Insistence to print ballot papers in SA is scheme to rig - Nawakwi

Insistence to print ballot papers in SA is scheme to rig - Nawakwi
By Chibaula Silwamba
Sun 31 July 2011, 14:00 CAT

ECZ and the government’s insistence on printing ballot papers in South Africa is a scheme to rig elections, says Edith Nawakwi.

Commenting on the Electoral Commission of Zambia’s (ECZ) engagement of a South African firm to print ballot papers despite public disapproval, Forum for Democracy and Development president Nawakwi demanded that the ballot papers for the September 20 presidential, parliamentary and local government elections must be printed in Zambia.

“The only reason they want to print in South Africa is that they want to print extra ballot papers, some pre-marked, and rig. It’s a scheme for rigging. And they found it that it works, so they are comfortable,” Nawakwi said.

Nawakwi explained that just before justice Florence Mumba was unceremoniously hounded out of office as ECZ chairperson a few months ago, she had called for a meeting with all stakeholders.

“At that meeting, Michael Mabenga was representing MMD and a number of us. The purpose of that meeting was that justice Mumba wanted us to tour the Government Printers after the installation of printing equipment from China for the opposition and the ruling party to ascertain whether the printing machine and the environment was conducive for printing ballot papers,” Nawakwi said.

“I asked her that ‘are you satisfied because you will be Government Printers’ customer?’ She said ‘I can’t comment but we want you all stakeholders to tell us whether we can print ballot papers locally. You go and ask those people at Government Printers’.”

Nawakwi said the stakeholders were told that there was new equipment at Government Printers.

“The purpose of that briefing was that they had sufficient preparations and they just wanted an ‘ok!’ from us so that they could go ahead and print from Government Printers,” Nawakwi said.

“Those that went there on that tour decided that ‘yes, Government Printers was ok but what they needed was a bit more security’.”

Nawakwi expressed discomfort with justice Mumba’s predecessor-turned-successor, justice Irene Mambilima, whom she described as “a government friendly” person for supporting the MMD’s position that it was not possible to print ballot papers locally.

She said justice Mambilima must not think Zambians were senile and with short memory.

“They ECZ and government take us like we have no brains and we don’t think. They show us a facility and a few weeks later they think we have forgotten. Zambians are not senile. Why didn’t the ECZ tell us three months ago that government is refusing to give them funding for repairing printing equipment at Government Printers,” Nawakwi said.

“Rupiah says there is a lot of money. Even this week they were announcing that they are pouring some money into roads. It’s not true that there is no money.”

Nawakwi said political parties must have addressed the contentious issues before elections but President Banda was being elusive.

“We can’t go in the elections with these hot tempers and divisions. We are going to cause crisis in this country,” Nawakwi warned.

She said there were many high quality printing firms in Zambia that could do the job of printing ballot papers.

“If Government Printers is not safe, let us go to New Horizon or Printech. They print books and everything, they are actually far much better than the South African junk. Banks are printing their materials at Printech and Horizon, so let us use those two printers,” Nawakwi said.

“One facility will be for parliamentary and local government ballot papers while other will be for presidential ballot papers.”

She said printing ballot papers locally would end the impasse on the matter and save Zambians a lot of money.

“People are printing T-shirts, cheque books, laminated posters, labels for all the products, and these companies are printing high quality products. So what is so special about the ballot paper? Justice Mambilima should tell me what is so special about that ballot paper,” said Nawakwi.

Justice Mambilima has admitted that printing ballot papers in South Africa was a nightmare.