By Elias Sakala cic Private Reporter.

JACKSON SILAVWE SHOULD APOLOGISE TO THE NATION FOR ABUSING ZCID IN BIRTHING BILL 10 DEMANDS LUKUKU.

jameskasanda2003@gmail.com

Jackson stunned ECZ and President Edgar Lungu at Mulungushi Conference last week during the Presidents Summit.

Jackson made a strong stand against the expectation of ECZ and President Lungu during the Summit proceedings and I remember that it was actually me who clapped the loudest during the exchange of arguments between Jackson and the ECZ officials.

But I want my personal Friend of many years Jackson to apologise to the nation for abusing ZCID where he is still serving as Chairperson, and where he served as Director for Political Parties outside parliament, during the formulation of the National Dialogue Forum, NDF which gave birth to the infamous bill ten.

Every ZCID member knows that millions of funds landed from statehouse and the ministry of Justice to ZCID in order to facilitate the formulation of bill ten.

It was Jackson who led a group of ZCID surrogate political parties of the PF to arm twist the Commonwealth representatives from Zambia led by Professor Gambari under the observation of Patricia Scotland the Commonwealth Secretary.

The Opposition Alliance at some point even pulled out of the ZCID because of a State-house-manipulated-jackson-silavwe and other Surrogates who unholily interpreted statehouse instructions to draw a road map to bill ten.

We are still struggling with bill ten because Jackson and Hamududu triple H and others got used by Edgar Lungu to drive the church from national dialogue and reconciliation process when they maintained that the church should not lead and chair the national dialogue process. It was ZCID under Jackson that statehouse used to choke and insult the church out of the national dialogue and reconciliation process, such that even when the church officially launched the National Dialogue and reconciliation process, Jackson was not there by the instructions of the PF who also absconded together with the same Jackson led ZCID.

When we had a strategic meeting at Pamozdi Hotel with President HH, President Charles Milupi, Edith Nawakwi, pf Secretary Generals Mumbi Phiri and Davis Mwila, Antonio Mwanza, SC Sakwiba Sikota, FDD’s Chifumu Banda, Wynter Kabimba, Raphael Nakachinda, Hon Silvia Masebo and of course others that included Sean Tembo, Jackson Silavwe followed the PF crew led by Davis Mwila in walking out on us. They left the conversation table as pf and I remember MDC President Felix Mutati was also there. Jackson followed the PF in walking out, leaving us with President HH on the table.

My question is that now that Jackson seems to have come back to his senses, can he

1. Apologise to the church for playing pivotal role in removing it from the National Dialogue Process using ZCID?

2. Can Jackson apologise to the Commonwealth for unceremoniously chasing them out of Zambia using ZCID by claiming that Zambia is a sovereign country?

3. Is Jackson still supporting bill ten?

4. Can Jackson disclose how much millions and who funded ZCID at NDF?

My last personal message for Zambian youths is that we are not fools us that are fighting for correctness 24/7. Don’t late money people abuse you then you regret later after you have already caused irreversible damage to the country like the damage Jackson has caused this nation for using ZCID in backing bill ten which is a criminal and mafia law backed by the PF.

I call for a complete public repentance from Jackson Silavwe and if my write up injures you my brother I am sorry but am still sweating from the hustle we have gone through in fighting against bill ten which yourself, chilufya Tayali, Andrew Ntewewe, Isaac Mwanza, Musona, Peter Chanda and other PF Surrogates like Wynter Kabimba, EDITH NAWAKWI and Raphael Nakachinda profusely backed.

CIC PRESS TEAM

0th October, 2020

PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ECZ’S INCONSIDERATE HARANGUE ONLY REGISTERS TO THOSE WITH IMPAIRED BRAINS

….Reasonable leaders who personify a three-fold conception of justice in its divine, natural and civic iterations can’t entertain such rubbish.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

AS the UPND in Chilanga district, we would like to commend our party president, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, for labeling the presidential summit which took place a few days ago as a sham, and to us in Chilanga, it was yet another occasion that reminded Zambians of how rigid and arrogant ECZ is and how determined it is in tilting the ground towards their preferred candidate.

We watched the ECZ’s arguments on the need for a new register, their stance on the unconstitutional 30 days voters card registration, online registration and the prison vote with rapt attention but we failed to grasp a single grain of logic behind their arguments. We feel the ECZ’s inconsiderate and incoherent harangue gonly registers with political leaders with impaired brains.

In that meeting, we were particularly delighted with the logical arguments by President Hakainde, Kambwili and Silavwe. Their conduct personified a three-fold conception of justice in its divine, natural and civic iterations. It was gratifying to see how President Hakainde, incinerated the ECZ’s resolve to base their electoral road map on the delimitation which is attached to Bill 10 when the bill has been roundly rejected by most Zambians and it’s still gathering dust in Lubinda’s cabinet, how President Kambwili trashed the 30 days registration period and how President Silavwe punched holes in the prison vote agenda.

