Sata Selling Country to Gay Rights Activists Says Siliya

6 May 2011

MMD National Chairperson for Information and Publicity Dora Siliya has said Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata was auctioning the country to activists of homosexuality and praised Zambians in the Diaspora for shunning his meeting in the United Kingdom.

Ms Siliya in an interview from Chilubi yesterday, said Mr Sata should be ashamed of using an educational trip to fundraise for his campaign purposes.

She said the shunning of his meeting by Zambians living in the UK should make him realise that he was not a statesman.

Mr Sata was in the UK to attend a seminar where several African personalities had been invited but had taken advantage of that to hold side meetings to help him fundraise for the 2011 campaigns.Ms Siliya, who is also Minister of Education, said the MMD was aware that Mr Sata was scheduled to seek medical attention in Britain.

She said the Government would continue to deliver development to the Zambian people while Mr Sata undertakes what she termed as discredited tourism ventures.

Zambians were aware that Mr Sata was not presidential material and that the PF leader should be ashamed to launch a discredited trip to the UK to address foreigners over a matter which was solely for Zambians.

She said Mr Sata’s activities would not discourage the Government because it was aware that he would lose this year’s presidential elections by a wide margin for supporting homosexuality, among other reasons.

Ms Siliya said Mr Sata’s statement that he would fight corruption was grossly misleading, especially that the PF leader was at the centre of the Merzaf Flats saga where there was lack of transparency until he was removed as minister of Local Government and Housing.

“There is no man who was more associated with corruption at Merzaf Flats than Mr Sata and so he should stop calling this Government a corrupt one.

“Why is he not producing evidence about corruption? This Government has strengthened laws to help fight corruption,” Ms Siliya said.

Ms Siliya, who is in Chilubi to present water ambulances as the Government intensifies its efforts to improve the welfare of the Zambian people, said Mr Sata’s job was to cause confusion and embarrass Zambia in the eyes of the international community by promoting strange activities like gay rights in a Christian nation like Zambia.

Mr Sata, who is in London, was expecting to address a huge crowd but was disappointed that only a handful of people attended his meeting.

The meeting almost flopped following the decision by many Zambians to shun the gathering at the Oxford University, forcing Mr Sata to sound verbal attacks against the organisers.

The meeting was also attended by former Kafue member of Parliament Bob Sichinga and former Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum secretary general, Kasuka Mutukwa.

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