Shamenda dismisses MMD ‘autocratic' allegations

COMMENT - Huh? The MMD is a party of the past. They had no strategy after they came into power in 1991, other than to do whatever the IMF and World Bank say.

Shamenda dismisses MMD ‘autocratic' allegations
By Bright Mukwasa
Fri 02 Mar. 2012, 10:59 CAT

FACKSON Shamenda says allegations by the MMD that the government was autocratic were a sign of panic and a strategy to divert attention from the ongoing crusade against corruption.

Shamenda, who is information, broadcasting and labour minister, said allegations of the government being undemocratic and totalitarian only existed in the former vice-president George Kunda's imagination. Shamenda dismissed the allegations as unfounded.

"They are calculated at attracting sympathy from the international community on former leaders being probed on various corruption offences during the MMD era," Shamenda told journalists during a media briefing yesterday.

"It is also evident that Mr Kunda is panicking and using these baseless accusations to divert attention from the ongoing crusade against corruption in which a number of former leaders in the MMD era, including himself, are being probed for suspected wrongdoing while they were in office. I wish to make clear that the PF government under the leadership of President Sata is on a serious mission to cleanse the Zambian society of corruption to ensure integrity, transparency and accountability in the management of public resources."

Kunda made the allegations during a press briefing on Wednesday where he announced that MMD had submitted to the United Nations that Zambia had become autocratic, totalitarian and undemocratic.

He said the government wanted to concentrate on various developmental projects and that could not be attained in an environment fraught with corruption by those charged with the responsibility of presiding over public resources, as the country saw during the MMD era.

Shamenda said there would be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption.

"I ask Mr Kunda to cite a case where former leaders have been harassed and arbitrarily charged with offences outside the due process of the law. All those that have been questioned or are appearing before the courts of law are doing so with their full liberties and legal entitlements as provided by the law, "he said.

He said the public could now appreciate why the MMD government removed the abuse of office clause from the ACC Act because those former government leaders anticipated that they would be questioned to account for their wealth.

Shamenda said questioning or seeking clarifications from leaders burying billions of kwacha did not amount to a police state.

He said allegations of the country heading for a one party state were Kunda's own imaginations and the government had no such agenda.

"What does the PF have to fear from the MMD and indeed the opposition at large when it single-handedly defeated the former ruling party from power in last year's tripartite elections? What is there to fear about the opposition that should make us so desperate as to want to create a one party state?" he said.

And Shamenda said the government had engaged Kansanshi Mine management and Nakambala Sugar over their employees' work stoppages to bring sanity to the two companies.

He said Kansanshi Mine's standoff was caused by a deadlock over pay rise.