Maravi

De-campaign people creating by-elections, urges Kabanda

De-campaign people creating by-elections, urges Kabanda
By Bivan Saluseki
Sunday September 02, 2007 [04:00]

FORMER foreign affairs minister Mundia Sikatana has said he is available for the MMD presidency. But MMD spokesperson Ben Tetamashimba yesterday hoped Sikatana's statement was a slip of the tongue because the former minister could not marshal support for MMD. (CCZ) in Chingola on Friday, Kabanda called on Zambians to be wary of people that wasted taxpayers money by defecting from one party to another, thus creating by-elections.

"People who waste taxpayers' money should be de-campaigned. The money meant for by-elections can be used to extend the infrastructure at Matero Basic, Sekela and other schools. And part of the amount could be directed towards the construction of orphanages, a better home for orphans who are unable to access schools," he said.

Kabanda advised political parties not to adopt members of parliament that defected from other parties. He said the electorate should also not vote for such people.

Kabanda cited former Nchanga member of parliament Charles Chimumbwa's recent defection from the Patriotic Front to the ruling MMD and urged the electorate to decampaign him for creating an unnecessary by-election.

He said by-elections in Chingola's Nchanga constituency would cost a minimum of K2 billion.

"There are many roads, markets and other areas of development where the K2 billion could have been directed to," he said.
Kabanda said politicians could only be taught lessons if they were de-campaigned for needlessly calling for by-elections.
And a Chingola resident, Susan Chabi, said the electorate would not vote for Chimumbwa because he did not fulfil his promises.
"He should remember his remarks. Calling the pollution of the Kafue River by Konkola Copper Mines a small issue is still fresh in the minds of the people of Nchanga and Chingola," Chabi said. "Honourable Chimumbwa did not represent the interest of the people who voted for him as evidenced by his absence from the constituency ever since he was elected into office."

Recently, Chimumbwa defected from PF to MMD and has since indicated that he would recontest the Nchanga seat on the MMD ticket in the forthcoming by-election.

Sources within MMD have also disclosed that about 10 PF members of parliament are planning to resign from the party to join the ruling MMD.
The sources said the PF members of parliament intending to resign had been given assurances that they would be adopted to re-contest their seats.

The sources said some of the PF members wanted to see how Chimumbwa would be handled in the MMD in terms of adoption and ministerial positions before they could crossover.

Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, MUNDIA SIKATANA

posted by MrK @ 3:55 AM