Elias Chipimo Jr. Suspends His Presidential Campaigns

Chipimo campaigning in Mansa last week

By Paul Shalala

National Restoration Party (NAREP) presidential candidate Elias Chipimo, Jr. has suspended his campaigns ahead of the January 20, 2015 presidential election.

Mr Chipimo, who just returned from campaigning in Luapula and Northern Province, says he has suspended his campaign in order to sit by the bedside of his father Elias Chipimo Sr. who was diagnosed with stomach cancer and is admitted to a South African hospital.

He has however urged his supporters to continue campaigning in his absence.

Mr Chipimo says he has not endorsed any one of the other 10 presidential candidates as he still remains on the ballot paper.

This is the second time Mr Chipimo is contesting the presidency.

In 2011 he contested and lost.

Below is the press statement Mr Chipimo issued in Lusaka this morning:

Press Statement

SUSPENSION OF CAMPAIGN - Elias Chipimo

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. We are entering the final phase of the presidential by-election and the stakes for our country remain as high as ever.

I became involved in politics in order to bring something fresh to the electorate - politics of ideas and solutions, not the hate and violence that has continued to dominate the news headlines. The journey has not been an easy one. It was never expected to be. We came into this process with a lot of hope but with no illusions.

I have visited rural community upon rural community over the course of the last five years since we launched our Party. As recently as yesterday, I visited a small village that borders the vast plains of the Luapula River in Samfya District. Learning that women in this village are still dying in childbirth because the nearest clinic is more than 13 kilometers away reminded me of what triggered my decision to join politics in the first place - the death of my mother in an appalling road accident along the Mpika/Kasama road in 2008 and the sad reality of our broken healthcare system.

That accident nearly took the life of my father as well. He survived only because through the sheer grace of God, we were able as a family to fly him to Lusaka and therefore save his life.

I knew in my heart that it could not be right that just because I had an education, a good income and a privileged upbringing, I should live in hope while others suffered needlessly. I therefore made the choice from the day we buried my mother, to do everything within my power to make a difference for those communities that have no chance of surviving a road accident or being able to save a dying relative.

My dedication to the journey we started nearly five years ago is as firm as ever and will never waiver. We shall continue to campaign and spread our message of hope and economic freedom for every Zambian, firmly believing that our approach and commitment have touched and will continue to touch the hearts of many.

Chipimo campaigning in Samfya last week

In the nine days of the campaign remaining, I have chosen to make an important decision - to temporarily suspend my campaign in order to spend time with the man who gave me life - my father. Just over three weeks ago, Dad was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Given his age and the extent to which the cancer appears to have spread, the prognosis does not look promising. I have had to come to terms with the prospect of sooner or later saying goodbye to an inspirational giant of a man whose lone voice spoke out bravely against the tyranny of the one party state in Zambia, at great personal cost.

My father has never looked back on his life with regret. He remains the fighter he has always been. But he needs his family around him now. He is currently in a cancer hospital in South Africa and being looked after by my sister who lives there and my other brothers and sisters that have travelled to be by his side. He needs to experience the blessing of having his three daughters and four sons by his side as he prepares to celebrate his 84th birthday. I do not know how many more days, weeks, months or years God will grant him. All I know is that there is a time for everything and I want to spend whatever time he has left on this earth assuring him, along with my brothers and sisters, of my love, support and admiration.

I ask that you all pray for my father as he battles through his cancer and that you respect my time away from the campaign to be with him. My time away does not amount to the end of our participation in the forth coming election and should not be read as a sign of endorsement of any candidate. I urge all our supporters across the country to continue with the campaigns in my absence and ensure that peace prevails wherever they go.

May God's grace be with you all.

Elias C. Chipimo, Jr

President
National Restoration Party

Sunday 11 January 2015

Female Councillors Call For 50% Adoption Of Women In Elections

Councillors and Gender activists at the conference

By Paul Shalala

80 female Councillors from various active political parties have called for a legal framework that will compel various players in politics to implement a 50-50% representation of both men and women to consolidate democracy.

 In a communique read on Friday by Kawambwa District Council Chairperson Angela Sichone at the just ended national conference for women in politics held at Andrews Motel in Lusaka, the female councillors have argued that if this legal framework is enacted, it will help the nation consolidate its thriving democracy.

Ms Sichone revealed that the female councillors have also called on all active political parties to review their manifestos and provide 50% adoption rate for women parliamentary and local government candidates.

"Gender equity and equality must be enshrined in the national constitution to ensure 50-50 representation of both men and women to ensure the consolidation of democracy in Zambia," said Sichone, who is also a female councillor in in the male dominated Kawambwa District Council of Luapula Province.

