Levy is Part of the Crooks That Sold Mines - Sata

Levy is Part of the Crooks That Sold Mines - Sata

The Post (Lusaka)

23rd February 2006
Bivan Saluseki
Lusaka

PRESIDENT Levy Mwanawasa is part of the crooks that sold the mines, Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata has said.

Reacting to President Mwanawasa's statement in Kasama and Nakonde that people should not vote for crooks and plunderers who had sold mines and aircrafts because if allowed they would sell rivers and lakes, Sata said the President had no issues to address the people of Northern Province.

Sata said when the mines were sold, President Mwanawasa was still Republican vice-president.

"All these things, he was part of government. We had already completed the liquidation of Zambian Airways by the time he left. What can he tell us?" he asked.

Sata said President Mwanawasa as vice-president and leader of government business in the House (Parliament) introduced the bills to privatise the mines. Sata said as vice-president, President Mwanawasa defended the sale of the mines and made sure the bills passed through.

"He should not cheat people. He is part of the crooks because he was in government," he said.

Sata asked President Mwanawasa to prove to Zambians how many crooks he had managed to convict since assuming power in 2001. He said it was now clear that President Mwanawasa was panicking. "Why has he not brought back Zambia Airways?

Can he tell us what he has done for the people of Northern Province? Can he point at one toilet, which he has built for the people of Northern Province? What is there for him to tell the people, for him to go there in a panicky way?" he asked. Sata said to date, people from Northern Province had to pass through Lusaka to go to Eastern Province because there was no road connecting the two provinces.

He said the radio reception in the area was poor.

"He should tell us how many people he has appointed from Northern Province in the foreign mission," he said.

Sata said President Mwanawasa should stop panicking and avoid self-praise but address issues affecting people.

And Party for Unity, Democracy and Development president Chitalu Sampa described President Mwanawasa's statement that plunderers had re-grouped and would even sell rivers and lakes as hopeless. "That's hopeless. That's a desperate campaign," Sampa said.

He said President Mwanawasa was afraid of all the offences he had committed while in government and was just making wild statements to remain in power.

He said President Mwanawasa could go ahead talking but other opposition leaders would go and explain to the people what happened. "If Mwanawasa does not understand that people can think and see what MMD did under Chiluba, it's unfortunate," said Sampa.

In Nakonde, President Mwanawasa urged voters to be careful in this year's elections as some political parties had leaders who were party to the selling of Zambian companies, which resulted in job losses and thereby increasing poverty. At the moment, President Mwanawasa's government is in the process of privatising the Zambia National Commercial Bank.