elections

ZAMBIA GOES FOR THE POLLS IN SEPTEMBER
By Chris Habeenzu
The die has been cast and Zambians are now sure that they cast their votes on September 20th 2011.
With the dissolution of parliament and cabinet this means that legal campaigns have to kick off. For Members of Parliament and Councilors that thought that this day will not come think they are dreaming alas this is true! President Rupiah Banda Thursday July 28 announced the dissolution of Parliament and Cabinet and announced the date for the elections.
This was of course anticipated when State House released a press statement Wednesday that President Banda will host a press conference on ZNBC radio and TV. The exclusion of private media was however not received well.
Away from rather unfortunate move and discriminatory move the date has been set and people will now go flat out in campaigning and putting their manifestos known to their would be voters.
During this period MPS as well as Civic leaders will be forced to face their constituents not in a group but as individuals.
This is a God for all situation but each one for himself. This is the time when law makers become answerable to the electorate.
With the date known for the polls no opposition has announced the parliamentary candidates which political pundits say is not a good move. The pundits are saying that delays by some political parties to come up with the list of candidates will disadvantage the aspirants.
The race to Manda hill has began and Zambian voters have started putting their particulars in place.

MMD rejection of candidates
By Chris Habeenzu
The ruling MMD last week released the names of their adopted members of parliament to contest the one hundred fifty constituencies.
A few days after making known the names of parliamentary aspirants, the party has been characterized with protests all aimed at rejecting candidates which they claim were imposed on them.
The ruling party's lower organs have show unhappiness over the manner the MMD's National Executive Committee (NEC) to come up with what they say were not their preferred candidates.
Way before the adoption process of the parliamentary candidates commenced, President Rupiah Banda assured the MMD of letting the lower organs and constituents' wishes. The announcement sent waves of joy in the MMD members.
Tuesday July 19th at exactly eighteen hours, journalists who rushed to State House when they were called hoped that President Rupiah Banda may dissolve parliament and later cabinet even when they knew that he will only do so after the Election Commission of Zambia (ECZ) announce its final voters register only to be issued with a list of candidates.
After this was made known MMD members mostly from the grassroots were unhappy with the final list of aspiring candidates for the ruling party.
One would want to ask whether the number of protests all aimed at expressing displeasure over the manner the list of candidates was compiled will grant the MMD the most needed victory in the upcoming tripartite elections.
Political pundits have predicted a tightly contested 2011 general election.

Zambian woman arrested in Ethiopia

A Zambian woman has been arrested in Addis Ababa Ethiopia for wearing ivory bracelets.

Ruth Mwale aged 46 was arrested at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa this morning on her arrival from Bangkok, Thailand enroute to Zambia.

Ms Mwale becomes a second woman to be arrested in Ethiopia for wearing ivory bracelets. Last week a Zambian female student was arrested and fined 600 US DOLLARS for wearing ivory bracelets.

Zambian Ambassador to Ethiopia Albert Muchanga has expressed concern at the increasing number of Zambian women being arrested in Ethiopia for wearing ivory bracelets.

Mr Muchanga has advised Zambians travelling to Ethiopia not to carry or wear any processed ivory products to avoid being arrested.

He has noted that some Zambians wear ivory bracelets as a symbol of cultural identity but has advised that when travelling to Ethiopia or transiting through to other countries, such products should not be worn or carried on board.

The Ethiopian law against the ivory trafficking carries a five year maximum jail sentence or a fine of $ USD 1,800 (one thousand eight hundred United States dollars).

Mr. Muchanga has reiterated that Zambian nationals travelling to Ethiopia are expected to adhere to this law to avoid being inconvenienced or risk having criminal records.

Zambian elections

Zambian elections
Chris Habeenzu
The ruling MMD on Tuesday July 19th made known the names of the aspiring Members of Parliament from one hundred and forty eight constituencies out of one hundred and fifty. the ruling party deffered Kasama Central and Kantanshi constituencies. The list had a number of new names and most of those that suffered casualties in terms of not being adopted to re-contest their seats were mostly deputy ministers. However one worrying thing is on the number of female aspirants. Only fifteen female candidates were adopted for the upcoming polls.
Eight deputy ministers left out of the list one wonders whether they did not apply or its was the NEC's decision to drop and ignore them. The list release of the list first of all was so suspiciously done. The media was called to state house a few minutes before eighteen hours. All they expected was to hear something strange or news worthy from the republican president only to be given press statements with a page of something drafted by Dr. Francis Chigunta President Rupiah Banda's Special Assistant for Politics over how the selection was done.
With high levels of anticipation from the scribes the issuing out of the press statement though was demoralizing made pressmen mostly from the electronic rushed to go and key in the statment and analyse them as to who was left out and adopted.
The ruling party has made the names of would be law makers known to the electorate it now remains to the opposition to follow suit. Though political parties have been unofficially cmapigning, their supporters are anxiously waiting for them to make known the names of parliamentary aspirants so as to see who will be their representatives in the National Assembly.
With only a few days before the Electoral Commission of Zambvia finishes the final voter's register next will be for President Rupiah Banda to announce the election date and that will be followed by heated campaigns and going by Zambia's political messages more people will have their characters assasinated in all angles.

