proportions,” he said.

And according to latest letters of correspondence between ZCID and NIMD, the latter has given the former strict benchmarks on which to access funding, failure to which the donor will suspend the aid.

In a plan of action for the contract for ZCID funding written by NIMD regional director for Africa Jasper Veen and dated April 16, 2010, ZCID has been given the requirement to fulfil before NIMD can sign a contract for this year.

“The ZCID board will ensure that its secretariat has sufficient staff capacity in place, meaning a new executive director and new programme officer are contracted before June 30, 2010.”

“ZCID will closely involve NIMD in its institutional set-up as long as it remains the main financial contributor. This entails that NIMD needs to be involved in the recruitment of new staff members,” one of the conditions reads in part.

Under the same conditions, ZCID will be required to inform NIMD about any external funding acquired and substantial changes in plans as a result of additional funding by others that will require prior approval by NIMD.

And sources said under the staff recruitment conditions given to ZCID, NIMD has already identified persons to fill positions of ZCID spokesperson and executive director and that the people for such positions should be PF sympathisers.

But when contacted for a comment on the matter, PF vice-president Guy Scott said such allegations about his party entering into a working relationship with NIMD are false and being perpetrated by MMD supporters.

Dr Scott said his party is ready to be investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission and other agencies by checking through all PF bank accounts to see if there is any one of them with funds from NIMD.
[Zambia Daily Mail]

The Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) Lusaka Province Chairperson William Banda says the ruling party was not responsible for the violence in the just ended Mufumbwe Parliamentary by-elections.

Mr. Banda accused the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) of allegedly causing the violence in Mufumbwe.

Mr. Banda was speaking when he addressed a meeting in Chinkuli ward in Chongwe District.

He said the MMD is a party that sees no value in violent activities because such activities only retard the development of the country.

Meanwhile, Mr. Banda has urged Chongwe residents to ensure that they support and vote for President Rupiah Banda and the MMD in next year’s tripartite elections.

He said voting for President Banda and the ruling MMD would mean continued development in Chongwe District.

Mr. Banda said this is because the ruling party is the only party with an agenda for the country’s development.

Mr. Banda said the MMD has proved itself as a reliable party going by the so many development projects in Chongwe District.

He said the government was currently constructing new school and roads in the district.

QFM

Former evangelical fellowship EFZ executive director, Bishop Paul Mususu has questioned the ability of the Zambia Police Service to maintain law and order in next years tripartite elections, when they could not even obtain that in the Milanzi and Mufumbwe by elections.

In an interview with QFM, Bishop Mususu pointed out that the current political scenario in the atmosphere is very bad and raises a lot of concerns because not even the trained personnel have had the ability to handle the violence.

Bishop Mususu indicated that Zambia has never known the kind of violence that is currently being undertaken and what is more worrying is the failure by the police to adequately provide the security during the election period.

He indicated that one wonders how bad things will get by the end of year after witnessing such blood shed ahead of just two by elections. He expressed a lot concern over the inability of the Police force to maintain law and order.

He indicated that it is not conducive for such violence to erupt within a democratic dispensation like Zambia where laws and regulations should be respected in every process.

Bishop Mususu noted that the outbreak of the nature of violence that was reported in Mufumbwe raises a lot of concern over the Electoral Commission of Zambia plus the various other stakeholders in the electoral process.

QFM