President Sata and HH – Once pact friends
PRESIDENT Sata has accused United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema of misleading chiefs in North-Western Province that Government intends to shift Solwezi district to the Copperbelt Province.
The President also said Clement Sinyinda, who claims to be a Prime Minister of Western Province, is also peddling lies that Government has intentions of moving Lukulu, Kaoma and Sesheke from the Western Province to some other province.
But Mr Hichilema has denied conniving with any traditional rulers in North-Western Province, alleging that it is President Sata’s way of doing things he is concerned about.
Mr Sinyinda is former Deputy Minister of Education in the Rupiah Banda administration and is now the Ngambela (Prime minister) of the Barotse Royal Establishment.
“I spent 10 years in the opposition and everything I said, even today I can say them. I am shocked about HH. It is probably because of the way he came into leadership of UPND. Had it been Anderson Mazoka, he would have been more sympathetic to Zambians and not to his pockets.
“There is no way you can remove Solwezi from where it is and take it to Copperbelt because it will be very far away from Ndola,” Mr Sata said.
Mr Sata said this at State House yesterday when he swore in former Ministry of Sport and Youth permanent secretary Teddy Mulonga as deputy Secretary to Cabinet in charge of administration and Kawaye Kamanga as chairperson of the Public Service Commission.
President Sata said the Zambian Constitution has no provision for a Prime Minister and described Mr Sinyinda as a “fake Prime Minister” who does not understand the geography of the area he is supposed to govern.
The others sworn in were Agnes Musunga, who replaced Mr Mulonga.
Mr Sata also swore in Gershom Siame as senior private secretary at State House while Rabson Soko and Anthony Kabaso were sworn in as private secretaries at State House.
The President said he spent 10 years in the opposition and he still remembers everything he said and promised in his campaigns. Mr Sata said he feels sorry for people who are criticising the decision to create more districts because they do not understand the geography of the country.
He said there is need to create at least six new districts in Western Province and three or four in the North-Western Province.
Meanwhile, President Sata told the people he sworn in to defend the interest of the country because the jobs they have taken are constitutional.
“You are going in the field to defend the Constitution of Zambia. Go and speak on behalf of the people,” he said. The President warned the three private secretaries that they will go faster than they came if they start getting money to fix appointments for people who want to meet him.
“Somebody was fired because of selling appointments. When people wanted to see me, he was selling appointments. If people want to see me and I am free, I will see them,” the President said.
President Sata’s special assistant for press and public relations George Chellah recently announced that State House had parted company with Alfred Chipoya on January 24, 2012 upon discovering that he was “corruptly and irregularly” re-engaged by Cabinet Office as senior private secretary.
Mr Chellah distanced State House from Mr Chipoya saying: “Those who may deal with him must understand that they are engaging him in his personal capacity and State House will not take responsibility for any such dealings.”
And President Sata has revoked the appointment of Sydney Watayi as deputy director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Mr Sata told Minister of Home Affairs Kennedy Sakeni to relay the message to ACC director Roselyn Wandi that the country cannot rely on one person.
Mr Watayi is working for USAID in America and was appointed ACC deputy director by President Sata.
Mr Sata said there is no way the country can wait up to September for Mr Watayi to take up his appointment.
“If his bosses were required to serve their (American) Government, they would not behave the way he is behaving. As far as I am concerned, let him continue working for USAID,” Mr Sata said.
The President said the country has a lot of other capable citizens who can take up the position.
And Mr Hichilema accused President Sata of exhibiting dictatorial tendencies in the manner he is governing the country. He charged that the country has witnessed a collapse of national dialogue and consensus building and accused President Sata of running the country by “decree”.
At a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Hichilema said UPND is concerned about some of President Sata’s decisions.
“As UPND, we wish to put it on record that President Sata’s style of issuing decrees and bulldozing citizens has no place in a civilised democracy like ours. Mr Sata’s dictatorial tendencies were manifested in the early days of his administration when he attempted to mutilate the republican Constitution by abolishing the constitutional office of Secretary to the Treasury,” Mr Hichilema said.
Mr Hichilema said Zambia’s democracy is under threat and that President Sata is making “manoeuvres” without consultations. He said these include re-alignment of constituencies and districts from one administrative boundary to another, the decisions he noted will not do any good to the country.
Mr Hichilema said Zambians, who were hoping for political and economic participation under the new administration, have now been reduced to mere spectators.
“We are now under kangaroo type of administration. As a political party, we stand to defend the rights of our citizens even in the face of threats to arrest us,” Mr Hichilema said./ Daily Mail
Related Stories:
- Sata urges dialogue over Barotse PRESIDENT Michael Sata has warned agitators of the restoration of the Barotseland Agreement not to take a confrontational stance but...
- HH puzzled by Sata’s change of thought on the Barotseland United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema has said that he is puzzled by President Michael Sata’s sudden...
- President Sata pardons Barotse activists detainees, renames Ndola Stadium as Levy Mwanawasa President Michael Sata has pardoned all the people from the Western Province that were arrested in connection with the Mongu...
- UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema’s letter ‘useless’, Sata Republican President Michael Sata has described as useless a letter written to him by UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema dated 27th...
Fwaka
February 11, 2012
Itezhi-tezhi is closer to Choma than kabwe, so does he not understand georaphy too, well, ‘traditional geography’ as we all know our man never went to School.
The president is better advised to avoid using the word ‘fake’ in his now traditional rants.