‘PF will not be blackmailed’

‘PF will not be blackmailed’
Written by Masuzyo Chakwe
Sunday, December 28, 2008 12:27:29 PM

PATRIOTIC Front vice president Dr Guy Scott yesterday said the party will not be blackmailed into postponing mayoral elections.

And local government and housing permanent secretary Joe Ngo has written to all councils in the country to submit their annual budget estimates to the respective provincial local government officers by this Wednesday.

Reacting the Ngo's directive, Dr Scott said Ngo had attributed the postponement to the non-submission of budgets, but the law clearly stated that elections shall be conducted at the first ordinary meeting of the council on September in that year.

"He is saying that the delay in election is because the budgets have not been submitted. There is no reason to delay because the budget and elections can be done on the same day. It is nonsense and he is just trying to cover up for (local government minister) Tetamashimba's inexperience in that field," he said.

Dr Scott said the party had since told the councillors not to attend any meetings that would be chaired by the old mayors.

"This is an attempt to blackmail us and we wont accept. We are ashamed with what is happening now with the heavy rains. The whole dry season nothing was happening and now they are saying it is a disaster; who made this disaster? We will not be blackmailed. We have sent a letter to all councils and the PS that it is illegal and can he explain how it is possible to evade the law because that is what the law says," he said.

He wondered if this was being done to reward some of the 'rebel' members of parliament who had campaigned for them.

Dr Scott also wondered how it was possible to prepare the budgets without mayors and the chairmen.

And in a letter dated December 23, 2008 to all town clerks, council secretaries, city, municipal and district councils, Ngo stated that Tetamashimba was on record as having postponed elections purely to enable the preparation and submissions of annual budget estimates which were inadvertently delayed following events that had occurred from the passing away of president Levy Mwanawasa.

"Please note that accordingly that these elections have not been cancelled at all but have merely been postponed and that undue anxieties are uncalled for. Further to what I have stated above, you are now therefore and in accordance with the minister's televised interview on National Watch directed to submit your annual budget estimates to your respective provincial local government officers latest Wednesday December 31, 2008," he stated.

"Please note that any council failing to comply with this directive will not have their annual budget estimates approved and will not receive any form of grants from central government for the ensuing financial year 2009."

But in a letter to Ngo dated December 26, 2008, Dr Scott stated that the Ngo should clarify how councillors could legally proceed to consider annual budgets estimates before they elect the mayors and council chairmen in view if Section 16 (2) of the local government Act which states that; 'The mayor, deputy mayor, chairman or vice chairman of a council shall be elected at the first ordinary meeting of council held after September 1 in that year.