Chitala campaigns for PF in Mbala

Chitala campaigns for PF in Mbala
By Ernest Chanda in Mbala
Sat 07 May 2011, 04:01 CAT

MBALA residents have pleaded with Dr Mbita Chitala to use his experience in conducting the parallel vote tabulation system and ensure that Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata’s votes are not stolen in the coming general election. And Dr Chitala has apologised to the electorate in Mbala for persuading them to vote for President Rupiah Banda in 2008 whose government has neglected them.

During a two and half hour meeting which was called by Dr Chitala at Mbala’s Makungo Hall on Tuesday, the residents demanded an assurance that they would not be cheated out of victory. Dr Chitala, who was President Banda’s campaign manager in the 2008 presidential election, was on a mission to uproot MMD in its strongholds in Northern Province.

A Mbala resident, Mathew Mushikiti, told Dr Chitala that Mbala would not have been neglected if he did not campaign for President Banda in the 2008 presidential election.

“Dr Chitala you came here in 2008 and told us not to vote for Mr Sata, even when we wanted to vote for him. You could have stopped this suffering in Mbala if you did not ensure that Mr Rupiah Banda won. You campaigned for MMD in that election and castigated PF, and we listened to you because you are a man of principle,” said Mushikiti.

“We will go with you, but please ensure that MMD does not steal the PF vote this time. You were with those people and obviously you know how they were stealing votes. Please identify the strikers and midfielders in MMD, just like in football so that you mark them and they don't steal the vote. For now Mbala has no MP, that's why we want to choose a serious person. And if you let them steal the votes, we will go backwards.”

Another resident, Joseph Chikombo cautioned Dr Chitala against being bribed by the MMD government so that he could go against his stance to support the PF.

Chikombo also complained that the district did not have a community radio station, which could have helped in sensitising communities on the need for a change of government.

A Mr Wilombe asked Dr Chitala to tell freelance journalist Chanda Chimba III who does propaganda documentaries for the MMD that Mbala was bitter with him.

“If he continues I will be forced to become a Muslem, and you know what that means,” said Wilombe as the hall erupted in laughter.

In response, Dr Chitala vowed not to be compromised by anyone.

“I apologise for supporting a person who has not implemented any meaningful programmes for you. And this man lied to us that he would just be there to finish off Levy Mwanawasa’s term and leave. He told me, ba Rodger Chongwe, ba (Mike) Mulongoti; that's what he told all of us. At the time, all of us thought he was a good man and we gave him the chance,” Dr Chitala told a packed audience. “Yes, I admit I’m responsible for this misery because I was his campaign manager. But I can assure you that I’m incorruptible; no one will ever corrupt me. They can fix my businesses, deny me a radio licence or do whatever, but I will always stick to my principles. So, since I conducted parallel vote tabulation for Mr Rupiah Banda and he won, I will do the same for president Sata. I will use my experience to ensure that we mark their strikers and ensure that PF scores massive victory.”

Dr Chitala further encouraged residents to go and vote in numbers to give more votes to the PF. He said Sata and the PF should get a minimum of 60 per cent votes in Mbala.

He urged them to desist from violence, saying politics was a battle of ideas. “If you fail to persuade someone to join the PF, don’t fight them physically. Just leave them and look for other people to persuade. We are all Zambians, so there is no need to shed each other's blood,” said Dr Chitala.