On the other hand, we would like to express our disappointment with ignoble characters like hapless Kabimba and impudent Cozmo. Why should Kabimba talk about a wedding cake in such a serious meeting? What was Cozmo trying to achieve when he raised such an inane point of order? The conduct of these surrogate political party leaders in that meeting was that of hangers-on and it made our hairs stand on end.

We therefore wish to advise the ECZ to be very careful with the way they are handling concerns from stakeholders as playing goose berry in this process may push Zambia in a furnace.

We are saying this because Zambians have placed an eagle eye on ECZ and are able to connect dots in unclear moves. That collusion and conspiracy where Edgar Lungu and Esau Chulu just wore haggard looks frightened us.

In conclusion, we want to remind Esau Chulu and Nshindano Patrick to leave the eloctoral commission because Zambians don’t want to see a repeat of the 2016 nerve racking incidences where 18 Ugandan nationals accessed ECZ strong rooms, ghost constituencies where created and senior ECZ officers got slapped for reminding Esau Chulu that he was announcing wrong results.

Issued by:

Chrispine Chambwa
••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Chilanga Deputy IPS – Media – 0970-523-750

UPND MEDIA TEAM

UPND CRIES FOUL

THE creation of a new voters’ register is a ploy by the PF Government to sideline voters in opposition strongholds so that they can find it easy to win the 2021 general elections, UPND spokesperson, Charles Kakoma has claimed.

Mr Kakoma said if the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) comes up with a new voters’ register, several eligible voters in opposition strongholds would be deliberately left out.

He said in an interview that Government will start by denying more people in opposition strongholds national registration cards so that they do not vote.
“This is a ploy by the PF Government,” claimed Mr Kakoma.

Mr Kakoma also said ECZ had no capacity to register nine million voters in 30 days as planned.
He said for the ECZ to meet such a target, it had to register 300, 000 voters in day was “impossible.”
Mr Kakoma said Government did not have enough money to finance such an exercise.

“We can see that they are already struggling with the NRC issuance exercise. Sometimes materials run out and vehicles struggle with fuel,” he said.
But PF Lusaka Province Secretary Kennedy Kamba however said that the opposition were just frustrated because the cleaning of dead voters was progressive.

Mr Kamba said revelations that about 1.4 million voters had died was reason enough to have a new register.

“Why should UPND president Hakainde Hichilema insist on having the deceased people on the voters’ roll? It’s because they know that’s where their numbers come from,” he said.

Mr Kamba observed that Mr Hichilema had been scheming to frustrate the voters’ roll cleansing process with careless talk.

He said the UPND, and its ally the NDC want to frustrate the process because they were aware that PF was too popular for them.

“They have seen another election defeat coming and they are just hating everyone,” he said.
Mr Kamba observed that despite most leaders appreciating that the voters’ roll needed to be reviewed, UPND kept insisting on the old register.
At the political parties’ presidents summit, ECZ chief executive officer, Patrick Shindano warned that sticking to the old voters’ register would lead to voter apathy because some voters had died.

He called on political parties and other stakeholders to work together in cleaning up the voters’ register in readiness for next year’s polls.
Mr Shindano said the current register had over one million ghost voters and that the ECZ alone could not cleanse the system.

He said ECZ was within its mandate in undertaking all the activities and had the capacity to register nine million voters within the planed timeframe.
Mr Shindano called on political parties to encourage their members to get NRCs and get registered as voters during the exercise. -Daily Nation

POLITICAL Party presidents yesterday attended the presidential summit organised by the Electoral Commission of Zambia.

The venue was Mulungushi International Conference Centre and the summit gave a synopsis of tension as the country prepare for the 2021 polls.

President Edgar Lungu was present at the ‘high-level’ meeting.

Most of the presidential hopefuls raised issues on this or that electoral issue, except for downcast PF president Lungu who remained ‘taut’ in his seat – throughout the meeting.

UNIP president Tilyenji Kaunda said Electoral Commission of Zamia (ECZ) commissioners must do more listening and work on earning the trust of the nation.

He believes by so doing, there would be avoidance of the Malawi and Kenya scenarios, “where presidential elections ended up being nullified for irregularities.”

Tilyenji also complained about the “too high” nomination fees.

“They are still too high, unreasonable and unacceptable to the majority of Zambians. Why should the ECZ insist on excluding the majority of Zambians from competing for elective office, by this unjust measure?” said Tilyenji.

National Democratic Congress (NDC) president Chishimba Kambwili ‘adopted’ Tilyenji’s submission on nomination.

He, however, noted that his area of concern was the ECZ’s target to capture nine million voters within 30 days.

“The current register was compiled in 2005, 2011 and 2016 and [it] captured a total of six million voters. How then can they in 2020, when the population has grown, capture the same nine million people in 30 days? Colleagues, electoral process brings problems if elements of arrogance, not listening from stakeholders take root,” Kambwili said. “Let us have elections that are going to stand a test of time, by doing the right thing. What we are asking for is enough time for the Zambians to register as voters. This is not debatable! How can you capture people that were captured in nine months, in one month? This issue must be resolved or else this country will be on fire.”

ECZ commissioner Ali Simwinga, on the issue of nomination fees, said: “we met on three occasions over this matter.”

