Maravi

Heed KK's advice, Chief Nalubamba urges govt

Heed KK's advice, Chief Nalubamba urges govt
By Roy Habaalu
Fri 16 Sep. 2011, 13:55 CAT

SENIOR chief Bright Nalubamba of the Ila people of Southern Province says only corrupt leaders can take offence over Dr Kenneth Kaunda's statement on peace.

Commenting on Dr Kenneth Kaunda's appeal to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to let the will and interest of the people prevail without let or hindrance so that Zambia can maintain its historical reputation as an oasis of peace and tranquility, chief Nalubamba said if people were fed up with a particular leadership, it must go.

He said the MMD government should learn from Dr Kaunda's exemplary leadership where he humbly conceded defeat in 1991.

"If people don't want you, you go! Yes, and that's why Dr Kaunda is respected. I support Dr Kaunda and I hope everybody else will follow his wise advice. He even cut short his term of office by three years just to respond to the wishes of the people. Such kind of leadership is exemplary and I hope that these young men can take a leaf from that. He did not only cut short his term, even when he was defeated, he humbly handed over power. He was a very clean man, he didn't want to think power, Kaunda is a model," chief Nalubamba said.

He said stakeholders should take heed of Dr Kaunda's concerns over the corruption of United Print group (UPG), the South African company that was engaged to print ballot papers.

On Thursday, Dr Kaunda, who has been engaged by ECZ to promote peaceful elections, said the commission's silence on the matter threatened the country's peace and stability.

"The revelation that the printing company selected to print ballot papers for next week's elections has been involved in acts of corruption with Electoral Commission of Zambia officers is a grave indictment on the election process that is currently being facilitated by the commission. This, in itself, threatens the peace and stability of our country because it undermines the credibility of our electoral process in the eyes of our people," Dr Kaunda said.

"It breeds justifiable suspicions of possible collusion and electoral malpractices that may lead to the election results not being accepted by both losers and the winners. Already, warnings are being issued of possible election rigging. It is therefore in all our interests that the Electoral Commission of Zambia rises to the challenge and deals with the complications that have been created by the revelations of the character of the company chosen to print our ballot papers to the reasonable satisfaction of all key political players.

Ignoring such a serious problem may prove to be a naïve and costly mistake that our country cannot afford."

Chief Nalubamba said the MMD wanted to cling to power because they were hiding something.

"I hope people will follow his (Dr Kaunda's) advice and whoever loses will lose with dignity and whoever wins will take it humbly as well. We need a peaceful Zambia; we don't want Zambians in pieces because of selfish leaders to destroy the country. We pray for that day, come September 20, Zambians will vote for whom they want to be president of this country and members of parliament. No threat of violence should stop them from doing that. That's my prayer," he said.

Labels: CHIEF NALUBAMBA, ECZ, KENNETH KAUNDA

posted by MrK @ 3:51 PM