Maravi

Voting in Kasama poll begins

Voting in Kasama poll begins
Written by Chibaula Silwamba in Kasama
Thursday, October 15, 2009 6:26:21 PM

Voting in Kasama Central parliamentary by-election has began and candidates have expressed confidence of victory in today's by-election.

The election is being held in Kasama, a town in the Northern Province of Zambia.e
And some Kasama residents chased, threatened to beat and burn a vehicle for commerce minister Felix Mutati and health minister Kapembwa Simbao on Tuesday night when they allegedly wanted to distribute blankets and mealie meal to potential electorate.

In separate interviews yesterday, Patriotic Front candidate Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, MMD's Burton Mugala and independent candidate Christy Ntalasha said they would win the elections.

Speaking on behalf of Mugala, MMD deputy national secretary Jeff Kaande said the ruling party would get the seat.

"MMD is winning on Thursday. It will be our day. I am here so that I can take honourable Mugala to Parliament," said Kaande. "I am confident because of the work we have put in as a party."

And Mwamba said he would have the last laugh and shame the MMD.

"The campaign is going extremely well; I think all is under control and it looks like the people of Kasama Central of all tribes have decided who they want to be their next member of parliament. Beyond that, I think PF has done very well in terms of its campaign, we have equally concentrated in rural areas where previously the MMD have always been winning us from but this time around I think we have done very well," Mwamba said. "I have personally spearheaded the campaign in rural areas and all seems to be well. My chances of winning I would say they are 101 per cent because the people that I have so far visited have decided that I will be the right person to represent them in Parliament."

He said he had a lot of money therefore he was not going to Parliament as a job seeker.

"My key position would be to talk on behalf of the people of Kasama and not to enrich myself or not to go to the NCC [National Constitutional Conference] so that I could earn a bit of money. To me money is not my priority; I think I have enough money," Mwamba said. "It's not a member of parliament who thinks that these should be the key areas it's the people themselves because each area of this constituency has got different problems. So I will first of all listen from the people from each and every ward, they will tell me, they will present to me the problems that they are facing and thereafter we will sit down, digest and see how we move forward."

He said he would personally mobilise funds for the development of the constituency.

Ntalasha said he had explained his vision and dreams for Kasama and he was confident that the voters would favour him with their votes.

"For me the campaign went on well except few intimidations from the ruling party. I have done what I should have done and I explained my dream and vision for Kasama Central and the whole nation. Now it's up to the voters to make a choice," she said.

Ntalasha said he would also champion media freedom if elected member of parliament.

"I believe that democracy and the media go together. I believe in a free and independent media," said Ntalasha.

All Peoples' Congress (APC) candidate Maggie Ngona and independent candidate Muhamad Ayub Hamir said they were far addressing campaign meetings but offered to give interviews later. UNIP candidate Alexandar Chansa could not be reached by press time.

Anti Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) executive director Bonny Tembo confirmed that some people at New Town market threatened to burn Simbao and Mutati's vehicle.

"We were informed by our monitors who witnessed the incidence. The ministers had blankets, mealie meal and money to give to the would-be voters. But that area where they went is PF and people were very much alert and when our monitors saw what was happening they called us. Angry people had to chase Mutati and Simbao and wanted to set ablaze their vehicle," said Tembo. Despite several attempts to phone Simbao and Mutati, their mobile phones were not going through.

Chief Mwamba and an AVAP official Michael Mwale called for peaceful elections today.

"We want the people to vote wisely. They should scrutinise their candidate very well," said Mwale.

Chief Mwamba said cadres coming from outside were the ones that usually cause violence.

"The language has been crude. But the people are willing to go and vote," said chief Mwamba.

Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, KASAMA

posted by MrK @ 5:26 PM