Only a mad person can defect from the Pact to join MMD, says Kapita

Only a mad person can defect from the Pact to join MMD, says Kapita
By Mwala Kalaluka
Mon 15 Mar. 2010, 04:30 CAT

UPND vice-president Richard Kapita yesterday said the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ)’s declaration of the Milanzi by-election ignoring the Mufumbwe one is an indication the MMD was scared of losing.

And Kapita said only a mad person can defect from the incoming government of the UPND-PF pact to join the sinking Titanic of the MMD. Meanwhile, the UPND has demanded the immediate release of incarcerated Change Life Zambia (CLZ) director Fr Frank Bwalya.

During a press briefing at the party secretariat, Kapita said the UPND was baffled and surprised by the ECZ’s action to only declare Milanzi.

“We feel this is a waste of resources the country does not have,” Kapita said. “That is not prudent and if you are as poor as we are, you must be frugal. We are aware that the MMD are scared. They are sick to their stomachs because they know that they will not win the election and therefore they are calling for one parliamentary by-election and we know they influenced this decision.”

Kapita said the MMD were panicking because they had lost the Kasama and Solwezi by-elections.

“It is a continuing trend and it will not change. We are aware that the MMD are tapping our possible candidates in both Milanzi and Mufumbwe. This is a sign that the MMD is finished,” he said.

“And we know they are panicking because they do not have candidates in these two constituencies,” he said. “For purposes of costs we urge the ECZ to reconsider its position.”

Kapita urged the ECZ and the MMD to stop fearing the inevitable losses in the pending by-elections.

“But we would like them to declare Milanzi as well as Mufumbwe,” he said. “We have so many needs that we can’t allow the ECZ and the MMD to continuously spend our money recklessly with impunity.”

And Kapita said the defections that took place during the MMD’s card renewal in Lusaka were fake.

“I looked and searched I think I only counted four UPND cards,” Kapita said. “They were fake defections. There was no UPND. It can only be a mad person who can decide to leave the incoming government of the UPND-PF and defect to the sinking Titanic of the MMD.”

Meanwhile, Kapita said Fr Bwalya’s arrest was intimidation of the highest order.
“Fr Frank Bwalya launched his Red Card campaign, which was endorsed by a lot of people,” Kapita said.

“I attended that inauguration two weeks ago with our chairman for legal affairs, Honourable Mwiimbu and it was overwhelmingly successful.”

Kapita said the country had gone past those days when people were incarcerated without trial and it was on this basis that the UPND and their colleagues were demanding for his immediate release.

“Mr. Banda should know that. He was put in prison by a man he is protecting from going to prison,” he said. “Mr. Banda is trying to go back to those days of UNIP.”

He said President Banda was busy trying to shut down civil society organisations.
“Only if that NGO is parroting the MMD song they will not allow it to flourish. I think that is backwardness,” Kapita said.

“We should not allow the MMD to run far with such draconian measures as if we are still in the 60s. It is up to us as Zambians to either kick or accept the MMD.”

He asked Zambians to stand up and be counted.

“We should not allow our freedoms to be trumped on by a despotic or desperate government that wants to cling on to power,” said Kapita.