“The Electoral Commission did engage you our stakeholders over this issue. We did give reasons why we felt there was need to review nomination fees…So, to request the Commission to go back and start reviewing a matter that was comprehensively discussed and shared, we’ll be asking a bit too much [from] the Commission,” Simwinga said. “It means we will not move forward. It is a bad management principle to continuously review a decision when you have taken a position.”

He added that the Commission respected Kambwili’s views that it was impossible to capture nine million voters under a month.

Simwinga, however, insisted that the ECZ’s target, “as provided to us by the statistics office,” is that eligible voters stood at nine million.

“If none of you, by some misfortune, decide not to come forward and register, that is unfortunate,” Simwinga said. “If five million can vote in one day, how can we fail to capture nine million people (prospective voters) in 30 days? I would like to appeal to you that the voters we are talking about are your members.”

He said it was the duty of political parties to encourage as many people as possible to queue at polling stations to register as voters.

“Those are your clients; they are not our clients. The more people you encourage to vote, the better for you as our political leaders,” said Simwinga.

“So, we are confident…We think that if we worked together with you, that number can even be exceeded.”

UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema, in his intervention, said: “we need to know that this meeting is not to consent to issues that have been presented by the Electoral Commission.”

He noted that there was lack of consensus on a number of fundamental issues.

“NRCs – we can’t say NRCs are not important because you can’t be a voter without an NRC. And ECZ can’t say that’s an area outside its domain. Yes, it’s true but it’s a fundamental, logical process. We disagree with what’s going on [the issuance of] NRCs,” Hichilema said. “The current voter register is legally correct and it provides for how you can remove a voter. A dead person is provided for!”

He argued that people cannot be talking about dead people as a reason for a new voters’ register.

“That is misleading the nation! The number of days allocated for registration of voters; we disagree on that. The law says there should be continuous voter registration,” Hichilema noted.

“So, we can’t say here that we have been given a brief and it’s agreed. It’s not agreed!”

Hichilema regretted that compliance to existing laws was at the worst, before, during and after elections.

“What we saw in Lukashya where cash and mealie meal are distributed on the queues. DMMU (Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit) is being used as a department of a political party!” Hichilema said.

He said political violence compromises elections.

Hichilema underscored that yesterday’s meeting could not be a decision point.

“This forum must accept that we need a separate time with the Electoral Commission, with the Minister of Home Affairs on [national] registration. To that effect, we have written to the Electoral Commission, we have written to home affairs and other departments,” Hichilema said.

“We need time to discuss and not [being given] an instruction.”

After the meeting, Hichilema accused the ECZ of issuing orders, instead of engaging in dialogue, consultation.

He told journalists that ECZ officials needed to realise that they worked for Zambians.

“[But] they work for us. We don’t work for the ECZ. That’s the fundamental flaw. You can see the collusion with surrogate political parties trying to sing a chorus even before the song is called out,” Hichilema said. “They’re singing nothing! This is what is causing problems and if they don’t address this issue, this country will never have a free and fair election in 2021 and therefore, this meeting to us was really a passing time.”

Hichilema believes that the substance would be: “when we meet the Electoral Commission of Zambia to look at the issues we are raising – legal issues in there, procedural issues, regulatory issues. Things that are wrong!”

“For example, there’s no way the Electoral Commission can say they are not concerned about how the National Registration Cards are being issued. You cannot be a voter without having a NRC. What the NRC mobile process is doing, the five provinces in phase one, they issued NRCs to everyone who was eligible. Under phase two in the other five provinces, they are not issuing NRCs. So they’re disenfranchising voters,” he stressed.

Hichilema said ECZ needs to be interested in those issues “otherwise they cannot register the nine million voters they’re projecting”.

“If not, you’ll have a skewed voters’ register and that is rigging an election and you cannot suggest in here that we must not say those things. If we say them, we are alarming people. We are not alarming anybody! There must be rule of law. This is a sham of a meeting,” he said. “We are saying the questions have not been answered. The ECZ came to issue an instruction like we are a grade four class. We are not a grade four class session. Even grade four class session, the pupils are respected because the pupils’ questions are answered by the teacher.”

Hichilema added: “in this case you can see the draconian nature of the Electoral Commission.”

“They must work within the law. The law is very clear. You cannot remove six million registered voters because the electoral process Act does not allow that,” Hichilema said. “They talk of dead people as though after the new register is made, no one will die. You can register in the morning, in the afternoon you are dead. I mean, it’s such a senseless, lack of logical argument they are making.”

Hichilema said the process of removing the dead was different; it’s not about a new register.

“This is so crude, so unrealistic. They must do better and we will get them to do better because that’s their job,” said Hichilema.

And Kambwili also told journalists that: “by the way, what has shocked me in this meeting is that they seem to be coming up, all this register, the registration online based on Bill 10.”

“You heard they said we must support Bill 10 in order to do delimitation. But they are basing their registration and delimitation on Bill 10. Supposing that Bill 10 doesn’t go through? Because it’s in Parliament!” said Kambwili. “So everything they’re doing there is not supported by any legal provision. You cannot assume that Bill 10 will go through. Supposing Bill 10 doesn’t go through, what happens to delimitation? What a joke of the Electoral Commission of Zambia!”

