Charity Moonga
8 October 2008
ACTING Republican President Rupiah Banda has pledged to ensure that development reaches all the nine provinces of Zambia if he was elected president.
Addressing a public rally at Livingstone's Villa grounds yesterday, Mr Banda said his Government would not segregate against any province but rather provide for all of them equally.
"We want to provide to all provinces equally. We will not discriminate against any province," he said.
He warned the people of Southern Province against voting for a candidate who was coming from their province.
"The exercise of voting for only the person coming from your province is an exercise in futility. There is no need to spoil your vote because your vote is very important. Vote for me and I will deliver to you," Mr Banda said.
The acting president also promised further mining investment through increased mineral exploration across Zambia if voted for as Head of State.
"We will make sure that more mining investment comes to Zambia for the benefit of all Zambians," Mr Banda said.
Mr Banda said Government would ensure it buys more vehicles for chiefs as they were great partners in the development of the country.
He said the Government would also increase tourism opportunities by ensuring more hotelswere put up.
The increase in tourism would trigger more production and employment in the country.
Mr Banda said his Government was geared to improve fertiliser support to farmers to reduce the escalating hunger problems in the country.
He said he had been the leader of Government business in parliament for a long time now and had kept the unity in the country hence the need for the people to elect him as president.
And EDWARD MULENGA reports from Maamba that Mr Banda has asked the people in the area to vote for him to enable him revive the operations at Maamba Collieries Mine and pay benefits to the retirees.
Addressing a rally in Maamba yesterday, Mr Banda said that the collapse of the Maamba mine had brought a lot of suffering to the people in the area and assured the residents that he would revive the operations.
Mr Banda told the gathering that just like his predecessor, the late president Levy Mwanawasa, he was deeply concerned about the poverty levels in Maamba and other Southern Province rural areas.
He directed Presidential Affairs Minister Cecil Holmes to quickly follow up the issue of terminal benefits with all the lawyers that were involved in the case in which the court ruled that the retirees should be paid immediately.
Mr Banda said that he would continue promoting the agricultural sector through the fertiliser support programme (FSP) to ensure continued national food security.
He said he would continue the cattle restocking exercise and improve the marketing of livestock and crops in the country to ensure that farmers benefitted from the sector.
Mr Banda said that he was sufficiently qualified to take over from the late president and improve on his good works. He was better placed to do so since he had closely worked with him.
He warned the people of Maamba against being hoodwinked by other presidential candidates whom he said could not deliver on their promises because they were out of the system while he was in Government.
Mr Banda who outlined his career achievements said he had always been associated with whatever benefitted the people.
He paid tribute to the people of Southern Province for the support they had rendered to the MMD Government and expressed confidence that he would win the election.
Acting MMD president Michael Mabenga encouraged the people in the region to vote for Mr Banda saying that the party's national executive committee chose him because he was humble and the right person to succeed Dr Mwanawasa.
Mr Banda's campaign manager, Mike Mulongoti said that Mr Banda was the most suitably qualified among the four candidates and urged the people to vote for him.
Provincial campaign coordinator, Michael Kaingu said the people of the province had now decided to go with the entire nation by deciding to support Mr Banda.
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