MMD shouldn’t be scared of PVT if its hands are clean - SACCORD

MMD shouldn’t be scared of PVT if its hands are clean - SACCORD
By Speedwell Mupuchi in Kitwe
Sun 06 Mar. 2011, 04:00 CAT

SACCORD says the MMD should not be scared of the parallel vote tabulation (PVT) if its hands are clean for the upcoming general elections.

And SACCORD noted with great concern that an unholy alliance has been made between the public media and some NGOs whose only job is to issue statements aimed at propping a regime whose time Zambians are calling.

In a statement on Friday, Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) information officer Obby Chibuluma condemned the continued “peddling of lies about its work by state sponsored NGOs such as Committee of Citizens and the Forum for Leadership Search”.

Chibuluma said the conduct of the government sponsored and fed “NGO leaders” was worrying and urged Zambians to continue dismissing their statements.

“We are shocked at the levels of desperation on the part of those in government. They want to remain in power by all means including hiring individuals to do their work through lies that can never be substantiated,” he said. “These government NGOs have suddenly become experts on almost everything and this surely cannot be true.”

He said due to such panic from the MMD government and its cohorts, SACCORD was now willing to undertake the PVT in the 2011 elections and would work with anyone who wanted to ensure that people's votes were not stolen.

“We will be there to expose all the malpractices and protect the people's votes,” he said.

Chibuluma encouraged genuine NGOs to remain focused and not allow the desperation of the MMD leadership and its NGOs to detract them from their noble work.

He said the government in its desperation was using people to talk about things they did not understand.

Chibuluma said the lack of confidence in the electoral process necessitated employing the PVT, which keeps a separate track of announced results, so that Zambians could have genuine winners as their leaders.

“The PVT results will not be a creation of the organisation(s) doing it but will be the same results according to what will be declared in the polling stations by ECZ officials,” he said.

“We want to warn those in government that if their intentions are to tamper with the people's will during elections, they will be shocked as Zambians will surely have these results and will be in a better position to challenge them.

PVT is also aimed at stopping any rigging as such, those in power must know that genuine NGOs will be watching over these results.”

Chibuluma challenged individuals saying the PVT was illegal to state which laws in Zambia banned the conducting of PVT.

“It's disappointing that in MMD's desperation, lies are being told about laws that don't exist,” Chibuluma said. “We challenge information minister Ronnie Shikapwasha and his NGOs to state which laws in Zambia ban the conducting of PVT.”

He said the PVT was not illegal and Zambians were free to do it if they could afford.
Chibuluma also wondered whether or not editorial policies of the public media were about telling lies or embracing lies as long as such benefited politicians in government.