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Ex-diplomat counsels MMD leadership

Ex-diplomat counsels MMD leadership
By Florence Bupe in Lilongwe, Malawi
Thu 31 Mar. 2011, 04:00 CAT

THE ruling MMD must realise that they will not be in State House forever and should not disregard people who hold divergent views from theirs, says a former government official Violet Simwanza.

In an interview, Simwanza, who served as Zambia’s third secretary to the United States in the First Republic, said it was disheartening that the MMD had chosen to disregard citizens who were not in the ‘system’.

“It’s clear that they have forgotten the fact that State House is not just for the ruling party, it is for every Zambian who desires to make a positive contribution to the country,” she said.

Simwanza is currently based in Lilongwe where she has been running a hospitality business for the past 15 years.

She said it was sad that the MMD leadership had forgotten about the heroes and heroines who fought for the independence of the country, some of whom were still alive and leading impoverished lives.

She said the current leadership had exhibited high levels of greed with their priority based on personal, rather than collective gain in the interest of ordinary Zambians.

Simwanza advised opposition political parties to work together to facilitate a change of government after this year’s general elections.

And Simwanza wondered why the ruling MMD was so uncomfortable on the implementation of the parallel vote tabulation (PVT) system during this year’s general elections.

She said the government should appreciate the calls from the majority of Zambians to have the PVT system applied in this year’s elections.

Labels: MMD

posted by MrK @ 6:20 AM