Maravi

It’s illegal to use public funds for campaigns - Chitala

It’s illegal to use public funds for campaigns - Chitala
By Chibaula Silwamba
Sat 28 May 2011, 04:01 CAT

RUPIAH Banda and the MMD’s use of public resources and chiefs to campaign for their re-election will not work, says Mbita Chitala. Commenting on ministers’ 21-day countrywide campaign trail under the pretext that they are touring government projects, Chitala, a former deputy minister of finance and one-time ambassador to Libya, said use of public resources for political campaigns was illegal.

“Abuse of public resources is not only unlawful, it is also immoral and should be condemned by all democracy loving people,” Chitala said.

He said the Electoral Code of Conduct prohibited chiefs from taking partisan positions.

Chitala said use of public resources and chiefs’ involvement in partisan politics was punishable.

“The country has gone back to the authoritarian system of the one party state of UNIP,” Chitala said.

He said President Banda’s MMD had eroded all the gains from the reintroduction of multiparty democracy attained in 1991.

“Chiefs are traditional leaders for all of us, be it in opposition or ruling party, so they should show that leadership by being above politics. Chiefs are too senior to be intertwined in politics. They should be fair to all of us as their children,” Chitala said.

“It is not good for chiefs to be partisan. Chiefs that are partisan will not have respect from their subjects.”

The MMD has been parading chiefs on the state-run Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) TV to endorse the re-election bid of President Banda.

Labels: CAMPAIGN FINANCE, CHIEFS, CORRUPTION, MBITA CHITALA, SEPARATION OF POWERS

posted by MrK @ 5:56 PM