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Rupiah, ECZ must be held accountable over UPG - Sishuwa

Rupiah, ECZ must be held accountable over UPG - Sishuwa
By Roy Habaalu
Thu 18 Aug. 2011, 13:59 CAT

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda and the ECZ must be held accountable for any violence that may arise after the elections, says an Oxford University political scholar. And Elias Chipimo says if allegations against UPG are not addressed, there will be a perception that was not cared about.

Commenting on the controversy surrounding Universal Print Group (UPG), a South African company hired by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to print ballot papers for this year’s tripartite elections on Radio Phoenix’s Let the People Talk programme, Sishuwa Sishuwa, a specialist in African studies, said President Banda should ensure that conditions that people want are addressed and taken into consideration.

He said if MMD won the elections, even by a small margin, no matter how genuine it may be, there may be a perception that the elections were rigged owing to what is obtaining on the ground.

“People may rise and protest because they suspect there was a hand that stole their vote. Deal with these issues otherwise I think the President and ECZ must be held accountable for any violence,” said Sishuwa.

Meanwhile, former secretary to the cabinet Sketchley Sacika said President Banda should instruct ECZ to cancel the contract to UPG.

He said ECZ was not in a position to deliver free and fair elections.

“The President is supporting ECZ over UPG. If there is evidence that this company has been involved in hanky-panky, in bribing officers at ECZ, then it disqualifies itself being involved in this electoral process,” said Sacika.

“I have been involved in elections since 1962; ballot papers were always printed at Government Printers including ballot papers for the crucial 1991 elections. Why should printing of ballot papers be done outside the country.”

Sacika said there was likely to be trouble after elections since UPG has gone ahead to print ballot papers amidst controversy over its dealings with the ECZ.

Meanwhile, Chipimo, during the newsmakers forum organised by the Press Freedom Committee (PFC) of The Post at Lusaka Playhouse on Tuesday, said people need a robust and committed response to get to the bottom of the issue ECZ.

“I do believe that as Electoral Commission, they must take a stand, they must be able to say let us investigate these allegations because they are serious allegations. I don’t think we can just brush them aside,” Chipimo said.

He said the ECZ needed to investigate the allegations in order for the electoral process to carry the credibility expected.

Chipimo said ECZ should remember that it was dealing with a sensitive issue whereby the US and UK governments had issued advisory warnings to their citizens not to travel to Zambia over concerns about the prospects of violence flaring up in the election.

“If we don’t properly address these allegations, whether they are true or not true, we create the perception that we don’t care about the will of the people and for that reason we need a more robust and committed response to get to the bottom of this issue by ECZ,” he said.

Labels: ECZ, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 3:22 PM