Golden Party Zambia (GPZ) president Jackson Silavwe reminded the ECZ the need to be very careful when handling electoral issues.

“The number of issues that the Commission has highlighted, which have been branded as consultations, and I want to disagree. I’m speaking from an informed position because I have been part of those meetings. There have been no consultations; they have just been a monologue,” he said. “As a Commission you are not listening. You are talking to us but you are not listening to us. You need to adopt a posture of conversation. Talking is good but listening is better.”

Silavwe accused the ECZ of being defensive in its presentations.

“There is no need for you to be defensive. Instead of having this defensive posture, can we have a posture where we are generating more consensus,” submitted Silavwe. “There has never been consensus generated on online voter registration, on the nomination fees, on prisoners’ rights to vote.”

Rainbow Party leader Wynter Kabimba opened his discourse with banter, asking President Lungu over a wedding cake.

“First let me recognise the presence of His Excellency. Your Excellency, how are you, sir? I have an issue with you because you didn’t give me a cake from your daughter’s (Tasila) wedding. But that we’ll talk later,” he said.

Kabimba asked all stakeholders who attended the meeting to commit themselves to giving and lending support to the ECZ for it to conduct and manage free and fair elections in Zambia.

“That must be a duty for all stakeholders. What is happening, Mr chairman, and I want to adopt the statement from president of the FDD, is that we the stakeholders that are supposed to lend support to the ECZ are taking our politics into the corridors of the ECZ,” he noted. “ECZ is not a political party. It is an autonomous institution under our Constitution [mandated] to run, manage and administer our elections.”

Kabimba continued: “the collateral point to that, Mr chairman, and I want to make this proposal in the presence of His Excellency, the President, that it is high time and I want to create this parallel.”

“One of the things that makes the judiciary all over the world independent, is that when you make a reckless statement against the judiciary, if you say things like, the judges are corrupt, the Constitutional Court judges are corrupt, a High Court judge is corrupt, the court on its own motion, will summon you to go and substantiate your allegations,” Kabimba explained. “If you don’t you are in contempt of court and you should be locked up. That is what makes the Judiciary to be respected. Maybe it’s high time that we have such an offence to cover the Electoral Commission of Zambia; that if you make a reckless statement, Mr chairman, like we have heard on many radio stations, that the Electoral Commission of Zambia in collaboration with a political party, in particular the Patriotic Front want to rig the 2021 election, surely you must be summoned by appropriate authorities to go and substantiate those allegations.”

He referred to the Rwanda genocide, saying it started from reckless statements.

“‘This country will be on fire, there will be chaos in this country, there will be this and this in this country.’ The people are listening out there. The wretched of the earth that have no access to literature and they take our words as leaders as being the truth. This cannot continue, Your Excellency,” said Kabimba, with focus on President Lungu. “I think it is high time, that as the government, you brought this thing which I personally refer to as indiscipline to an end. It is undermining the Commission.”

But MMD vice-president Reverend Reuben Sambo said the MMD comments were in public domain.

“Maybe we are the ones being referred to as the ones who make statements and we need to be summoned. And I have to confirm that we have been to the police and given our statements,” Rev Sambo responded.

He said the ECZ presentation had left many questions and answers.

Rev Sambo accused the ECZ of over-reliance on assumption more than pragmatic paths.

“The issue of voters who are on the register being captured… By your own statement, we are supposed to remove 1.4 million from about six million, which leaves us with 4.6 million. There’s no clear path, in our view, to how we gonna get to the estimated 8.8 [million voters in the new register],” he said.

Rev Sambo also asked about prisoner voters.

“We don’t know how many prisoners are in custody right now and given the idea that we go by 50 plus one [vote], just one vote can change everything. If we don’t know what we are doing with prisoners, how do we even proceed?” Rev Sambo asked.

He stressed that while Zambia had registered six million voters, the country has never recorded five million votes.

“[I have] four moral questions to the ECZ; do you believe that the undertakings that you are engaged [in] right now are indeed in national interest – is that really your position? Can the Commission call out erring players, censure them and even punish them?” he asked. “In other words, do you really feel that you are the kind of people that can call us out if we are wrong on both sides of the divide, whether it’s the ruling party or we in the opposition? Can you do it, because that’s where it comes down to? Are you able; do you feel the moral capacity to do so?”

Rev Sambo continued asking: “is the Commission capable of acting without emotion against us, stakeholders?”

“Do you feel that you are ready to discharge your responsibility to deliver a free and fair election in 2021?” asked Rev Sambo.

Towards the end of the session, as the ECZ read out what it deemed the meeting’s summary.

At this point, Silavwe asked for an opportunity to clarify issues.

But the ECZ objected, saying time had run out.

Nonetheless, Silavwe insisted to speak.

