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Mwanawasa is surrounded by pretenders, observes Katilungu

Mwanawasa is surrounded by pretenders, observes Katilungu
By Mwila Chansa in Kitwe
Monday August 11, 2008 [04:00]

UNITED Liberal Party (ULP) women’s national chairperson Charity Katilungu has said the decision by Cabinet to award itself a pay rise clearly shows that President Mwanawasa is surrounded by pretenders. And Katilungu said ULP wanted its members to be well-informed about the constitution-making process so that they could make tangible contributions that their representatives sitting on the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) could forward to their respective committees.

In an interview shortly after she officially opened a ULP consensus building workshop on the constitution-making process at the YMCA Norfred Hotel in Kitwe yesterday, Katilungu said it was surprising that Cabinet decided to award itself salary increments in the absence of President Levy Mwanawasa, who is currently admitted to Percy Military Hospital in Paris.

“I remember the President had said that government was not interested in making itself rich but to improve people’s livelihood, but why have things changed in his absence?” asked Katilungu.

She said the money that Cabinet officials wanted to offer themselves as pay rise could go a long way in improving conditions in hospitals and schools, which she said were pathetic.

And Katilungu said ULP wanted its members to feel that they had a hand in the outcome of the country’s constitution.

She said it was for this reason that workshops were being organised across the country so that members could give their views which would later be taken to the NCC by the representatives.

Katilungu said the party was also using the workshops to ascertain its strength on the ground. Katilungu said the party could win sufficient seats in Parliament in an event of an early election.

Labels: CHARITY KATILUNGU, MMD, MWANAWASA, NCC, ULP

posted by MrK @ 10:04 AM