Maravi

Rupiah has abused people’s sympathy, says Chumbwe
By Bright Mukwasa
Fri 27 May 2011, 04:01 CAT

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has heavily abused the sympathy vote he was given in 2008, says Geoffrey Chumbwe. And Chumbwe says it is immoral for President Banda to play around with the health of the people of Chongwe district who were admitted to the newly built hospital for “show” during the launch of the mobile hospitals.

In an interview, Chumbwe said people that voted for President Banda hoped he would continue and commit to late president Levy Mwanawasa’s vision and dream.
Chumbwe said President Banda’s move to divert from those promises made him unworthy of another mandate.


“President Banda has already used the sympathy vote and heavily abused it; he has wasted it. He's going in this election. And we’re going into this election head-on,” Chumbwe said.

He said this year the MMD would not even get the rural vote.
He said the U-turn on many of Mwanawasa's promises, had spoiled many chances of the MMD to gain votes in this year's election.

Chumbwe also accused President Banda of being insensitive to the health of the people of Chongwe district.

He alleged that during commissioning of mobile hospitals in Chongwe recently, President Banda's government organised sick people from surrounding health centres to pose in the hospital just to show that his regime was working.

“Patients were brought here and put in wards, but the moment he left, the people were removed. Mobile hospitals also left just the moment he left,” said Chumbwe.
He said the MMD's desperation to win votes was reaching dangerous levels as it had resorted to playing with people's lives.

''It's unbelievable that President Banda is playing with people's lives. We can't have a liar for a President. It's really painful you know,” said Chumbwe during a visit at the hospital.

And a check at Chongwe district health centre found patients crowded and some of them sleeping on the floor while relatives waiting for expectant mothers spent nights in an open shelter.

The newly built hospital had no staff manning it and at the time of the check it remained closed.

And speaking when he donated bicycles to PF party members in Chongwe last weekend, Chumbwe urged the beneficiaries to intensify their recruitment of members in the interior of the district.

He urged his party members to use the bicycles for mobilisation.

posted by MrK @ 4:37 PM