“It’s actually a rider to your word that you gave out. So, unless you are overruling your word, chairperson…. Seriously, you alluded to the fact that those, I think Dr Kambwili there, there was a response and he had a right of reply – you said that will be given,” said Silavwe. “Personally, as well there are issues that commissioner [ECZ vice-chairperson Dr Emily] Sikazwe brought out that I need to respond to. It’s important, because if we leave it like that, it shows that it is true.”

But ECZ officials, one after another, objected, still stressing that the meeting had to close by 12:00 hours.

At that point, Hichilema intervened and said: “that’s inappropriate, Mr chair.”

“You made a summary, we don’t agree. After this you issue a statement that presidents agreed to your summary! You left some things! President Silavwe has the right to say something. That’s the dialogue we are talking about,” said Hichilema.

“What you are doing is not dialogue; it’s an instruction.”

But ECZ chairperson judge Esau Chulu went ahead to close the meeting, as if he did not hear any objections.

Judge Chulu claimed that the ECZ remained committed and resolved to walking with everyone, leading up to the August 2021 general elections.

He hoped to build upon yesterday’s summit and embrace dialogue, as the vehicle for conducting electoral processes.

“The Commission is proud to be associated with the management of peaceful and credible elections in the region and indeed, on the continent. And it is our wish to maintain that status,” said judge Chulu.

Earlier, chief electoral officer Patrick Nshindano shared with the stakeholders details of the 2016 audited voters’ register.

He said such an audit was done to remove deceased voters from the registry and to eliminate potential duplications.

Nshindano caused a scare when struggled through his presentation and ‘collapsed’ mid his address.

Press statement for immediate release from *Senior Chief Mukuni*

9th October 2020

PF PRE VOTING RIGGING ACTIVELY UNDER WAY

Fellow citizens,

I am not only issuing out this statement as a Traditional leader, but also as an ordinary citizen who is increasingly becoming troubled and concerned by the dangerous path in which the PF are attempting to take this great country to.

In the human body, the heart is the most important organ because of its critical role as a mover of fluids including blood to the rest of the body. Immediately the heart is interrupted or ceases to carry out this prime function, the body becomes cold and eventually dies. This is precisely what Judge Esau Chulu, Emily Sikazwe and Kryticous Nshindano of ECZ, Home Affairs Minister Steven Kampyongo and PF Secretary General Davis Mwila, are trying to hijack a process in Zambia that is the heartbeat of public affairs, national consensus and peace.

Disturbing the electoral process with all kind of caveats and tricks in order to disrupt the constitutional flow of democracy, and thereby rob certain sections of citizens their right to democratically choose their leaders uninterrupted, is a sure recipe for mayhem for our country. Zambians must be spared of this impending chaos being engineered by the EZC, Home Affairs and the PF.

It’s in the public domain and evidence abound that phase 2 of the issuance of NRC’S for Copperbelt, Lusaka, Western and Southern Provinces are in an absolute chaos, that has been deliberately instigated by the PF. People in these regions are enduring all manner of hurdles deliberately laid by issuing officers under the behest of District Commissioners.

There are credible and verifiable reports of District Commissioners instructing officers to randomly abandon publicized locations for unknown areas, thereby confusing the people. Where NRCs have been issued, such important details of origin of applicant such as Village, Chief or District are deliberately omitted, so that the NRC is invalid for the ultimate purpose of voter registration.

This exercise proves beyond any shadow of doubt that the next stage of voter registration will be earmarked for more well calculated stumbling blocks by the EZC, to ensure that as may people as possible are defranchised. This whole electoral process is a sham, fraudulent, lacks credibility and do not meet the standards of an election that will galvanise consensus, integrity and eminence.

It is in view of the foregoing that I demand that the ECZ, the PF and the Ministry of Home Affairs allow for a credible, transparent and comprehensive review of the current electoral process for the sake of peace for the motherland and the future of the children of Zambia. The EZC must maintain the old voters’ register which the PF have in the past found no problem, in their insatiable appetite for by elections which they have been so proud of. Further, the PF must instruct their violent cadres to cease in interfering in the issuance of the NRC’S at designated locations, and the Minister of Home Affairs Steven Kampyongo must desist from sending his agents to issue contrary and illegal instructions to issuing officers on the ground.

It is for the good of the current government that this exercise is carried out smoothly because should they continue with their illegal schemes, the law will catch up with these particular individuals at a certain point, and none of their giant armoured vehicles with huge guns, teargas and water cannons will save them. We have seen it happen all around the continent, that impunity and arrogance is not infinite and eternal. ‘Chatakamana chaka syoosya’.You can’t defy the force of gravity. Even satan’s hell is below and not above.

*Senior Chief Mukuni* of
the Leya people of Livingstone, Kazungula and Zimba Districts and all the Bene Mukuni.

CIC EDITORIAL ANALYSIS.

ELECTORAL CONFUSION OF ZAMBIA AND THE SURROGATE SUMMIT OF 2020.

ECZ was best described yesterday by Koswe as the Electoral Confusion of Zambia over the clip of it’s CEO of elections collapsing.

In today’s analysis we look at what transpired yesterday and what do we mean Electoral Confusion of Zambia or Surrogate Summit.

