AVAP slams Kitwe Councillors
By ROGERS KALERO
COUNCILLORS not content or satisfied with the K3,000 allowance should resign to pave way for others instead of plotting to engage in illegalities in protest at the `small’ allowance, Anti-Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) Copperbelt Provincial Coordinator Poster Jumbe said.
Mr Jumbe said the councillors’ conduct sent a clear indication that they were in the chamber to serve their own personal interests as opposed to those of the people who voted for them.
“It is utter nonsense for some councillors at the Kitwe City Council (KCC) to hint that they may engage in corrupt practices like illegal allocation of land if the government does not increase their monthly allowances which is currently at K3,000,”Mr Jumber said.
Mr Jumbe was reacting to the councillors at the KCC who at the weekend held a peaceful protest over the K3,000 monthly allowance which they said was insufficient given the amount of work they do as civic leaders.
The councillors, who spoke through Deputy Mayor Felix Malasha, appealed to government to consider increasing their allowances to help prevent instances of civic leaders engaging in corrupt practices.
But, in an interview in Kitwe yesterday, Mr Jumbe said it was disappointing that before they could embark on any project to improve the lives of the people, councillors were already demanding for an increment in their allowances.
“We expect these councillors to be advancing the interests of the people in their wards, but they are instead talking about having their allowances increased less than six months in office. It is like an employee who is on probation demanding for a salary increment.
“This is utter nonsense and the electorate in each of the wards in Kitwe must be cursing themselves for having such kind of greedy and selfish councillors with no regard for the people,” Mr Jumbe said.
Mr Jumbe said the conduct of the councillors could force people to conclude that they wanted to use the meagre allowances as an excuse to engage in corrupt practices like the illegal sale of plots.
“The way councillors are talking , it is like they want to prepare people psychologically so that if they are implicated in the illegal sale of land, they will say they started selling land illegally because of the meagre allowances.
“But this does not work. If a person is corrupt, he or she is just corrupt and will not change regardless of how much money you give him or her. So if councillors are corrupt, they are just corrupt even if the allowance is increased, they will continue to be corrupt,” he said.
He said it was sad and disappointing that councillors had exhibited poor leadership qualities by advancing their personal interests instead of initiating ideas that would help to promote poverty alleviation, youth and women empowerment.
