Nationalisation not in PF's plan - Kabimba

Nationalisation not in PF's plan - Kabimba
By Allan Mulenga
Sun 05 Feb. 2012, 13:00 CAT

THE PF has no plans of nationalising private property, says Wynter Kabimba. In an interview yesterday, Kabimba, who is PF secretary general, said the ruling party would govern the country based on what is contained in its party manifesto.

"What we are going to do in government is all embodied in the party manifesto and nowhere in the manifesto do we say that we are going to nationalise any private property. Really, what Mr George Kunda is talking about is not contained in any document of the Patriotic Front and we are a disciplined party ourselves and we are an organised party," he said.

Kabimba said the policies being implementing were enshrined in the party manifesto.

"We can only go by what has been agreed to as a party. In terms of the social and economic programmes of this country contained in the manifesto. And nationalisation of private property is not one of those programmes," he said.

Kabimba said the PF was a mass party for the pro-poor and its policies were tailored towards poor people.

"We are not like the MMD. The difference between the MMD and the PF was that the MMD was for the elites, the PF was founded to be the voice of the poor in this country. That's the major difference. That's why you see that even these cases of alleged corruption, they have to do with the former ministers and former government officials because those were the owners of the MMD," he said.

Kabimba said contrary to Kunda's assertions that the PF espoused socialism ideologies in its manifesto following the reversal of the sale of Zamtel, the government was only reversing back what was taken away from the Zambian people fraudulently.

"The Zamtel issue was a clear issue of corruption by the MMD themselves. The evidence which came from the tribunal, which was set up by the MMD themselves, we didn't set up the tribunal it was set up under the MMD and they have volumes and volumes of evidence pointing to the fact that Rupiah Banda's children benefited from that transaction….pointing to the fact that some government officials benefited from that transaction evidence is there. As far as we are concerned, we are just reversing back what was taken away from the Zambian people in the fraudulent manner, but that does not apply to every other institutions. The examples he Kunda is giving are wrong examples," he said.

Asked on Kunda's claims that he has the support of some PF members questioning the eligibility of Vice-President Dr Guy Scott, Kabimba responded:

"Dr Scott enjoys the support and cooperation of all senior members of the PF. If indeed it were true that they are some people that are speaking to George Kunda, I am sure he would have given you the names. The reason why he is withholding the names is because he does not have them."

On Thursday, Kunda, who is former Republican vice-president, accused the government of bringing socialist ideologies into the country's governance system.