It’s a bit sarcastic to refer to the Commission as Confusion but we have no choice but agree with Koswe that it’s indeed an Electoral Confusion and not Electoral Commission.

On principal only 3 political parties spoke with the interest of Zambians at heart in order of score we rate the UPND President Mr Hakainde Hichilema as top as follows:

1. UPND (Hakainde Hichilema 98 %)
2. GPZ ( Jackson Silavwe 95%)
3. NDC ( Dr Chishimba Kambwili 69%)

In the merit ratio index we have the following scores:

4. MMD ( Nevers Mumba rep 55.5%)

5. UNIP ( Tilyenji Kaunda 50%)

In the Surrogate category index we have the following scores:

6. FDD ( Edith Nawakwi 45%)

7. UPPZ( Charles Chanda 22%)

8. ULP ( Sakwiba Sikota 19.5%)

9. RP (Wynter Kabimba 14:5%)

10. NGP ( Dr Cosmo Mumba 7.5%) plus the rest …

CIC observed the entire meeting with keen interest hence the ratings according to our score line standards.

UPND President brought out excellent issues that are cardinal importance and urgency that if indeed ECZ was a commission and not confusion would have looked at them or at least attempt to answer even one item but all HH said went unattended to because they represented facts to consider if 2021 general elections are to be anyway near credibility.

5 elements by HH to help ECZ reconsider as they are meeting again.

1. No to discarding of the existing voter register.
Here it’s prudent according to HH and according to us that the argument put forth by ECZ are tied to the conditionalities of delimitation which according to ECZ won’t go until Bill 10 passes.

The mention of new polling stations or redrawing or reassigning someone a new polling station can not be done in partiality either at ward level or Constituency without triggering the district or Province or national database as delimitation therefore if someone is dead automatically they are discarded by the system at verification stage no need to discard the entire database.

2. No to bill 10.
3. ECZ excution of duty and compliance guts to punish PF citing illegal way of doing campaigns as he gave examples of Lukashya.
4. Time frame for consensus on online voting.
5. Using the platform at Mulungushi as the final supremacy to adopt contentious recommendations.

Truly HH knocked ECZ in their heads we had high expectations and hope to hear what their response was going to be yet they never even attempted to answer a thing.

Another charismatic punch came from President Silavwe who has taken so many hearts by facing PF head on and went undisputed.

Mr Silavwe exposed ECZ as dictators who don’t listen yet busy being defensive on many issues.
Mr Silavwe observed that no matter what the public engagements ECZ will hold they seem to have decided and determined in the interest of themselves and not what the stakeholders wish.

Dr Chishimba Kambwili just plainly told ECZ that all their mode of engagements was nothing but rhehotic warning that implementing or embarking on such issues has adverse effects to the country.

In the merit category MMD and UNIP as former rulling political parties both observed the need for ECZ to take an appropriate route for stakeholders engagements and adherence to the existing laws though UNIP made a great emphasis on nominations fees.

The Surrogate category dominated the show on behalf of PF who said nothing but louder through their proxies as numbers in percentage can show and so many more that if we had space in ratings they would rated negative point zeros.

ECZ is best described as the official confusion body because they know what they are supposed to do but they choose the confusion way and embracing surrogate submissions.
As CIC we are very much worried because the official political surrogates are ganging up in huge numbers against HH and the UPND as the biggest threat. It’s a call for two lines behind many that Zambians have a hope because surrogates being used to adopt defective and bad submissions will hunt the entire nation in the long term beyond 2021.

Therefore we conclude that perhaps the nomination fee is is the only best clean up method ECZ can have sanity as stakeholders otherwise let the likes of Chellar Tukuta, Mubita Nawa , Edward Makayi, Pilato, and many more create their own political parties to defuse the contamination of political surrogates being entertained breeding more Confusion in logical thinking and abuse of what is supposed to be a diplomatic summit to the world on the seriousness of ECZ.

CIC PRESS TEAM

By Anthony Bwalya

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT WARNS EDGAR LUNGU AND PF REGIME AGAINST INTERFERING IN 2021 ELECTIONS.

The United States government of Donald J. Trump has subtly but sternly circulated a decisive warning to the Patriotic Front (PF) and President Edgar Lungu against interfering in the process leading up to the 2021 general election.

The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in his letter addressing upcoming elections in Africa and dated 8 October 2020, makes it categorically clear that the US will not hesitate to punish individuals who deliberately conspire to jeopardize the integrity of elections.

The US government assert, that elections are not only important for a country like Zambia and Africa, but also important to ALL defenders of democracy around the world.

Specifically, the US government has cited systematic repression and intimidation of political opponents of the incumbent; and further cites actions that deliberately interferes with people’s constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression as being pillars of any democracy.

The need to adhere to the rule of law and apply the law equally and equitably to and for all political players has also been cited as one area under the watch of all defenders of democracy around the world.

The country is reminded, that ALL country intelligence reports around the 2021 general election have predicted that the PF regime will increasingly become heavy handed and desperate as they attempt to hold on to political power which is fast slipping away from them.

