GIDEON NYENDWA
THE 59 Patriotic Front (PF) elected members of Parliament should remain united because Zambia chose them so that they could contribute to the growth of the country by offering proper checks and balances to the incoming government, veteran politician George Mpombo has said.
Professor Mpombo said the opposition MPs should be guided by the purpose which they were elected for, to offer proper checks and balances to the government on issues that affect the people. “This is the only way a country can progress,” he said. He said that the MPs should not even think of defecting to the incoming government because the action will weaken the democratic tenet upon which this country is built.
Prof Mpombo said Zambians voted for change of government but decided to keep them as MPs because they have faith in them and they know that they will be offering proper debates in parliament. “It is an inescapable responsibility for those that will remain from the losing government to ensure that the spirit of checks and balances is deeply emboldened,” he said.
He said to ditch their party right now would be an act of political sabotage because they would have done an injustice to the people of Zambia as the change did not mean that political parties should disband.
Prof Mpombo said they would be in a difficult terrain and compromising situation but they should remain and fulfill their mandate because this can send a wrong message to people about political morality. He said the new government will be in place and they will need everyone’s support but they also need to be checked by a strong team so that they can remain within the democratic realms. “We need them to ensure that the government of the day is on its toes,” he said. Prof Mpombo also said that having only MPs from the ruling political party only could make way for a one-party state.
