Maravi

Mangani raises rigging fears

Mangani raises rigging fears
By Chibaula Silwamba and Patson Chilemba
Thu 28 July 2011, 14:00 CAT

By LAMECK Mangani has expressed fears that the government’s decision to have ballot papers printed in South Africa might lead to electoral malpractices, which will erode the creditability of the polls.

Commenting on opposition Patriotic Front (PF) secretary general Wynter Kabimba’s apprehension over the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ)’s awarding of a tender to a South African company to print the ballot papers ahead of this year’s elections and his demands that the same be done locally, Mangani said unfairness in the electoral process could affect the outcome.

He said Kabimba’s statement that ballot papers for this year’s elections should be printed locally deserved serious attention from all stakeholders.

“Elections must satisfy the demands of all interested parties and if there is discontentment in some, it is the responsibility of the Electoral Commission of Zambia to address that in an amicable manner,” said Mangani, a former home affairs minister and deputy works and supply minister.

“For me, I do not equally understand the rationale behind printing ballot papers outside the country when Government Printers is capable of doing that,” Mangani said.

“Some may say this has been the trend since MMD came into power, but I would like to remind them that ballot papers were printed in Zambia during the Kaunda government until after the 1991 elections.”

Mangani said the MMD should not run the electoral process because it was an interested party.

“The question most Zambians do ask is, who runs the elections in Zambia? If the MMD government, as an interested party in the elections, is a key player in deciding where ballot papers will be printed, then we would not expect the outcome of these elections to be free and fair. It is through this unfairness that people start doubting the credibility of our electoral process,” Mangani said.

Mangani appealed to churches that were only preaching peace to rise to the challenge and ensure that there was fairness, transparency and accountability in the electoral process. He said as Christians, they should take heed from the social teachings of the church that there was no peace without justice hence his call for a just and fair electoral process then peace would prevail in Zambia.

“At the same time, I wish to appeal to the donor community to come on board and ensure that the concerns of the opposition are adequately addressed. Even if ballot papers are printed locally, what measures are they putting in place to curtail electoral malpractices? Prevention is better than cure so goes the old adage, hence the need to do something about the concerns of stakeholders,” said Mangani.

“Once again, I appeal to our cooperating partners and the Church to engage all political players involved in this exercise to amicably resolve the discontents of those concerned like yesterday.”

And Mbita Chitala said the continued pomposity by the MMD government to continue printing ballot papers outside Zambia was a recipe for rigging. He wondered why a country that had managed to print the ballot papers locally between 1964 and 1991 could not manage to do so now.

Dr Chitala said there were a lot of Zambian companies including Government Printers which had the capabilities to print ballot papers locally.

He said, moreover, the people they contract to print the ballot papers in South Africa also subcontract others, thus giving more employment to South Africans.

Dr Chitala said even the transportation of ballot papers from South Africa was another area of concern because some papers could arrive in Zmabia without the knowledge of the ECZ.

Addressing journalists and some PF members at the party secretariat on Tuesday, Kabimba said the party was not comfortable with the security surrounding the printing of ballot papers abroad.

Kabimba, on behalf of the PF, demanded that the ballot papers be printed in Zambia.

Labels: LAMECK MANGANI, PF, VOTERIGGING, WYNTER KABIMBA

posted by MrK @ 2:14 PM