We have already seen how the PF regime has been quick to spend debt money on procuring military hardware as they prepare to crack down on political opponents.

We have seen political opponents of the PF being denied permits to mass assemble, while the PF itself go around the country mobilizing.

The PF have also demonstrated to possess a sophisticated ability to perpetrate complex political violence using terrorism tactics, not only against political opponents, but Zambians at large. This is why the PF regime have refused to thoroughly investigate the gassing saga.

But the PF regime and Edgar Lungu are reminded, that many members of the regime are ALREADY on the radar in the US for money laundering as they have been moving large chunks of US denominated currency around the world in various corruption related schemes.

Let me also make haste and mention, that all actions of vote buying, bribery and the use of DMMU by the PF to win elections amounts to interference and will also be punished.

Zambians have suffered enough and Zambians will not allow another stolen election next year.

This is why we are all united in speaking up against an ECZ that is increasingly becoming complicit in all attempts to subvert democracy in Zambia.

If the PF will do anything foolish to illegally tilt the balance of the 2021 general election, the response from both Zambians and the international community will be decisive.

THE REAL REASON TAYALI APPROACHED HH – Simon Mwewa

Tayali wanted to get a negative reaction from HH so that it could be caught on tape…but to the conman’s dismay…The Red Leader was very polite and extremely diplomatic.

I’m reminded of Tayali’s insane performance a few years ago at the ECZ offices when he failed to file his Mayoral Nomination Papers. He violently banged on tables, shouted uncontrollably in full view of the press and blatantly disrespected The Town Clerk. That is the type of reaction Tayali was hoping that HH would display but it didn’t happen.

Forgive me for emphasising the point but I need to take one more jab.

The conman arrogantly claims that the Leader of Reds, and I quote “Pleaded with me to stop writing about him” end quote…but when you watch the footage, it’s clear that the one-man-clown was pandering to the Red Leader.

The title of the video that the conman posted was misleading [ as usual ] What we actually see and hear is the Red Leader challenging the conman to say the things he says when he’s sitting behind his faulty computer or when he’s typing his slanderous articles on his bundle-less smartphone.

But Alas…the only thing that the conman could say was, “I admire you”. In America that’s called “choking” meaning, you fail to speak up when it matters the most. When confronted, the conman was like a thief caught on CCTV with no defence.

At some point during the short conversation, the conman referred to his “departed” wife. We all remember how Tayali eagerly went to Ethiopia on a Friday and rushed back 5 days later because things didn’t go as planned.

If Queen Sheba returns [ which I doubt ] I will be eternally shocked and surprised. But at least she made it clear to him while he was in Ethiopia not to take videos of her. That was a relief.

The conman has always been and will always be a consumate LIAR who creates his own mess…then tries to fix it. If you take Facebook away from Tayali…he has nothing but empty threats and false bravado. His children will not inherit that page because it would be an impediment to their progress.

I wish that he could write long articles on deforestation…but we know that he’ll starve if he writes about TREES.

For the New Central Bank Governor, Actions will Speak Louder than Words.

Despite the ratification of the Mr. Christopher Mvunga as Governor of the Bank of Zambia, the Kwacha continues to come under intense pressure. We cannot ignore lingering uncertainties about the extent of the central bank independence over the next 11 months, and the implications for inflation and the exchange rate.

As a close affiliate of the President and a member of the PF, Mr. Mvunga’s first task should be to clear the air as to whether the Bank of Zambia will operate independently, or join the class of public institutions that are severely compromised by the current PF administration. Specifically, will economic considerations be subservient to political interests, whenever his allegiances to Mr. Lungu do not align with the long-term interests of the Zambian people?

So far, the misplaced instructions from a PF cadre, to Mr. Mvunga to deal with perceived economic sabotage at Bank of Zambia, have left the public wondering if he will be his own man, or if he will be working under instructions from his fellow party affiliates. For the sake of the weakening economy, we strongly urge the Bank of Zambia to maintain its professionalism, restrain quasi-fiscal operations such as money printing, and provide objective analysis and advice to the government on the state of the economy.

In dispelling all doubt, it must be known that it will not be sufficient to have central bank independence in pronouncement only. Rather, it will be the actions of the Bank of Zambia that will speak louder than its words. For instance, will it aggressively use our merger foreign reserves in pursuits of a short-lived appreciation of the Kwacha to impress his party, or will it take a more cautious approach? The rapid depletion of our reserves could lead to a steep depreciation and/or imposition of foreign exchange controls of the 1980s, taking the country in reverse.

On the issue of money printing, it must be noted that the Bank of Zambia Act limits lending to Government in 2020 to approximately K7.4 billion, or 15 percent of 2019 revenues. Estimates place current lending at 9.0 percent. Considering the planned domestic financing of K17.4 billion in the 2021 budget, it is easy to imagine a rapid use of the remaining headroom.

