Maravi

PF vows to 'uproot' MMD in Chibombo

PF vows to 'uproot' MMD in Chibombo
By Maluba Jere
Wednesday October 15, 2008 [04:00]

WE are stamping out the MMD and planting PF in Chibombo district just like in other parts of the country, PF Member of the Central Committee in charge of finance, Emmanuel Chenda has declared.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Chenda said people in the area, which was once an MMD stronghold had openly declared that they were fatigued with the MMD’s empty promises and that they wanted change.

“When you go onto a virgin land, you uproot the old trees and plant new ones, so what I am saying is that we had no presence here in Chibombo district because this area was the MMD’s stronghold but now we are uprooting them and planting our people,” he said.
Chenda explained that he had been campaigning in Chibombo district for two weeks now and that there was nowhere he and other party officials had been where they had not been received well.

Chenda said he was confident the party would perform well in the forth- coming election saying the people of Chibombo were asking where the PF had been.

“I can definitely confirm that in 2006 our party faired badly but now the people here (Chibombo) are saying ‘the child of the soil is no more and so we want change’, Chenda said. “So, I can confidently say our performance this year will be very good. We have been to the remotest parts and everywhere we’ve been people are openly crying out for change. The response has been very encouraging and good anyone can see that there is a strong wind of change here.”

He also said his party attached great importance to the role that traditional leaders played adding that it was worrying to see the MMD drag the traditional leaders into the political arena.

“As PF we believe in the big role that our traditional leaders play and we respect that role,” Chenda said. “But the corruption of the MMD where they are dragging chiefs into the political arena is worrying. We respect these leaders and would like to uphold that but it is saddening that some government officials are engaging headmen to blackmail their subjects so they vote for the ruling party.”

He said people must be allowed to exercise their democratic rights by letting them vote for a candidate of their choice.

“We have information that people are being threatened by some MMD members through village headmen who are telling their people not to talk about any other political party,” Chenda said. “This infringes on a person’s democratic right. Inspite of all this, all the headmen in the area have been receiving us well and encouraging us to campaign.”
He further said he was happy that although they had been meeting with the MMD during the campaigns, both parties had been peaceful saying that was how it was supposed to be.
He added that during the campaign trails in the district, the PF had been to places where the MMD had been distributing chitenge materials but said his party was not moved by such petty gifts meant to woo votes.

“For the first time people in this area are running to us and most of them come wearing the MMD chitenges and T-shirts but they tell us that they are interested in change and that ‘this is just a piece of cloth’,” said Chenda.

Labels: MMD, PF

posted by MrK @ 5:12 AM