Lusaka — I am short tempered, warned MMD presidential candidate Levy Mwanawasa yesterday.

Addressing a public meeting in Chisamba where he had gone to collect his voter's card, Mwanawasa said he was also still a Jehovah's Witness but had taken a personal decision to join politics.

Mwanawasa warned the people of Chisamba and other MMD members that he would not tolerate tribalism when he forms government after the presidential and general elections expected later this year.

"I am short tempered, don't blame me because I will take action, don't sit back and say that the president is from our area," Mwanawasa said. "I am not tribalistic myself and I don't want you to be tribalistic." Mwanawasa said he had demonstrated in 1991 that he was not tribal when he contested the Chifubu parliamentary seat in Ndola instead of Chisamba where he comes from.

He said he had initially wanted to stand in Kasama because he knew that he was nationally accepted as a leader by the people. "The only reason I went to Chifubu was that I was party vice-president and I would be the Republican vice-president and I needed to have easy access to resources," he explained.

Mwanawasa said he had not acted against Jehovah's Witnesses doctrines or beliefs by joining politics. He said Jehovah's Witnesses encouraged its members to make personal decisions.

"I am quite aware and acknowledge that I am Jehovah's Witness but I am not yet baptised," Mwanawasa said. " Even in Jehovah's Witnesses there are certain issues of personal nature." Quoting Romans 13: 1-7, Mwanawasa said the Bible recognised and respected civic or government leaders.

He said it was a responsibility of every Jehovah's Witnesses member to pay tax and obtain national registration cards and did not see anything wrong in voting.

"In my case I have decided that I should vote and participate in politics because we are allowed to make personal decisions," Mwanawasa said. "I find it contradictory that we pay tax, get national registration cards but should not get voter's cards to vote." Mwanawasa said he would continue to be a Jehovah's Witness because he had not acted against its teachings but was merely exercising his constitutional right. He said he did not consult his political advisors on the issue because they could have discouraged him from discussing it but felt it was important to make a position.

Mwanawasa called on MMD members countrywide to go on a membership recruitment exercise if they had to win this year's presidential and general elections convincingly. Welcoming some opposition United Party for National Development executive members who joined MMD, Mwanawasa warned cadres against voting for leaders because they wanted favours from them when they got into office. "If you vote for us we will not abuse the trust you will have given us," he assured.

Mwanawasa said the Zambian people should be proud of the honour they had been bestowed with by his adoption as the MMD presidential candidate. He said a lot of people were returning to the MMD because of the confidence they had in his leadership. Mwanawasa said all those who had left the party were free to return but warned this was not a sign of weakness because MMD was a disciplined party.

He said his government would ensure that there was accountability in all the public institutions. Mwanawasa warned the Chisamba Primary school that he would need someone to account for the K8 million which was donated to the school by government for rehabilitation.

"When I come into office I want the school to give me an account of how that money was used," Mwanawasa said. "Government is spending a lot of money in schools, spend more money on drugs perhaps more than any other country in the region." Mwanawasa said the national resources were currently benefiting a few individuals, a trend he would change under his leadership. In the agriculture sector, Mwanawasa said his government would continue but with a changed approach to ensure that the industry was revitalised.

He said the Food Reserve Agency would be transformed into a Grain Marketing Board. Mwanawasa appealed to all Zambians to collect their voters' cards to enable them choose leaders who were capable of running their affairs instead of sitting back.

Speaking earlier at the same rally, MMD acting national secretary Derrick Chitala appealed to the people to vote for Mwanawasa in the election to be held in the next one and half months.

Central Province deputy minister Cecil Holmes warned the MMD members against complacency because there was not enough time before the elections.