Maravi

By-election looms in Solwezi east

By-election looms in Solwezi east
By Mwala Kalaluka
Mon 12 Nov. 2012, 14:00 CAT

SOLWEZI East MMD member of parliament Richard Taima says there will be a serious electoral showdown in Solwezi should his party go ahead with its latest plans to hound out those serving in the current government.

Commenting on President Michael Sata's assurance to all opposition MMD members of parliament serving in the government that his administration will take urgent and practical interventions to ensure that they are protected against all forms of harassment and intimidation, Taima said during an interview yesterday that the assurance could not have come at a better time.

President Sata, who urged the affected members of parliament to draw comfort, courage and lessons from Stephen Masumba's victory, said even in the worst case scenario, their parliamentary seats were safe as they were guaranteed adoption under the PF ticket.

Taima said there was information that the MMD's plan was to kick out its members of parliament serving in the government.
He also congratulated Masumba for shaming his critics by retaining the Mufumbwe seat on the PF ticket.

"They were going out of their way to kick us out of the party so that we can force by-elections and that includes Solwezi East," he said. "But I can't say that came officially to me."

Taima said there was excitement among some MMD members in North Western Province where they were peddling lies that he had 'lost' his parliamentary seat.

"I am more than ready," he said, adding that what he had done in Solwezi East may not be much but it spoke for itself. "If as per their MMD plan they had won Mufumbwe and decided to hound us out of the party, they are more than welcome. The people of Solwezi East are solidly behind me."

Taima said he was already receiving phone calls from Solwezi East as information about threats to hound him out of the party filter through to the constituents.

"If these rumors may turn out to be true some day, I can assure you that it can be a serious showdown," said Taima. "I have a lot of support from the people of Solwezi East."

And another MMD member of parliament serving in the PF administration told The Post yesterday that many of them were eager to ditch the MMD because it was a sloppy party that could not detect UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema's schemes to destroy the former ruling party.

"The people in MMD are somehow very dull politicians because the UPND have seen the loopholes in MMD and it wants the MMD to expel their people so that when they do that, they will say it is UPND which is popular in that constituency," the source said. "MMD is not able to detect that their alliance is just a shallow one."

Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, RICHARD TAIMA

posted by MrK @ 4:31 PM