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UPG’s corruption is well known - Mulongoti

UPG’s corruption is well known - Mulongoti
By Chibaula Silwamba
Tue 09 Aug. 2011, 14:02 CAT

MIKE Mulongoti yesterday said the corruption of UPG, a company contracted by the ECZ to print ballot papers, is well known and those interviewed in connection with the corruption are well known. And a printing expert has said production of ballot papers in South Africa will make the electoral process susceptible to fraud.

Commenting on the Electoral Commission of Zambia’s (ECZ) insistence that next month’s election ballot papers will be printed by Universal Printing Group (UPG), Mulongoti, a former works and supply minister, said he was surprised that the ECZ was not addressing the various critical matters that have arisen on the question of printing ballot papers.

He said what was more was that ECZ was not even bothered to respond to concerns raised by independent stakeholders such as the president of Professional Printers Association of Zambia, Charles Zimba, who is an employee of Government Printers.

“He was shown on Muvi TV displaying samples of ballot papers printed by Government Printers to show that Government Printers has the capacity to print these ballot papers,” Mulongoti said.

“But the ECZ that is supposed to be only a referee in this matter saw it fit to attack and call me names instead of dealing with issues. It is worrying when a referee begins to participate in a game instead of being a neutral arbiter.”

Mulongoti said the printing of ballot papers was not a matter that could be decided without the involvement of all stakeholders in a transparent manner.

“Clearly, there is a problem at ECZ. And this is what everybody needs to face up to,” Mulongoti said.

“Last week, Hon. Given Lubinda raised a very serious allegation regarding ECZ’s preferred printer UPG being corrupt. This was such a categorical allegation that it is not normal for ECZ to start sending the public to ACC. The corruption of UPG is well known hence that categorical statement by Hon. Lubinda. And those who have been interviewed in connection with that corruption are well known. Is ECZ saying they don’t know? Giving such a serious contract to a well known corrupt company is an attempt to cover up frauds against the people.”

Mulongoti further said if ECZ were saying that they advertised the tender for one month, were they also saying that no Zambian printer responded to the advert?

“If so, why?” he asked.

“Could it be that the tender was deliberately designed to exclude local printers? Whatever the case, this nation must not allow a company that has been engaged in corruption to participate in this election because it compromises the outcome. We know what UPG has been doing. Judge Ireen Mambilima is an eminent judge who should be very careful or she will end up as a victim of this fraud. This is a very serious matter.”

Mulongoti wondered ECZ was just insisting that they would not change printers instead of calling for a meeting with stakeholders.

And Henry Chipewo who is former managing director of Zambia Education Publishing House (ZEPH) and general manager of Printpak Zambia said ballot papers must be printed locally to ensure transparency and curb any possibilities of fraud.

“In printing, once the client approves a sample, it is shot into a negative and printing plate. The plate is the one that is mounted on to a printing press to produce the desired print. Hence in printing, the negative film and printing plate are very important and must be secured like a bank. Failure to do so there can be fraud,” Chipewo said.

“In the case of printing, the client can connive with the printer to release the negatives or better still give samples to more printers to shoot them into printing plates and produce the ballot papers. Hence, taking stakeholders to South Africa to witness the printing, packaging and transportation will not remove the element of fraud.”

Chipewo said the ECZ and government plans to have ballot papers printed in South Africa smells a rat.

“Elections are as important as a government project of building roads and schools which should have been given equal weight. If Government Printers didn’t have capacity they could have been given money to revamp it,” said Chipewo.

“A ballot printing machine is not more than US $150,000 (about K725 million), hence, it could have been purchased even a year before the elections. It is wrong to make printing ballot papers a commercial undertaking and advertise it. It’s government responsibility to do so.”

Despite public disapproval, the ECZ has maintained that it would proceed to print the ballot papers at UPG in South Africa.

ECZ director Priscilla Isaacs has since written to all presidential candidates that have filed in their nominations to submit names of their representatives that would witness the printing of ballot papers in South Africa.

Labels: CORRUPTION, ECZ, GIVEN LUBINDA, MIKE MULONGOTI, VOTERIGGING

posted by MrK @ 5:32 PM