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'''Michael Chilufya Sata''' (born 1937) is a [[Zambia]]n politician, the former chief executive of the ruling [[Movement for Multiparty Democracy]] (MMD) and a close partner of former President [[Frederick Chiluba]]. As leader of the opposition [[Patriotic Front (Zambia)|Patriotic Front]] (PF), Sata, popularly known as "King Cobra", emerged as the leading opposition presidential contender and rival to incumbent President [[Levy Mwanawasa]] in the [[Zambian Presidential and Parliamentary elections, 2006|2006 presidential election]], but was defeated by Mwanawasa, according to official results. He ran again as the PF candidate in the [[Zambian presidential election, 2008|October 2008 presidential election]], but was narrowly defeated by [[Rupiah Banda]] according to official results.
'''Michael Chilufya Sata''' (born 1937) is a leader of an opposition political party ([[Patriotic Front (Zambia)|Patriotic Front]]) in [[Zambia]]. Prior to forming his party, Mr. Sata had being a minister in the [[Frederick Chiluba|Chiluba]] led [[Movement for Multiparty Democracy]] (MMD) government. As a leader of the opposition [[Patriotic Front (Zambia)|Patriotic Front]] (PF), Sata, popularly known as "King Cobra", emerged as the leading opposition presidential contender and rival to the late President [[Levy Mwanawasa]] in the [[Zambian Presidential and Parliamentary elections, 2006|2006 presidential election]], but was defeated. Today. Mr. Sata's led Patriotic front still remains the main opposition political party.


==Early years==
==Early years==
He was born and brought up in [[Mpika]], [[Northern Province (Zambia)|Northern Province]]. He worked as a police officer, railwayman and trades unionist before entering politics in 1963. He worked his way up through the rough-and-tumble rank-and-file of the former ruling [[United National Independence Party]] (UNIP) to the governorship of [[Lusaka]] in 1985. As Governor he made his mark as a man of action with a hands on approach. He cleaned up the streets, patched roadways and built bridges in the city. Afterward he became a Member of Parliament for Kabwata constituency in Lusaka. Though once close with then President [[Kenneth Kaunda]], he became disillusioned by Kaunda's dictatorial style and he left the UNIP to join the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) during the campaign for multi-party politics.
Micheal Chilufya Sata was born and brought up in [[Mpika]], [[Northern Province (Zambia)|Northern Province]]. He worked as a police officer , railway man and trades unionist before during the colonial rule. Mr. Sata began actively participating in politics of the then, [[Nothern Rhodesia]] in 1963. He worked his way up through the rough-and-tumble rank-and-file of the former ruling [[United National Independence Party]] (UNIP) to the governorship of [[Lusaka]] in 1985. As Governor he made his mark as a man of action with a hands on approach. He cleaned up the streets, patched roadways and built bridges in the city. Afterward he became a Member of Parliament for Kabwata constituency in Lusaka. Though once close with then President [[Kenneth Kaunda]], he became disillusioned by Kaunda's dictatorial style and he left the UNIP to join the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) during the campaign for multi-party politics in the 1991.


After Frederick Chiluba defeated Kaunda in 1991, Sata became one of Zambia's most instantly recognisable faces. Under the MMD, he served as minister for local government, labour and, briefly, health where, he boasts, his "reforms brought sanity to the health system".
After Frederick Chiluba defeated Kaunda in 1991, Sata became one of Zambia's most instantly recognisable faces. Under the MMD, he served as minister for local government, labour and, briefly, health where, he boasts, his "reforms brought sanity to the health system".
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In 1995, he was appointed minister without portfolio, the party's national organising secretary during which his political style was described as "increasingly abrasive".
In 1995, he was appointed minister without portfolio, the party's national organising secretary during which his political style was described as "increasingly abrasive".


==Formation of Patriotic Front (Zambia)==
However, when Chiluba nominated Levy Mwanawasa as MMD candidate in 2001, Sata left the MMD and set up a new party, the Patriotic Front (PF). He contested the [[Zambian general election, 2001|2001 election]] but did not do well - his party only won one seat in parliament.
In 2001, the then president of Zambia, Dr. Chiluba nominated Levy Mwanawasa as MMD candidate in 2001. In frustration, Mr. Sata left the MMD and set up a new party, the Patriotic Front (PF). He contested the [[Zambian general election, 2001|2001 election]] but did not do well - his party only won one seat in parliament. Mr. Sata conceeded defeat and continues campaigning, the campagning he is still pursuing.


==2006 election and afterwards==
==2006 election and afterwards==

Revision as of 21:57, 2 September 2011

Michael Chilufya Sata (born 1937) is a leader of an opposition political party (Patriotic Front) in Zambia. Prior to forming his party, Mr. Sata had being a minister in the Chiluba led Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) government. As a leader of the opposition Patriotic Front (PF), Sata, popularly known as "King Cobra", emerged as the leading opposition presidential contender and rival to the late President Levy Mwanawasa in the 2006 presidential election, but was defeated. Today. Mr. Sata's led Patriotic front still remains the main opposition political party.

