Maravi

Govt Printers won't print ballot papers, says Simbao

Govt Printers won't print ballot papers, says Simbao
By Mwala Kalaluka
Tuesday September 09, 2008 [04:00]

THE Government Printers is not in a position to print the colour ballot papers for the forthcoming presidential election, works and supply minister Kapembwa Simbao said yesterday. But Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) director Dan Kalale said the commission will tomorrow avail a comprehensive programme on the pending presidential election.

Simbao said in an interview that the new printing equipment that was installed at Government Printers prior to the 2006 general elections at the behest of the Chinese government did not have a unit that could sufficiently assist in printing colour ballot papers.

In the run-up to the 2006 tripartite elections, there was a debate as to why the government had opted to print ballot papers in South Africa when a new printer had been installed at the Government Printers.

Simbao said the new printing equipment had a colour separation component but that it could not print ballot papers in colour "for very different reasons".

"There was a colour mixer unit that was missing from the printer and we have since placed an order. So the printer won't be available for this particular election," Simbao said. "I am talking from what the printer himself has told me."

He said it would take about three months for the Chinese company to put together the colour unit for the printer, because it only starts manufacturing after an order is placed.

Simbao disclosed that the unit costs between K1.2 billion and K1.4 billion.

"At the moment, we do not have the capacity to print colour ballot papers...It can be done, but it can be a big and complicated risk until we bring that unit," he said. "It has been on order for the last two weeks."

Asked why the ministry did not procure the unit beforehand, Simbao responded: "We did not have money then. Money was not released to us on time."

And Kalale said he would only comment on the matter tomorrow since the Commission was finalising a detailed information schedule on the presidential election.

"We will give you a detailed presentation on that on Wednesday morning," said Kalale.

Labels: ELECTIONS

posted by MrK @ 4:33 AM