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MMD wiil be history, says Nawakwi

MMD wiil be history, says Nawakwi
By Kombe Chimpinde
Mon 04 July 2011, 04:00 CAT

MMD will be history by September this year after general elections, says Edith Nawakwi. Nawakwi, the FDD leader who campaigned for President Rupiah Banda in the 2008 presidential by-election, said the last-minute projects and politically motivated initiatives would not woo Zambians into voting for MMD in this year's elections.

“By September this year, MMD will be history and we (Zambians) will ensure that we restore the abuse of office clause in the ACC clause to ensure that the MMD government accounts for abuse of public resources which it resolved to start looting from Zambians when they removed the abuse of office clause,” Nawakwi said in an interview.

She said the last-minute projects that President Banda had embarked on would not save him in this year's elections.

“This is a campaign gimmick, and Zambians are saying ‘we deserve planned, well thought-through development’. When the international community forgave our debt, they emphasised that the money must be spent on our social sectors.

We expected that the money was going to uplift the standards of living of the people of Zambia, the education standards, give us better health facilities and hospitals. Unfortunately this government has embarked on carrying out makeshift development,” Nawakwi said.

“In January I heard that by about April the government will contract so many road contractors who will go on rampage of 'make believe' patching and tarring of roads for purposes of campaigns.”

Nawakwi said it was sad for President Banda to think Zambians would turn around and support him after failing to deliver meaningful development in the two and half years he had been office.

“Even if they do the roads, that does not give us medicine in the hospitals. It does not give us jobs for the people because most of the contractors are foreign. It is sad that President Banda has even decided to give up the two per cent shares it government had in Lumwana mine for short-term gains when they could have been well planned and budgeted for. This is reckless spending for purposes of winning elections,” Nawakwi said.

“President Banda is a man who is so desperate to cling to power that he even goes to inspect the so-called developmental projects physically. Such kind of desperation causes injury in terms of elections as people resort to means which are not conventional such as thinking one can spend a trillion in one month for purposes of elections. That's total abuse of office.”

And Nawakwi said Zambians must ensure that President Banda and his team give an account of misappropriation of public resources that is currently taking place. She warned President Banda and his colleagues that Zambia was too small a country for them to escape from what she described as clear abuse of authority when they are voted out of power.

“This continued abuse of public office will go on unless the people of Zambia wake up and decisively agree that MMD's time is up. That's the only solution. This abuse should not go on for another term because we (Zambians) will restore the abuse of office clause.

Zambians should stop mourning about abuse of funds, get together, organise ourselves and move,” she said.

Meanwhile Nawakwi has warned that posterity will judge Eddie Mupeso, the director general of state-owned and government controlled ZNBC for denying the opposition political parties equal coverage.

“How do you ensure that there are free and fair elections when the media, from when you switch on ZNBC till you switch off, is only talking about Rupiah Banda, George Kunda or a chief talking about Rupiah Banda. Where is the fairness?” Nawakwi asked.

“In fact, Mupeso should watch out because he is collecting money from us and abusing that generosity given to ZNBC through the people. We can only warn him that his days are numbered because when MMD goes out, Mupeso should account for his misdeeds at ZNBC.”

Nawakwi also observed that the single action of delaying the announcement of the date of elections by President Banda was creating an unfair situation for other political parties as those in government would continue to abuse state resources for party activities and campaigns.

“Let us be honourable enough to go through these elections fairly and peacefully. Instead of putting up a face to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to say the country will go through free and fair elections, we must agree, believe and do it rather than just making empty statements. Zambia is a beacon of peace in Southern Africa and those in charge of these elections should know that they are holding the peace of the whole of southern Africa,” said Nawakwi.

Labels: EDITH NAWAKWI, MMD

posted by MrK @ 3:29 PM