MMD Spokesperson Dora Siliya has said opposition Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata should not cry foul when he is criticised in the media because he set the trend through his malice and hatred for the MMD Government and its sympathisers in his radio appearances across Zambia.
Ms Siliya said Mr Sata had set the stage for politics of hatred and mudslinging by moving from one radio station to another, attacking individuals and he should not cry foul and accuse the MMD government of creating a volatile situation in the country when some people respond to his attacks.
Ms Siliya was reacting to a statement on Radio Icengelo yesterday where Mr Sata was quoted as saying the MMD Government was creating a volatile situation in Zambia by allowing the two former PF secretaries general, Edward Mumbi and Charles Chimumbwa to hold a Press briefing and even gave them police protection.
The former PF secretaries-general held a Press briefing in Lusaka on Tuesday and challenged Mr Sata to defend himself on issues of morality that were being raised.
She denied assertions that the MMD Government facilitated the Press briefing for the two former PF officials, while reminding the PF leader that freedom of speech was not selective and that the two former PF secretaries general enjoyed the same freedom of speech.
She said it was unfortunate that the opposition panicked everytime some former opposition political party leaders castigated them and sympathised with the ruling MMD.
“To start with, the MMD Government did not facilitate that press briefing of the two former PF officials, but the two former PF officials just thought they should air their views on certain issues.
“People have the right to choose between malice and real issues and so the former PF officials have chosen the MMD which talks about real issues. It is a matter of time you shall see what will happen,” Ms Siliya said.
And Ms Siliya has said President Rupiah Banda had stopped responding to the mudslinging and insults from Mr Sata and other opposition leaders because he had a lot of work to do and could not continue to address issues that would not benefit Zambians in any way.
She said the president was aware that some opposition politicians wanted to engage him in personal attacks to distract him from issues relating to national development.
And the MMD in Eastern Province has expressed disappointment with Patriotic Front (PF) Party secretary general Wynter Kabimba for condemning President Banda’s trip to China.
Mr Kabimba was quoted in the lead story of The Post newspaper of Wednesday that President Banda was an irresponsible and playful old man.
Provincial chairperson Kennedy Zulu said in Chipata yesterday Mr Kabimba did not seem to understand international relations despite having a degree.
Mr Zulu said President Banda’s trip to China was aimed at bringing a lot of benefits to Zambians in various areas of development like tourism and agriculture.
He said that it was unfortunate that the opposition PF was against developmental programmes which the President had initiated and said the President was free to go to any country in the world with the main aim of sourcing funds in various businesses.
“We are extremely disappointed with the comments by Mr Wynter Kabimba.This man it seems he doesn’t understand international bilateral relationship despite having a degree. He is a let down,” Mr Zulu said.
He charged that Mr Kabimba had no right to condemn President Banda’s trip to China because he once failed to perform as Lusaka town clerk.
He said that while working as Lusaka town clerk, Mr Kabimba contributed to unnecessary congestion in the city because he was approving land for development, which was near the railway line.
Mr Zulu said that it made no sense for Mr Kabimba to claim that he was more educated than Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Ronnie Shikapwasha when he achieved nothing as town clerk.
The provincial chairperson has however said that the office of the President does not handle disasters because that was the responsibility of the Office of the Vice President which was in-charge of the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU).
Mr Zulu said that it was wrong for Mr Kabimba to condemn president Banda’s trip on the basis that he was supposed to be in the country to address the flood situation.
In Wednesday’s Post newspapers, Mr Kabimba said that President Banda should have postponed his trip until after addressing the flood situation which has seen a lot of people in Lusaka being relocated.
Mr Kabimba claimed that Haiti and Chile recently experienced disasters and their leaders were with the people and attending to those calamities.
Meanwhile, the Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) has said it hopes the country could cushion the looming energy deficit with reinvestment in hydro-power generation with the $1 billion concessional loan from China.
ZACA acting executive secretary Samuel Simutunda said in an interview the loan that Government had brokered, was timely, as it should go towards various development aspects that included developing hydro-power generation in Zambia.
Mr Simutunda said it had been a long-standing concern for the association that Zambia faced a serious threat to economic survival from increased demand for energy.
He said it was even more worrying that mining was largely the most threatened industry by the dwindling energy resource.
“Mining being our economic mainstay remains under threat from insufficient energy supply and that has been forecast and has been a concern that needs urgent address,” he said.
Mr Simutunda said China was giving Zambia a lot of money that could now address the concerns and ensure it maintains the economic development momentum.
Times
