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=SA’s political alliance has unique features - Nzimande=


 * By George Chellah**

Post, Thursday March 30, 2006
THE South African political alliance has very unique features, South African Communist Party (SACP) general secretary Dr Blade Nzimande has said.

During talks with FDD vice-president Chifumu Banda at Lusaka Intercontinental Hotel on Tuesday, Dr Nzimande said SACP’s alliance with the African National Congress (ANC) was exceptional.

“Our alliance with the ANC has very unique features which are not very common. We have alliance structures that manage the alliance all the time,” Dr Nzimande said.

“Alliances have to have a programme. Whatever you do, a programme is really important.”

He said the SACP had a lot to learn from the Zambian scenario because the two countries were faced with both similar and different imperatives.

And Banda bemoaned the high poverty levels that are currently prevailing in the country.

He said the poverty levels in the country were serious, hence the need for the country to devise a mechanism of how to run government.

“We are talking of eight million Zambians being poor out of the total population. The 20 per cent remaining are not rich. They are what we call the working poor. For example, the police, they don’t get enough to send their children to school,” Banda said.

Banda further said FDD believed that the way forward for the country lies in adopting the concept of decentralisation.

“Our party believes that the poverty levels in the country are due to the over centralisation of power. Power is very centralised and most of the decisions have to be made in Lusaka and we feel that is not good,” Banda said.

“We believe that with decentralisation in place, each of our districts will benefit. All they need is money and once they are empowered they will be able to channel these funds correctly and according to their budget.”

He said FDD’s establishment of an alliance with UPND and UNIP had given confidence ahead of the forthcoming general elections.

“In terms of elections we will give our colleagues in the ruling party a good run for their money,” said Banda.


 * From: http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=8233**

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