campaign period

Zambia's Political Campaign
By Chris Habeenzu
According to Zambia's Electoral Code of Conduct, serious campaigns are expected to commence after the presidential announcement of the elections date.
But this has not been the case as political parties campaigns have already gotten heated up with three front runners getting flat out in campaigning.
In Zambia's Political set up the Electoral Commission of Zambia(ECZ) is mandated to conduct and ensure the smooth running of the elections alas this has not happened. It has not happened in that the mandate to ensure that political campaigns are conducted in a sober and peaceful manner.
Meanwhile calls on the Republican President to announce the election date have started coming from from different sectors. This has forced president to responding saying he will only make known the poll date once the ECZ finishes compiling the new voter's register. In Zambia the president is mandated to announce the elections date and within ninety days after the announce elections must be held.
Zambia this year goes to the tripartite elections which has seen a number of politicians positioning themselves all in readiness for the polls.

INTER PARTY DEMOCRACY

Zambia has more than twenty political parties some one man show.

The country's so called growing democracy leaves one to wonder whether it will ever grow with the common trend of not wanting the incumbent political presidents to challenged. This tendency has been seen in UPND where Livingstone MP Sakwiba Sikota was humiliated by some supporters who really wanted Hakainde Hichilema to lead UPND after the son of the soil Anderson Mazoka passed on. Sakwiba could not withstand the humiliation but left the party to form his United Liberal party which is also not doing fine.

UPND as a party was almost nothing when Mr. Mazoka died but due to what one may term as surviving by the grace of God it has managed to stand but a bit weak.

Fine Hakainde Hichilema assumed the presidency of the party that saw a number of prominent people leaving the party and politics entirely. Among those that left the party included Patrick Chisanga one of Zambia's big brains, Bob Sichinga, Inonge Wina, Francis Simenda who has since rejoined the party.

After the differences and dust had settled down UPND started regaining the lost constituencies and wards during the by elections which created either by death or defection. Among those constituencies include solwezi, Mufumbwe and other numerus wards.

After the UPND and its dust settling down though has reduced the political party from second if not the biggest to the third.

In the MMD the party claims to have been formed on democratic principles intra democracy has in the recent years been questioned by political pundits.

Some experts say democracy in the ruling is next to none existence going by the happenings.The MMD in 2005 held its third party national convention that saw President Mwanawasa's challenger Knock Kavindele subjected to massive humiliation while the other challenger Nason Msoni was blocked.

This further saw the position of party's Vice president which was heavily contested scrapped off.

The late Dr. Mwanawasa went through unopposed and the party did not have a vice president.

After Mwanawasa's death the then Republican Vice President Rupiah Banda assumed office and some years later went for a party national convention that saw him go through unopposed.

Similar trends characterized the party national convention. Among incidencies were the scrapping off of the vice president position that saw a number of people eyeing it.

President Banda as per usual went through unopposed.With the what transpired in the three Zambia's biggest political parties convention or congress whatever one may call it would on view them as undemocratic principles that can assist the counrty's grow democratically?

This year Zambia goes to the polls to put in place a new government will the forthcoming elections be free and fair as to depict true democracy?

SQUATTER IN YOUR COUNTRY

BY CHRIS HABEENZU

Zambia's Second Republican President the late Dr. Fredrick Chiluba after assuming office embarked on the citizens housing empowerment programme that saw hundreds of Zambians becoming proud owners of the houses.This move no doubt placed smiles on many beneficiaries who bought the houses at give away prices.This further saw a massive improvement in the state of houses that had not been renovated in a long time.However during the late President Mwanawasa's reign very few activties in terms of house empwerment took place. Zambia's Second Republican President the late Dr. Fredrick Chiluba after assuming office embarked on the citizens housing empowerment programme that saw hundreds of Zambians becoming proud owners of the houses.

This move no doubt placed smiles on many beneficiaries who bought the houses at give away prices.This further saw a massive improvement in the state of houses that had not been renovated in a long time.

However during the late President Mwanawasa's reign very few activties in terms of house empwerment took place.

At one of his airport media briefing Late President Mwanawasa challenged the authorities over their complency in dealing with illegal land developers.

Late third republican President wondered why those in authority failed to stop people from putting streuctures like buildings at an early stage.

This went unanswered as the authorities were guilty of failure to contain the growing trend that had gone away out of hand.

And in President Rupiah Banda's regime more public workers and those working for parastatal compnaies have benefitted from the housing initiative.

Recently President slashed prices of houses occupied by former ZAFFICO and Forestry Department workers.

This move by President Banda to make some people on Copperbelt become proud owners of houses has however left some tenants other parts of the country wondering whether they too will empowered by houses.

One such incident is the Great North Road Zaffico and Forestry former workers who are suscipcious of the delays in issuing them with letters of sale for the houses they are occupying.

The residents were quoted in one of the Private TV stations in Zambia as complaining of no action from the authorities involved the issue.

The resident Sunday vehemently complanied that their houses' conditions have terribly deteriorated to levels of inhabitable state.

And government's move to construct more twenty thousand houses to avert the housing deficit in the country is a welcome move.