Maravi

Kunda fears teachers will rig Chitambo for PF

Kunda fears teachers will rig Chitambo for PF
Written by Chibaula Silwamba in Chitambo
Wednesday, August 12, 2009 7:39:36 PM

VICE-PRESIDENT George Kunda has expressed fear that some teachers who are electoral presiding officers in the Chitambo parliamentary by-election ‘will...rig’ elections in favour of the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) following their decision to shun his campaign rally. But PF vice-president Dr Guy Scott has said Vice-President Kunda's statement was an admission that the electoral process
had loopholes that could be used to rig elections.

In an interview with The Post on Monday at Reuben Primary School in Serenje at a campaign rally to woo votes for the MMD parliamentary candidate Dr Solomon Musonda in tomorrow's parliamentary by-election, Vice-President Kunda accused teachers at the school of distributing PF campaign pamphlets.

Vice-President Kunda was reaffirming the misgivings he raised during his address earlier. In his address to a sizeable crowd, Vice-President Kunda openly complained that the teachers at Reuben Primary School shunned his visit although it was the first time for a Republican Vice-President to visit the area.

"We are also disappointed that teachers are becoming partisan supporting the PF. I am here as your Vice-President but instead of being here, they have all disappeared. What kind of teachers are these?" Vice-President Kunda asked.

He said wherever he and his campaign team had gone, the teachers had warmly welcomed them and even explained to him the problems they had.

Vice-President Kunda expressed dismay at the teachers of Reuben Primary School.

"Where do you find the headmaster walks away when he knows we are coming? The teachers have also been distributing pamphlets urging you the voters to vote for PF. This government will not tolerate indiscipline," Vice-President Kunda warned. "We want teachers to teach our children. That is their duty not to be involved in partisan politics. How can such teachers preside over elections? They will start rigging."

When asked on the concerns he had raised about teachers' involvement in politics, Vice-President Kunda maintained that some teachers that would preside over elections could rig the elections in favour of the Michael Sata-led PF.

"It's unfortunate! Like here, for the first time, a Vice-President comes here, you should share...what are the problems which you are facing here in terms of educating our people and then teachers...because they are partisan, they leave the place," Vice-President Kunda said. "Now, it's unfortunate, we should continue with political education and of course if people don't want to work in a non-partisan manner, they should leave the government. It's unfortunate. Teachers must work with the government of the day, help in the implementation of the programmes."

Vice-President Kunda urged teachers to be neutral when conducting elections.

"When it comes to elections we must have a level playing field where we can compete. At the end of the day the party which is popular will win the elections. We have seen for example Southern Province, the UPND does win, in this Luapula Province of course things are changing now the PF won, Northern Province, the Copperbelt and Lusaka [provinces] but at the same time the electoral officers, teachers must serve without these biases so that we can have elections which are competitive and which are genuinely free and fair. Yes!" Vice-President Kunda said.

When asked to amplify on his fears that teachers that were involved in party politics could rig elections, Vice-President Kunda responded: "It is possible. Like here; they are saying that they have been distributing PF pamphlets. That is unfortunate. Teachers must play a fair game."

He said the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) was there to provide free and fair elections.

"In fact, they [teachers] work for the ECZ; the ECZ is there to provide free and fair elections, so they are agents for the electoral commission and we want an independent electoral commission, not what we have seen here," Vice-President Kunda said.

However, efforts by The Post to get comment from the headmaster and his teachers at Reuben Primary School on the allegations raised by Vice-President Kunda, failed because they were not there.

But Dr Scott, who was simultaneously addressing a rally just about 500 metres from where Vice-President Kunda was addressing his, said what happened was an interesting small example of how things were changing in Zambian politics.

"Well, I mean George Kunda's comments, he didn't know I was there but he noticed that teachers were not there and they walked away when he arrived. I mean, if it's true, it's only fair; we have been cheated by the MMD using teachers before and if teachers have decided to become independent minded so much better for Zambia and people's aspirations," Dr Scott said.

Dr Scott said all along, he and other opposition leaders had complained that the electoral process had loopholes but Vice-President Kunda and his colleagues in government were refusing.

"They have always told us that nobody can rig elections. How come now George Kunda is saying teachers can rig elections? It's an admission," Dr Scott said.

He warned that even if Vice-President Kunda was abusing state resources such as Zambia Air Force (ZAF) helicopter, that would not help the ruling party win the elections.

Vice-President Kunda used a ZAF helicopter to also transport the MMD parliamentary candidate Dr Solomon Musonda, MMD deputy national secretary Jeff Kaande and lands minister Peter Daka on a campaign trail.

Dr Scott said: "The welcome by the people for us was fantastic. They were so pleased to see us and I think they have the determination to check MMD out. We came in a boat but George Kunda came in a helicopter but in the end it's the same. You can't make up with helicopters what your government has failed to do."

Earlier at a campaign rally to woo votes for PF parliamentary candidate Chanda Mutale, Dr Scott urged the people to vote for the PF to develop the area.

"Send another opposition MP to put pressure on government to develop this area. If they fail by 2011 they will be gone, kuyabebele [go out!]," Dr Scott said. "The problem with you rural people, you think everything is a gift, you don't realise that it's your right to have a school, hospital, etc."

When Dr Scott, Mutale and the PF campaign team arrived on the other side of Reuben Primary School, a group of people from Vice-President Kunda's rally trooped to where the PF was supposed to hold a mini rally and the crowd increased.

"Baisa! Baisa ba PF! [PF has come!]" the people were heard shouting as they ran towards where Dr Scott was addressing the rally.

And there was a near-punch up at Vice-President Kunda's rally when two PF youths wearing T-shirts with labels urging people to vote for PF, 'strayed' onto the MMD rally site.

Vice-President Kunda had to stop addressing the people until the situation was normalised.

MMD youths with the help of Daka, Kaande and Vice-President Kunda's Aide-de-Camp chased the PF cadres.

Later, Kaande accused the PF of provoking the situation.

"If we react you say MMD is violent. You have seen what has happened. Who provoked the other? It is PF cadres," complained Kaande to this reporter. "This is against the electoral code of conduct."

And Vice-President Kunda told the people that voting for Sata was a waste of votes.

"It's only the government that can look into those problems of lack of medical facilities, schools, pontoon and other things you need not people like Mr Michael Sata," Vice-President Kunda said. "Mr Sata was in the UNIP and MMD governments, he worked with Dr Kenneth Kaunda and Dr [Frederick] Chiluba but he left grass-thatched schools. So don't listen to him. If Mr Sata has to provide health facilities and schools, he has to go and plead with Mr Rupiah Banda who has the purse. Since he is our competitor it's our chance to develop this country."

Vice-President Kunda said when the late member of parliament for Chitambo Nassim Hamir was in power, there were several developmental projects earmarked which Dr Musonda will continue.

Reuben Island is situated about 15 kilometres from the Zambian border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Among the many problems the island faces is lack of transport to cross the river because the pontoon is non-functional and has no health centre, and poor road infrastructure, among others.

The Chitambo parliamentary seat fell vacant after Hamir's death in May this year.

The candidates participating in tomorrow's by-elections are PF's Mutale, MMD's Dr Musonda, FDD's Evans Chola and UNIP's Timothy Kapolo.

Labels: GEORGE KUNDA, PF-UPND, VOTERIGGING

posted by MrK @ 6:40 PM