PVT shouldn’t be debatable, says Fr Miha

PVT shouldn’t be debatable, says Fr Miha
By Gift Chanda
Mon 11 Apr. 2011, 04:01 CAT

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda is afraid of parallel vote tabulation because he knows too well that people are tired and want change, says Fr Miha Drevensek.

In an interview, Fr Miha, who is Mission Press director, said parallel vote tabulation (PVT) should not be debatable especially that it was going to improve the credibility of election results.

“Those with mixed feelings about this process just want to cheat, they are afraid of having a totally transparent election process,” he said.

“Rupiah Banda knows too well that people are tired and want change that is why he is scared of PVT. He knows too well and he will fight hard to cling on to power.”

Fr Miha said if President Banda was sure of winning this year’s elections, he should have been the first one to call for PVT.

“But because people have shown him that they are tired and want change, he cannot allow a transparent process,” he said.

He said the MMD government would be robbing Zambians of their democratic right if it decided to avoid PVT.

“PVT is a special blessing from God. He wants us for once to be honest because Zambians have been cheated so many times,” Fr Miha said.

“Look at the Constitution, what have they done with it? It has failed and how can people trust them to hold a proper election if they have been pulling all these manoeuvres to ensure they stay in power for a long time.”

Fr Miha said as long as Vice-President George Kunda was still highly involved in the electoral process, Zambians should forget about a transparent electoral process.

“These people have taken Zambians for a ride. They are always pulling manoeuvres to ensure that the process is not transparent. As long as they are involved, no Zambian will believe that the elections were free and fair,” he said.

Fr Miha said it was important that PVT was allowed in this year’s elections especially that the elections were likely to be highly contested.

“They should not be afraid if they have actually brought development as they keep boasting. They should call everyone to see that they have genuinely won the elections. PVT is a straight forward issue; we shouldn’t even be debating it. It should be there,” said Fr Miha.