PEP PLANS ANTI-MUSOKOTWANE STREET PROTESTS

By OLIVER SAMBOKO

A SERIES of street protests against the appointment of Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane as Finance Minister has been planned for Lusaka and other parts of the country by the Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP).

Dr Musokotwane, who also served as Finance Minister under the Rupiah Banda administration is accused of being one of the people behind the mobile hospitals scandal that cost Zambia $54 million and the sale of Zamtel to Lapgreen of Lybia.

PeP President Sean Tembo who is organising the protests said the new minister does not possess the requisite credibility and integrity to serve in that important position.

He said by appointing Dr. Musokotwane as Minister of Finance, President Hakainde Hichilema is taking the country back to the days of corruption and economic mismanagement witnessed under President Banda’s administration.

“Having been at the centre of various scandals during his tenure as Finance Minister under former President Rupiah Banda’s administration, as PeP, we feel Dr Musokotwane is not fit for the job,” he said.

He said his party will carry out street protests until such a time when President Hichilema rescinds his decision. 

Mr Tembo said they strongly believe that it is wrong for President Hichilema to appoint people whose hands are soiled with corruption as that will negatively affect donor and investor confidence.  

“Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane cannot be divorced from the several scandals that took place under former President Rupiah Banda’s administration because as minister of Finance, he was an active participant in those scandals that deprived the nation of millions of dollars in taxpayers’ money,” he said. 

Mr Tembo also advised the new President to consider constituting his team of Presidential Advisors before proceeding to make any more cabinet appointments.

“Without a team of official Presidential Advisors, the President is working alone and is prone to mistakes such as the appointment of Dr. Musokotwane as Minister of Finance,” he said.

THE Socialist Party has called on stakeholders to find ways of avoiding unnecessary by-elections.

Party General Secretary and First Vice President Cosmas Musumali said much as some by-elections were necessary and cannot be stopped those that were politically induced should not be entertained.

He said it was a mockery to the people for a politician to deliberately cause a by-election which was a drain on national resources.

Dr. Musomali said that those who were paid to cause unnecessary elections should be investigated and prosecuted whilst others should be banned from taking part in future elections.

He said the country’s democracy was still young and that stakeholders should continually find ways of improving it. – ZNBC.