A breach of this limit would be indicative of a weakening of the fiduciary responsibility under Mr. Mvunga’s regime and risk of additional upward pressure on inflation within the context of an already struggling economy. Zambia has a painful history of hyperinflation when there was excessive money printing in the 1980’s and early 1990’s, to which we should not go back. We strongly urge the Bank of Zambia to slow down its purchases of government bonds and restrict lending to Government within the limits prescribed by the law, so that we do not have excessive inflation.

Further, various political statements by the PF over the dismissal of the previous Governor, suggest that the Party has a strong interest in the K10 billion stimulus package. Again, it will be important to closely watch the actions of Mr. Mvunga on this matter. Will he loosen restrictions to provide the PF easy access to these funds? And if they do gain access, will they repay these loans? We all know that the poor repayment culture that plagues CEEC and DBZ has a lot to do with easy lending to interested parties. As things stand, the non-performing loans of the Banking Sector are very high at about 13 percent, and it will be important for any economic recovery that a stable financial sector remains.

In sum, Zambians should watch the actions of the new Governor and judge his performance by the outcomes on inflation, exchange rate, and financial stability. His predecessor left inflation at 15.5 percent, the dollar exchange rate at K18.5/$, and a stable banking system. Where Mr. Mvunga takes things from here will depend on his actions in these areas. We hope that for the sake of the Zambian people, Bank of Zambia will remain independent and carry out its operations in a manner that makes the cost of living more affordable for the majority of the population.

Hakainde Hichilema
President
UPND

The UPND president Hakainde Hichilema has poured cold water on the meeting held at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) for party Presidents and Secretary Generals, saying it was a hoax.

Hichilema said ECZ pointed out during the meeting that they are not concerned about how the National Registration Cards issuance process is going, when they are aware that without it one cannot be a voter.

He also said the opposition parties and citizens should not be stopped from commenting on the manner in which the whole election preparatory process is being carried out, when they are sure that what is being done is not right.

“They cannot suggest that we must not say those things alleging that we are alarming people and we should be arrested for what, We are not alarming people, that is a joke.

“There must be rule of law. There must be no violence, there must be a fair registration process,” he said.

He added that come 2021, no one will be allowed to disrespect the people’s decision.

Meanwhile, NDC president Chishimba Kambwili echoed the same sentiments adding that what shocked him during the meeting was that it came out that all these electoral processes being pushed by the Commission are based on Bill 10.

He said the Bill is still in Parliament and basing on it with regards to the delimitation process would defy logic, because it may fail to go through.

Meanwhile, the others who attended the meeting included, Republican President Edgar Lungu, PF Secretary General Davies Mwila, EEP President Chilufya Tayali, ULP President Sakwiba Sikota, and Rainbow Party President Wynter Kabimba.

Speaking before the meeting, ECZ Chairperson Esau Chulu said ECZ will hold several consultative meetings ahead of the 2021 tripartite polls.

Justice Chulu added that some issues would not be discussed as it would contemptuous because of those that have challenged some matters in the courts of law.

And ECZ Chief Electoral Officer Kryticious Nshindano said the already registered voters will be returned on the voters register provided they present themselves in person to registration centres to get their biometrics.

Nshindano said ECZ has visited countries that allow people in lawful custody to vote to benchmark best practices as Zambia considers inmates to vote adding ECZ will get back to stakeholders once consultations are concluded.

PRESS STATEMENT

8TH OCTOBER 2020

DON’T SALE KCM AND MOPANI MINES DUE FINANCIAL AND POLITICAL PRESSURE

We are all aware that this PF regime is so broke that it’s failing to manage its debt properly. We are also aware that PF is under massive pressure to remain in power in 2021, for obvious reasons. The two have put the PF regime in a very weak position to negotiate meaningfully with any investor on KCM and Mopani mines. PF should not use our mines to do a debt swap with some creditors. PF is also panicking and trying hard to hoodwink miners by giving away the mines to dubious investors. We want to warn this PF regime that rushing into the sale of the mines will injure the economy further. Don’t sale the mines due to financial and political pressure.

All normal Zambians apart from surrogates, crooks and thieves in PF have difficulties in following the issues surrounding KCM. What we all know is that KCM is under receivership and that Vendetta has sought court recourse on a number of issues. To our knowledge the matter is still in Court. However, because of what PF is known to be, a Minister comes on the Copper belt and makes a public pronouncement that an investor to take over KCM has been found and the mine will be sold very shortly. Surely, is PF running a Government or just some organized confusion? No wonder we have issues with Lap Green on the sale of ZAMTEL.

We have said before that PF has failed to manage the mines on behalf of the Zambian people. Minerals that are supposed be a blessing to the Zambian people are now a curse under PF. One may ask why PF is so comfortable with some investors but too comfortable with investors that treat Zambian workers like slaves on daily basis and yet PF is not bothered in any way?

The whole World saw how the PF brutal machinery harassed a CEO from Mopani; I think this was the turning point for Glencoe to part company with the PF regime. Imagine if it was the other investors that had quarantined miners under inhuman conditions like the case at a Luanshya mine. PF and its surrogates would have organized thugs to harass the investor and demand repossessing the mine. Stop mixing your dirty politics with business.

Percy Chanda

UPND – Chairman for Mines and Freedom Fighter