Maravi

PF wants one party state, says Mumba
By Isaac Zulu in Mkushi
Sun 21 July 2013, 14:01 CAT

THE PF government wants to revert to one party state, says MMD president Nevers Mumba. And Mumba says the PF government has failed to deliver on its campaign promises.

But PF member of central committee John Chisanga told Mumba not to politick over the removal of subsidies. Speaking when he featured on Mkushi Community Radio Station on Friday evening, Mumba said that the PF government was poaching opposition members of parliament with a view to revert to a one party state.

"The PF's desire is to at least have 106 members of parliament at National Assembly;" said Mumba, who mostly spoke in Bemba throughout his one-hour interview that started at 20:00 hours.

"They are determined to ensure that they have the majority in Parliament. And that's why they are busy poaching opposition MPs. The PF government wants to revert to a one party state. In fact, by poaching opposition members of parliament; the PF are telling the people of Zambia that they don't have credible MPs in their camp."

Mumba said that the PF government was inducing by-elections.
He said that the local government and parliamentary by-elections had proved to be too costly to the national treasury.

And Mumba said the PF government had failed to deliver on its campaign promises.

"They promised that they will create jobs for the people in 90 days," said Mumba.

"They said they would reduce in the number of ministers in Cabinet; but the opposite is happening. We have now reached a saturation point. We now have a situation where we have two or three ministers in one ministry."

And Mumba said that the removal of fuel and maize subsidies would have adverse effects on the Zambian citizenry.

"The PF promised that they will be a pro-poor government," said Mumba.

"They have now decided to remove subsides on fuel and maize. As a result, the price of fuel has been increased and the price of mealie-meal has gone up. By removing subsidies on these two commodities, the PF government has proved that it is not pro-poor. These people the PF government have failed to deliver on their campaign promises."

But in an interview on Saturday, Chisanga told Mumba not to politick over the removal of subsidies.

"Dr Sekwila Nevers Mumba should not be politicking over this matter. The people that benefited from the subsidies that we are talking about are the elite," explained Chisanga in an interview in Mkushi district.

Chisanga, who is a former deputy community development minister in the Chiluba government as well as former Bwacha member of parliament in the MMD government, said "How many rural people have vehicles and put in fuel in their vehicles every day? Very few . . . How many times do rural people travel from their villages to urban areas? They travel occasionally. When you talk about maize subsidies; the government through the Food Reserve Agency was buying a bag of maize at K65,000 and selling to millers at K30,000 and yet the millers were selling mealie-meal at about K70,000. Who was benefiting? It's the millers.

Why should we putting the burden on the poor small-scale farmers? We want to ensure that there's equal distribution of wealth and Dr. Mumba should not politick the removal of subsides. The money that would be realised from the removal of subsidies will be channeled to capital projects like the construction of 650 health centres across the country. We have also embarked on the Link Zambia 8000 road project that will see, for instance Mkushi being connected to the Copperbelt through Munda-Wanga - Musofu road and not through Kapiri Mposhi. During construction of these capital projects, the people in rural areas will be employed. That is job creation. At the same time the rural communities will have access to health facilities and good tarred roads. Is that not development. The MMD should stop this cheap politicking."

Mumba is in Mkushi to drum up support for the MMD candidate in the Mkushi North July 25 parliamentary by-election, Jonathan Kapungwe.

The PF is fielding Ingrid Mulonda Mphande, UPND is fielding in Winter Libbohole, NAREP has Albert Kapaya who is Ingrid Mphande's nephew, and UNIP has adopted Bernard Nshimbi while Felix Chisanga who is also Mkushi South MMD member of parliament Sydney Chisanga's older brother is standing as an independent candidate.

The campaigns are expected to end on Tuesday at 06:00 hours.

Labels: JOHN CHISANGA, MMD, NEVERS MUMBA, PF

posted by MrK @ 4:13 PM