The two day conference was organised by the Zambia National Women's Lobby who brought three female Councillors from Finland who shared their experiences of female politics in the Scandinavian country.

And ruling Patriotic Front Director for Media and Publicity Brian Hapunda says the ruling party is ready to adopt the proposal as it views women as partners in development.

"Our commitment to increasing the number of women in decision making positions can be seen from our adoption of women candidates in Vubwi and Zambezi West who won us parliamentary seats earlier this month," said Hapunda.

But the National Democratic Party says the proposal is not workable because political parties adopt candidates on popularity basis and not on gender.

"Political parties adopt parliamentary and local government candidates based on their strength and popularity. We cant adopt candidates just because they are women even when they are unpopular. This proposal cant work," said Edwin Zulu, Secretary General of the National Democratic Party.


Zambia has one of the lowest number of female legislators in the world.

Of the 150 elected members of parliament, only 20 are women and of the total 1,444 Councillors countrywide, only 84 are women.

None of the female councillors is a Mayor and among female MPs, only four are Full Ministers in a Cabinet of 22 Ministers.

The biggest challenge for women to become elected leaders is the low adoption rate of women among political parties.

In 2011, less than 50 women were adopted by various political parties to contest the 150 seats in Parliament.

In the run upto the 2016 general elections, the Zambia National Women's Lobby has started conducting mentoring workshops for female politicians who are aspiring to contest as councillors and members of parliament.

This is in a bid to increase the number of women in District Councils and Parliament in 2016.

K85 Million Mpika Fuel Storage Depot Commissioned

Part of the Mpika Fuel Storage Depot -Picture by Paul Shalala

By Paul Shalala in Mpika

The Mpika Fuel Storage Depot which has been constructed at the cost of K85 million is now fully operational.

The facility, whose construction started in March 2011, has the capacity of 6.5 million liters for petroleum products.

Government constructed the facility with funding from its strategic fuel reserve funds.


"The commissioning of the Mpika Fuel Storage Depot is a confirmation that the removal of subsidies is bearing fruit in Zambia," said Lands Minister Mwansa Kapeya who commissioned the facility on Friday last week at a ceremony attended by 5 local chiefs and scores of Mpika residents.


Mr Kapeya, who is also Mpika Central Member of Parliament, said the commissioning of the fuel depot in Muchinga Province will help reduce the cost of fuel in the area.



"This facility is expected to supply fuel to Luapula, Muchinga and Northern Provinces at a cheaper price," he added said.

At tfull capacity, the Mpika Fuel Storage Depot is expected to be dispatching atleast 40 trucks full of petroleum products on a daily basis.


 "In its full capacity, this depot will be able to receive 30 trucks full of stock and we will be able to dispatch 40 trucks full of petroleum products on a daily basis," said Davison Thawete, TAZAMA Managing Director.

The Mpika Fuel Storage Depot becomes the second such facility to be commissioned after the Lusaka Depot was commissioned in August 2013.

Under phase one of the constructiuon of provincial fuel depots, government is also constructing such facilities in Mongu and Solwezi where works have already commenced.

In the next two years, construction works under phase two of the provincial fuel depots will also commence in Choma, Kapiri Mposhi, Chipata, Kasama and Mansa.

HH Says UPND Forming Government In 2016

By Paul Shalala

Opposition UPND President Hakainde Hichilema (right) says the warm reception he was received with in Luapula Province when he attended the Ubwilile traditional ceremony on Saturday is an indication that UPND is forming government in 2016.

Mr Hichilema told journalists at a press briefing in Lusaka this morning that the whole nation has gone UPND and he has directed party members to continue mobilising the party.

He has asked UPND members to provide leaders at whatever level they are in society as a sign of an incoming government.

And Mr Hichilema has urged the church and civil society to revive their push for a people driven constitution.

The opposition leader says the people's silence does not mean they have submitted to the failure by government to give the nation a new constitution.

Mr Hichilema also said campaigns in the Mangango are going on well though he complained of malpractices by alleged civil servants.

Meanwhile, two former District Commissioners from the Copperbelt under the MMD government have defected to the UPND.

These include former Kalulushi District Commissioner, John Mutisa and former Mpongwe District Commissioner Rasford Bulaya.

Others who defected include former MMD Copperbelt Province Chairman Joseph Chilambwe, former Seceretary for Political at the Zambian Embassy in Egypt Austin Katunta, and former  PF members Simpito Chellah of Nakonde and Scholastica Mataka.