Nchanga loss is shocking - Rupiah
Nchanga loss is shocking - RupiahBy Chibaula Silwamba
Monday November 12, 2007 [06:35]
Our loss in the Nchanga parliamentary by-election is a puzzle and has shocked us, Vice-President Rupiah Banda has said. And Vice-President Banda said the people of Nchanga did not openly show, as they did last year, that they would not vote for the ruling MMD in last Thursday’s by-election. In an interview on Saturday, Vice-President Banda said the loss was a puzzle for the MMD but it was acceptable in a democratic country like Zambia. He congratulated the Patriotic Front and its new member of parliament Wylbur Simuusa.
“Obviously, they won the election. We have to congratulate them for it and in a democracy that is what happens; some win and some lose. Those who lose must congratulate those who have won,” Vice-President Banda said. “However, this is a very interesting election, one in which we had attached great importance. We worked very hard and we had expected different results from what we got. And also what was so different is that the people in Nchanga did not show it openly as they did the last time; we just got the impression that a lot of them have changed and appreciated what the MMD government is doing. That is why we were very shocked and surprised with the results.”
Vice-President Banda said he wished the gap between Simuusa and MMD candidate Charles Chimumbwa was smaller.
“Then we would have understood,” said Vice-President Banda who was the main campaigner for Chimumbwa on behalf of President Levy Mwanawasa. “It’s quite a puzzle; you can imagine we were trying to learn what really is wrong in Nchanga. What is it that we are doing wrong in Nchanga?”
However, Vice-President Banda assured the people of Nchanga that the government would continue with developmental projects in the area although they voted for an opposition member of parliament.
Asked to comment on some ministers’ statements during the campaigns that Nchanga residents should vote for Chimumbwa if they wanted development because he belonged to the ruling party that is implementing development projects unlike opposition members, Vice-President Banda said the statements were just showing people that the MMD was the one that was making and implementing policies, even policies that attract investment.
“That is the point we are making in general. In specific terms, you know our policy and our government, we are for all the people and there is no way you are going to find that we are going to discriminate against people of Nchanga for voting for an opposition member of parliament,” he assured. “The people of Nchanga are Zambians like others and they have only one government to look up to. I don’t think anybody should worry about that.”
Vice-President Banda said more PF members of parliament would definitely defect to the ruling MMD despite Chimumbwa’s defeat.
“I still think that more PF members of parliament will leave because the reason they were crossing is not because there was an opportunity to cross but because of lack of democracy in their party,” said Vice-President Banda who is also MMD national trustee.
He said although PF had won the Nchanga seat and several local government seats during last Thursday’s by-elections, it was still a sinking party.
“Yes, the PF boat will be empty in the sense that if we went back to the national elections we will still win,” said Vice-President Banda.
Meanwhile, some teachers in Chingola who were dropped as polling assistants have protested to the Electoral Commission of Zambia over non-payment of their allowances for the work prior to the termination of the contracts.
Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, RUPIAH BANDA
posted by MrK @ 5:51 PM
2 Comments:
Asked to comment on some ministers’ statements during the campaigns that Nchanga residents should vote for Chimumbwa if they wanted development because he belonged to the ruling party that is implementing development projects unlike opposition members, Vice-President Banda said the statements were just showing people that the MMD was the one that was making and implementing policies, even policies that attract investment.
“That is the point we are making in general. In specific terms, you know our policy and our government, we are for all the people and there is no way you are going to find that we are going to discriminate against people of Nchanga for voting for an opposition member of parliament,” he assured. “The people of Nchanga are Zambians like others and they have only one government to look up to. I don’t think anybody should worry about that.”
This is the problem again and again. Ruling party politicians trying to threaten voters with something they have no business giving or withholding in the first place.
It is outrageous that any politician would even dare to contemplate punishing voters who did not vote for them, or even threaten them.
This directly undermines democracy. Development should not be in the hands of central government politicians, but should be driven by local politicians, who will have to deal with their local constituency, no mattter what.
Local government would be far more responsive to the people.
Could someone please tell Rupiah Banda that Chingola is not Kapoche, not even a heli could have done the trick! "Banadya nabo ché zamahara, Viva Opposition!
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