Maravi

PF has learnt from MMD's downfall - Shamenda
By Misheck Wangwe in Kitwe
Mon 29 Apr. 2013, 14:00 CAT

LABOUR minister Fackson Shamenda says the PF and its government will never abuse public resources as they have learnt serious lessons from the MMD's downfall.

During the PF Copperbelt fundraising golf tournament at Nkana Golf Club in Kitwe on Saturday, Shamenda said manipulating the poor and abusing public resources led to destruction.

He said the priority of the PF and its government was to attend to the needs of the majority poor while delivering on its promises of creating wealth and enhancing infrastructure development.

Shamenda said President Michael Sata had made it clear to ministers and party officials that public resources should never be used for party activities.

"The PF government believes that there should be a distinction between the resources of government and the resources of the party. The resources of government under the PF go directly to development and the resources of the party are generated by the party itself. Other political parties, even if they are not in government, they will not be stopped whatsoever from doing fundraising," Shamenda said.

He said the desire of the government was to execute its duties diligently and promoting transparency in the management of national resources.

And Shamenda said the PF would never make manoeuvres to destroy the opposition as claimed by some opposition leaders.

"Those friends of ours that belong to other political parties, don't cry foul. Organise yourselves the way we used to organise ourselves years back when we only had one member of parliament. We never gave up, we never despaired and the PF cannot be held responsible for the disorganisation and confusion in the opposition. As at now the PF is the only one with good managers compared to other political parties and that's the fact," Shamenda said.

He said President Michael Sata's government would never turn Zambia into a one-party state, contrary to claims by some opposition leaders.
Shamenda said it was a democratic right of the PF to campaign and get stronger just like any other political party.

"We as a people, as a government together with President Michael Sata, will never ever take this country back to one-party state but we are not going to organise your parties anyway. It is not our responsibility to organise the opposition," said Shamenda.

And speaking earlier, PF Copperbelt chairman Robert Mwewa said the party would not run to the government to seek financial assistance to attend to party issues but would generate its own income to run the party affairs in the province.

He said the party would not let down the people that ushered the PF into government but would work hard to impress, adding that the integrity of the party lay squarely on the shoulders of its leaders.
Mwewa said the party raised KR180,000 from the fundraising golf tournament.

And Mopani Copper Mines chief executive officer Danny Callow, who is also Nkana Golf Club chairman, said the company would continue supporting golf while executing tangible corporate social responsibility programmes in all its areas of operation.

Labels: FACKSON SHAMENDA, MMD, PF

posted by MrK @ 8:44 PM