Early years

Micheal Chilufya Sata was born and brought up in Mpika, Northern Province. He worked as a police officer , railway man and trades unionist before during the colonial rule. Mr. Sata began actively participating in politics of the then, Nothern Rhodesia in 1963. He worked his way up through the rough-and-tumble rank-and-file of the former ruling United National Independence Party (UNIP) to the governorship of Lusaka in 1985. As Governor he made his mark as a man of action with a hands on approach. He cleaned up the streets, patched roadways and built bridges in the city. Afterward he became a Member of Parliament for Kabwata constituency in Lusaka. Though once close with then President Kenneth Kaunda, he became disillusioned by Kaunda's dictatorial style and he left the UNIP to join the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) during the campaign for multi-party politics in the 1991.

After Frederick Chiluba defeated Kaunda in 1991, Sata became one of Zambia's most instantly recognisable faces. Under the MMD, he served as minister for local government, labour and, briefly, health where, he boasts, his "reforms brought sanity to the health system".

In 1995, he was appointed minister without portfolio, the party's national organising secretary during which his political style was described as "increasingly abrasive".

Formation of Patriotic Front (Zambia)

In 2001, the then president of Zambia, Dr. Chiluba nominated Levy Mwanawasa as MMD candidate in 2001. In frustration, Mr. Sata left the MMD and set up a new party, the Patriotic Front (PF). He contested the 2001 election but did not do well - his party only won one seat in parliament. Mr. Sata conceeded defeat and continues campaigning, the campagning he is still pursuing.

2006 election and afterwards

Sata contested the September 2006 presidential election as a populist championing the causes of the poor in the face of Mwanawasa's economic reform policies. While the slate of candidates contesting the election frequently resorted to personal attacks and insults, Sata's remarks were at times quite scathing. At one campaign event in particular, Sata was reported to have ripped apart a cabbage in front of his supporters. The cabbage was a reference to Mwanawasa's speech impediment, which was the result of an injury sustained in a 1992 car crash.[1] He has also accused Mwanawasa of "selling out" Zambia to international interests, and at one event, he referred to Hong Kong as a country and Taiwan as a sovereign state. In response, China, which is interested in Zambia's copper reserves, threatened to cut off relations with Zambia if he was elected.[2][3] Sata's right hand man in the campaign was Dr. Guy Scott, the Patriotic Front secretary general. Scott is a white Zambian politician. He served a number of ministerial positions during the Chiluba government. [4] Sata also received the public backing of Chiluba.[5]

Initial results from the election gave Sata the lead, but further results put Mwanawasa in first place and pushed Sata into third place.[6] Interim results released after votes from 120 of 150 constituencies were counted put Mwanawasa on just over 42% of the vote; Hakainde Hichilema had 28%; and the Michael Sata had slipped to 27%. When opposition supporters heard that Sata had slipped from first to third place, riots erupted in Lusaka.[7] On October 2, the Zambian Electoral Commission announced that Mwanawasa had officially won the election; final results put Sata in second place with about 29% of the vote.[8][9]

Sata was arrested in early December 2006, accused of making a false declaration of his assets when applying to run for president in August, along with other charges. He was questioned by police and released on bail. If convicted, he could have received a prison sentence of least two years.[10] As a convict, he would also be unable to hold public office. Sata said the charges were politically motivated, and in court he pleaded not guilty to them.[11] On December 14, the charges were dropped on the grounds that the declaration of assets was not made under oath.[12]

On March 15, 2007, Sata was deported from Malawi shortly after arrival. Sata said that he was only there to meet with the business community, and alleged that the Zambian government had effected the deportation by falsely claiming that Sata was in Malawi to assist that country's former president, Bakili Muluzi. The Zambian government denied this,[13] while the Malawian government gave no explanation for Sata's deportation. On April 6, Sata's lawyer said that he had initiated a lawsuit against the Malawian government for violating his rights.[14]

After losing his passport in London in late 2007, Sata was issued another; however, on November 10, 2007, Minister of Home Affairs Ronnie Shikapwashya announced that Sata's passport was withdrawn temporarily because he had obtained the new passport without following the necessary procedures and proving that he needed a new passport. Shikapwashya said that an investigation would follow, that Sata had been interrogated, and that he could face arrest.[15]

Sata suffered a heart attack on April 25, 2008 and was evacuated to Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he was said to be in stable condition on April 26.[16] He reconciled with President Mwanawasa in May 2008.[17]

On 31 March 2010 he was interviewed by Christopher Hopkins from Oxford University.

