Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:54:59 +0000
Opposition MMD in Mufumbwe has accused the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) of ferrying over 250 armed cadres to intimidate and harass villagers in the area ahead of the forthcoming by-election on November 8.
MMD chairman for Local Government Newton Samakayi who is campaign manager in Mufumbwe, claimed the PF had imported about 250 cadres who arrived in the area on Wednesday in the night armed with iron bars and machetes.
“We are informed that PF has brought about 250 hooligans who arrived here on Wednesday and whose main aim is to terrorize and intimidate MMD and UPND supporters. It has come to our attention that PF is sponsoring violence so that it escalates to force government to call off the elections because PF is not prepared for the event,” said Mr. Samakayi.
Mr. Samakayi also said that his party was aware of a chopper ferrying suspicious materials which landed in Kalengwa area secretly, warning that both MMD and UPND would not tolerate any form of intimidation or vote rigging.
He said the MMD/UPND alliance was more than ready to counter any underhand methods the ruling PF and its candidate would try to employ.
Mr. Samakayi said that PF was scheming violence that would lead to rigging claiming that the PF on the ground had already conceded defeat.
He also accused police officers in Mufumbwe of being corrupt by receiving bribes from a local mine owner to allow PF cadres to attack MMD and UPND supporters.
“We are informed that Mufumbwe police command is receiving handouts from this local businessman who in exchange wants to win favours from Masumba should he win the seat. Is this why they can’t act on criminal cases that we have reported to them so far,” he asked.
He said that in view of the partiality of the police the MMD and UPND will conduct Citizens arrest without any further notice.
“It is common knowledge here in Mufumbwe that both Masumba and his PF party have been rejected because of the candidate’s childish behaviour and the party’s bouquet of lies during last year’s general elections,” he said.
Mr. Samakayi said that the people ofNorthWesternProvincewere not happy with the PF government for a myriad of reasons ranging from economic sabotage to sheer alienation of the human resource from the area.
He demanded that the PF government should explain to the people of Mufumbwe why they decided to take development toMuchingaProvinceand why all the permanent Secretaries from the province had been fired and replaced by Northerners.
Mr. Samakayi said that the scheme by the PF to declare Manyinga, Mushima and Mushindamo as Municipal and District Councils in Lumwana and Kalumbila area was meant to hoodwink the villagers.
“There is no need to exchange the declaration of districts with votes. The Mufumbwe vote should be premised on performance of the contestants other than empty declarations of districts and meaningless re alignments of districts or provinces.
“The era of deceit belongs to 2011, realism has finally dawned on North Westerners, and never again shall this province entertain lies. The people ofNorthWesternProvincedeserve to be part of the wide spectrum of the development process of the country and to this end the human resource from this province should be infused in the overall human resource menu of the country,” he said.
