Maravi

ECZ saga raises rigging worries

ECZ saga raises rigging worries
By Chibaula Silwamba, Edwin Mbulo and Agness Changala
Sun 30 Jan. 2011, 04:01 CAT

Anti-Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) executive director Bonnie Tembo says the ECZ should not be compromised by government as this may lead to vote rigging. And Edith Nawakwi says the unceremonious hounding out of justice Florence Mumba from ECZ is tragic.

In an interview yesterday, Tembo said the happenings at the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) were worrying.

“We want Vice-President George Kunda to make public his reactions to the ECZ workers’ demands when he met their leaders. As at now, what we are hearing is that they want to use the ECZ to rig this year’s elections hence justice Mumba’s eviction,” Tembo said.

He said the recent ECZ demonstration and work stoppage were a source of concern as they set a wrong precedent.

“Now it would just be a demonstration by workers to remove anybody as powerful as justice Mumba. We don’t want such a thing,” he said.

And Nawakwi said there was no reason why Zambians should allow former ECZ director Dan Kalale to bounce back even in the darkest hour of the night.

Commenting on the government-orchestrated pressure that led to justice Mumba’s resignation as ECZ chairperson, Nawakwi said the removal of justice Mumba was in the most unceremonious circumstance and against the democratic processes that Zambia was fighting for.

“It’s most tragic that when a woman works so hard and raises to such high heights as being chair of a democratic process, the men in this country will find every description at their disposal to trounce on the rights and freedom of a hardworker like justice Florence Mumba,” Nawakwi (right) said.

“Unfortunately in this country, if you are smart, and most of us women are smarter, then men will either call you corrupt or a prostitute because some of our male colleagues will not stand intellect, forthrightness and upfront clarity of thought.”

Nawakwi, who is president of opposition Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD), said justice Mumba had served not just in Zambia but also at many international fora.

“I don’t know what the administrative position of ECZ is, if she erred to contract KPMG to audit, maybe she had a reason for it because the Auditor General’s Office works at a snail’s pace and is under the yoke of the executive,” Nawakwi said.

She said after the sacking of Kalale and resignation of justice Mumba, there would be need for new people to take over the running of the ECZ.

“As political parties who are stakeholders, we have to meet and discuss because we don’t want to go into the general elections with doubts in our mind,” said Nawakwi. “This issue requires inter-party dialogue.”

And the Zambia National Women’s Lobby said it was not easy for those in high office to leave office.

And former Senanga member of parliament, William Harrington, said justice Florence Mumba must be commended for taking a bold decision of resigning if it was done in her own free will. Harrington said leaders who got embroiled in cases of impropriety should resign when such allegations are put forward.

“Assuming that she resigned on her own free will, then she has shown a lot of courage which must be emulated by other leaders,” he said.

Harrington said President Rupiah Banda has continued to harbour a lot of leaders who have been accused of corruption.

Labels: BONNIE TEMBO, ECZ, EDITH NAWAKWI, VOTERIGGING

posted by MrK @ 2:46 PM