Maravi

High unemployment is MMD's legacy - Chanda

High unemployment is MMD's legacy - Chanda
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Thu 05 July 2012, 13:23 CAT

THE high unemployment is solidly MMD's legacy and largely owing to its corruption, says party member Sunday Chanda. And Chanda says MMD is still a corrupt party which gave birth to the current levels of unemployment the PF regime is grappling with.

Commenting on a statement attributed to MMD president Nevers Mumba that people all over the country were mourning and asking for forgiveness for having voted for PF, Chanda who is Open Society Foundation executive director said Zambians might have misgivings with PF's pace to respond to their critical needs, but they would never sink so low as to ask for forgiveness from the MMD.

"This statement shows the former ruling party's attitude towards Zambians because according to them, citizens exist to put them into office," Chanda stated in a news release.

"This is a direct insult to the Zambians across the country! The MMD leadership must be ashamed of itself for betraying the people of Zambia."

He stated that the MMD must be ashamed for living a lie that Zambians had forgotten the rot, the corruption and the inequality that it rewarded Zambians with.

"MMD does not even see that it owes Zambians an apology and must atone for its sins for stealing from the people," Chanda stated.

"Zambia has all the problems it has today because over the 20 years that MMD presided over the affairs of the nation, it failed to think ahead. It failed to respond to unemployment issues in the country. MMD must embrace today's unemployment levels as its own baby. MMD must acknowledge that it created this time bomb. Which Zambian in their right frame of mind would ask for forgiveness from the MMD when it gave birth to unemployment as we know it today, 'normalised and institutionalised' corruption, butchered our brothers and sisters in Barotseland, Mazabuka and Mansa? Has MMD become sanctified and have Zambians been condemned to such short memory that the 20 years of massive injury has escaped their memory?"

He stated that the MMD gave birth to the current levels of unemployment.

"There is no sane person who can say that the current levels of unemployment have been created in the last eight months of PF in government. The current levels of unemployment in the country have existed for over two decades and may not be broken down in less than five years. MMD cannot distance itself from this phenomenon because under normal circumstances, Zambians expect MMD to be atoning for her sins. MMD left behind a legacy, reduced majority of Zambians to paupers because MMD failed to create jobs and decent lives for its citizens.

MMD turned Zambia into a leaking bucket and those who were 'strategically positioned' accumulated so much wealth at the expense of its general membership and officials," he stated.

Chanda stated that Mumba's leadership had failed to deal with the institutional and structural corruption within the MMD even after winning the party presidency last May.

"MMD was and is still a corrupt party and even the so-called 'corruption jacket' has been returned to the former ruling party because the new president addressed it to the wrong address," he stated.

"Did MMD's corruption fizzle out with the election of a new party president? Has he Mumba dealt with the institutional and structural corruption within the MMD? The succeeding MMD leadership is living a lie but a timely reminder to them is that those unemployed youths are not stupid. They know very well who excluded them from the economic mainstream and that is MMD. Our message is simple: let the MMD atone for its sins. It's them and not the people of Zambia to apologise."

Chanda advised Mumba to be apologising to the Zambians for the party's 20-year misrule.

"The thousands of youths failing to get employment must vent their anger against the MMD and engage the PF for permanent solutions. MMD never prepared for the present youthful generation and to make things worse, they locked out youths from the economic mainstream," stated Chanda.

"In Bemba we say, 'Mpyana Ngo, apyana namabala' (literally meaning that if you succeed a leopard, you must be prepared to inherit its spots too); so let Dr Mumba take responsibility for MMD's spots such as the unemployment levels in the country, those who were butchered in the Mongu riots, the Mazabuka shootings and the Mansa riots. MMD must not behave as though they have undergone metamorphosis overnight.

"Let him apologise in his capacity as MMD president to thousands and millions of our unemployed youths. Today's unemployment levels are solidly MMD's legacy and largely owing to its corruption. MMD forgot about the people and concentrated on enriching themselves, hence the reason why several of them are facing cases before the courts. If a minister could steal bicycles meant for the poor, how much more did they steal from the fertiliser distribution which disadvantaged the peasant farmer? How does MMD expect PF to do in less than one year what it failed to do in 20 years? MMD is still corrupt and its corrupt leaders still aspire to lead it at the highest levels."

Labels: MMD, UNEMPLOYMENT

posted by MrK @ 7:59 PM