Maravi

Zambians should never vote for Rupiah, MMD - Milupi

Zambians should never vote for Rupiah, MMD - Milupi
By Mwala Kalaluka in Luena
Fri 16 July 2010, 04:01 CAT

CHARLES Milupi on Wednesday said the people of Luena should never vote for President Rupiah Banda’s MMD because he is ungrateful like a man who messes up the well after drinking from it.

And Milupi said the MMD government and not him as a parliamentarian should be wholly blamed for the non-fulfilment of some development pledges he made to the people of Luena in 2006.

Addressing a public rally at Liumbo Basic School in Ndanda area of Luena, Milupi, a former Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairperson, who is re-contesting the Luena seat on his Alliance for Development and Democracy (ADD) ticket, said the people of Luena must reject President Banda’s MMD on August 5 because he was ungrateful for the overwhelming support they gave him in 2008.

“The MMD is beyond redemption. There is nowhere they are going and they have reached the end of their mandate,” Milupi said. “The 20 years that they will clock in 2011 I am sure the mandate that God gave them has ended.”

Milupi said the people of Luena should not vote for anybody aligned to President Banda because he insulted them when he told his own provincial party chairman Simasiku Namakando, over the Vice-Presidency slot for the province, that he did not ask for the vote of the people of Western Province.

“U ezize pukucwe munyelela siliba he has messed up the well,” Milupi said.

Milupi said it was surprising that Namakando was still going round asking people to vote for the MMD against this background.

“The way he insulted the people of Western Province that he did not ask for our votes is the way he is insulting the donor community,” Milupi said. “The MMD government has failed to fight corruption; that is why you even hear the donors and others are complaining on a daily basis.”

Milupi said the MMD did not deserve to be voted for in Luena in the forthcoming by-election and beyond because in its 18 years in power, it had reduced the Western Province to the least developed province.

“Once you vote for ADD it means that the MMD is getting out of power because all they want is to always use Western Province as a ladder,” Milupi said. “Do not make the MMD your misfortune as the people of Eastern Province did with UNIP.”

Milupi said he brutalised the parties that stood with him in Luena in 2006 and would do so in the by-election.

“A by-election is not like a general election. A by-election is like entering in a lion’s den,” he said.

However, as he was speaking a few people in the audience started grumbling that he had not fulfilled some of the promises he made to them in 2006.

“Mukwakwa upalile ni factory ni market you have not done the road, factory and market,” one of the men interrupted Milupi who asked, “hape muboni zeng’wi zeluezize but you have seen the other things that we have done?”

But the man insisted that he had not seen anything while others said they had.

Milupi then asked those that had seen some of his works to state who had done it and they said he was responsible for that.

He explained that the job of a member of parliament was to facilitate development, and it was up to the government to ensure that this development was taken to the countryside.

He said this was what the concept of separation of powers entailed.

“The road from Malala to Ndanda to Simaa up to Sitoya, every year the government says it is in the annual work plan; who has put it there?” Milupi asked. “Who is failing to do it? Should I come here with my spade and do the road?”

Milupi said two vital roads in Luena had not been completed because of the government’s lopsided economic policies.

“The only money we control is CDF. It is us who fought hard for it to be increased,” said Milupi. “These elections are key, and this is why you see that the MMD want to get it at all costs but can anyone bring this development in nine months? In my case, I know what is still needed.”

Political parties have intensified their campaigns for the Luena seat ahead of polling day.

Labels: ADD, CHARLES MILUPI, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 3:03 PM