Mwanawasa's death and the 2008 election

After Mwanawasa suffered a stroke and was hospitalized in France, Sata questioned the official claims about Mwanawasa's health on July 15, 2008, and he called for a team of doctors to be sent by the Cabinet to examine Mwanawasa; this team would then disclose Mwanawasa's actual condition.[18] Mwanawasa died in office in August 2008. On August 25, Sata attempted to attend funeral proceedings for Mwanawasa at Chipata in Eastern Province; however, Maureen Mwanawasa, Mwanawasa's widow, ordered Sata to leave, saying that he was politicizing the event and that he had never reconciled with Mwanawasa's family. Sata, who was removed from the scene by security, said that he was only there to mourn Mwanawasa and that he had hoped to escort the body while it was taken to provincial capitals across Zambia; he maintained that his reconciliation with Mwanawasa himself was sufficient to justify his presence.[19] He also said that Maureen Mwanawasa had acted inappropriately.[17]

Sata was unanimously chosen as the PF's candidate for the presidential by-election at a meeting of its Central Committee on August 30, 2008. Accepting the nomination, he expressed the need "to scrub this country and wash it"; he also said that he would refrain from campaigning until after Mwanawasa's funeral.[20] Despite his April 2008 heart attack, Sata said that he was healthy and in good condition.[21]

Sata said that he would not accept a victory for Banda because there was "no way MMD can win", and he alleged that the Electoral Commission and the police were working together to rig the election.[22] Although he held the lead in early vote counting, which reflected his strong support in urban areas, his lead grew smaller as votes from rural areas were counted. In the end, Banda overtook Sata, and final results on November 2 showed Banda with 40% of the vote against 38% for Sata.[23] Sata subsequently stated that he had not been defeated and accused Banda of fraud.[24]

Policies

Sata said on September 8, 2008 that he would protect Chinese investments if he was elected, abandoning the hostility towards Chinese investment that he had expressed during the 2006 presidential election campaign.[25]

He is an enthusiastic supporter of the policies of President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. "Mugabe hasn't done anything wrong. It is the imperialists, the capitalist-roaders who say he is a villain," he said during the 2006 election.[26] In 2008, he said that he would revoke licences for foreign investors if they resisted his orders to give at least a 25% stake in their companies to Zambians.[27]

References

  1. ^ "Zambia campaign draws to a close", BBC News, September 27, 2006.
  2. ^ "Tough election race in Zambia", Al Jazeera, September 30, 2006.
  3. ^ "Profile: Zambia's 'King Cobra'", BBC News, September 29, 2006.
  4. ^ "Tilyenji comes to his father’s defence", Times of Zambia.
  5. ^ "Vote out president, Chiluba says", BBC News, September 18, 2006.
  6. ^ "Zambian President Takes Election Lead, Opposition Claims Irregularities", Voice of America, October 1, 2006.
  7. ^ "Zambia vote count sparks violence", BBC News, October 1, 2006.
  8. ^ "Poll victory for Zambia president", BBC News, October 2, 2006.
  9. ^ Zambia elections, Angus Reid.
  10. ^ "Zambia opposition leader arrested", BBC News, December 5, 2006.
  11. ^ Peter Clottey, "Zambian Opposition Leader Pleads not Guilty to Charges", Voice of America, December 7, 2006.
  12. ^ "Zambian court quashes charges against Sata", AFP, December 14, 2006.
  13. ^ Shapi Shacinda, "'Coup smear' blocks trip to Malawi", Reuters (IOL), March 17, 2007.
  14. ^ "Malawi violated my rights, says party leader", AFP (IOL), April 6, 2007.
  15. ^ "Zambia opposition leader's passport withdrawn", AFP (Mail & Guardian Online, South Africa), November 11, 2007.
  16. ^ "Zambian opposition leader 'stable'", Sapa (IOL), April 26, 2008.
  17. ^ a b "Zambian opposition leader, first lady clash", AFP (IOL), August 25, 2008.
  18. ^ "Is Mwanawasa fit to rule?", Sapa-AFP (IOL), July 15, 2008.
  19. ^ "Zambia's opposition leader ordered to leave late President's funeral proceedings", Xinhua (People's Daily Online), August 26, 2008.
  20. ^ "Zambia's biggest opposition picks candidates for presidential by-elections", Xinhua, August 31, 2008.
  21. ^ "Sata demands polling date", Lusaka Times, September 5, 2008.
  22. ^ "'There is no way MMD can win'", Sapa-AFP (IOL), October 30, 2008.
  23. ^ "Zambia: Banda sworn in, riots spread", Sapa-DPA (IOL), November 2, 2008.
  24. ^ "Sata: I have not lost this election", Sapa-DPA (IOL), November 4, 2008.
  25. ^ Shapi Shacinda, "Sata warms to Chinese investment in Zambia", Reuters (IOL), September 8, 2008.
  26. ^ Long queues in tight Zambian poll BBC
  27. ^ Sata to help local investors News24

External links

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