Maravi

Rupiah is backing MMD violence – Magande

Rupiah is backing MMD violence – Magande
By Kombe Chimpinde
Fri 08 Oct. 2010, 14:30 CAT

FORMER Chilanga member of Parliament Ng'andu Magande has charged that the violent conduct of MMD cadres during nominations of by-elections in Chilanga has the backing of President Rupiah Banda. And the Zambia Teachers Union (ZNUT) has called for the ban of nominations at schools during academic periods.

In an interview with Post Online, Magande said the country has never seen the current unprecedented levels of violence and threats being experienced under the presidency of Banda.

“Why is he quiet? The person I heard yesterday on TV who gave a comment on this (violence) is the spokesperson Ms Dora Siliya and she starts saying, no HH (UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema) was wrong. Wrong to do what?” Magande repeatedly questioned.

He said that as former member parliament for the constituency he was disappointed at the turn of events which clearly showed the lack of understanding of democracy by the MMD.

“And for all I know, MMD cadres in Chilanga are not that wild and indisciplined so these must have been people who were transported to the areas because we have had very important and big, big meetings in area sometimes celebrating national days like tree planting. There were hundreds of youths from the constituency but there was never a problem of anyone attacking the other so really, I want to say it’s very sad and am extremely disappointed, “ Magande said.

“So it is very, very sad really that some parties are just bent on making other people’s lives very difficult. It is clear that yesterday the people who were at the place when all this was happening were MMD cadres.”

Magande cited examples of how the party had in the past coordinated its activities without any record of violence being recorded against other parties.

“In 2006 very close there at Musamba, that’s where we had the nominations and I had my youths, UPND had their youths in fact HH came again and there was nothing like this. You know we just understood one another,” Magande said.

“This kind of behaviour obviously has the blessing of the MMD party President. In 2006 no single incident of violence was recorded during nominations and even during general elections but suddenly since last year this thing is beginning to surface,” Magande wondered.

“The party has been infiltrated by people who don't understand democracy.”

Magande reminded the MMD leaders that democracy was about debating issues and influencing people to understand one’s point of view and not beating one another.

“You can’t understand how we can have a country going in the wrong direction after the former president died. We didn't have all these problems and suddenly Mwanawasa was no more when someone else takes over things start going wrong,” he observed.

“Police are now getting intimidated to the extent that they throw tear gas at the ruling party cadres.”

And reacting to Chilanga by-election election candidate Cosmos Moono that he would find it easy to win in Chilanga because the MMD under Magande had literally done nothing for the constituency, Magande said that his character and work done in the area could not be matched.

“Whats is he talking about when the school where they are even filing nominations was painted by me, those desks were he sat on where donated during my time so it simply means he was not aware of what was happening because immediately he lost he went back to his farm in Mwembeshi,” he said.

“There is a constructions of a clinic, new cooperative storage, so he is going to have a lot of difficulties just like even MMD will have difficulties to tell the people why they had to replace me. There are over a 100 projects which have been done during my time. Those that have not been completed its because they are very big projects.”

And ZNUT president Newman Bubala said the government should ban the holding of election nomination during academic periods if they don’t have proper security measures to avoid violence.

“If they don't have proper security systems, schools should not be the right place for such activities because how many times are we going to have infrastructure in schools being destroyed because of election violence,” he asked.

“... rather close the school so that there is no pupil because in future we will have an incident where pupils will lose their lives. Children are defenseless and they need to be protected.”

Labels: NG'ANDU MAGANDE, POLITICAL VIOLENCE, RUPIAH BANDA, ZNUT

posted by MrK @ 2:36 PM