Kabanda, Miha decry Muteteka's campaign remarks

Kabanda, Miha decry Muteteka's campaign remarks
By Abigail Chaponda in Ndola
Wednesday October 08, 2008 [04:00]

CITIZENS Forum executive secretary Simon Kabanda has said that it is wrong for Chisamba MMD member of parliament Moses Muteteka to use president Levy Mwanawasa's death as a campaign gimmick. And Mission Press director Fr Miha Drevensek described as selfish Muteteka's statement that it would be foolish for late president Mwanawasa's family to vote for the opposition.

In an interview, Kabanda said every Zambian had the right to vote for a candidate of their choice and added that it was criminal to force people to elect for a person they did not want.

"The reason why Muteteka is busy saying that it would be foolish for the Mwanawasa family to vote for the opposition is because he himself is late president Mwanawasa's relative. If he wants to vote for MMD let him go ahead, but he should not force others to vote for a candidate they don't want," he said.
He said it was sad that MMD was using president Mwanawasa's death to gain sympathy from the electorate.

Muteteka on Saturday said it would be foolish for president Mwanawasa's family to vote for the opposition.

And Fr Miha asked Muteteka to stop dragging the late president's family into voting for MMD.
"Muteteka's statement is foolish and selfish. ... I want Muteteka to know that voting is a fundamental right that every citizen of a country has. Everyone has the freedom to vote for whoever they want; it is their freedom," he said.

Fr Miha also said it would be foolish and unfair for any member of the Mwanawasa family to vote for MMD just because they belonged to the family.
Fr Miha said it was undemocratic for Muteteka to ask the Mwanawasa family not to vote for the opposition because they had the freedom to choose who they wanted without anyone forcing or ordering them.