By ROGERS KALERO
IT is hypocritical and a lack of respect for the rule of law for ministers to distribute CDF cheques in areas where there are by-elections, Former Kwacha Member of Parliament (MP) Joe Malanji and Governance, Elections, Advocacy and Research Services (GEARS) Executive Director Macdonald Chipenzi have said.
And Mr Chipenzi has since requested the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to be very active in all areas where by-elections are scheduled to detect and prevent corrupt activities and violence likely to be committed by candidates or political parties’ campaign teams.
Mr Chipenzi said that such government activities which were not emergencies could wait until after the elections which are a few days from now to avoid the influence of such activities on the voters.
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Mr Malanji said the UPND has clearly shown its hypocrisy and lack of respect for the Rule of Law by allowing its Ministers to hijack the issuing of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) cheques in order to soften the grounds in Kabushi and Kwacha constituencies where by-elections were set for September 15.
Mr Malanji advised the electorate to receive whatever handouts the UPND was giving them but ensure that they are taught a bitter lesson of forcing candidates on the electorate.
“We know what is happening, they are giving handouts to soften the ground. So my message to the electorate is to receive those handouts as this is the only time they can eat from this stingy government,” he said.
And Mr Malanji says, “If I was not a factor, the UPND would not be having sleepless nights looking for underhand tactics to keep me away from the ballots ”.
Mr Malanji was reacting to Ms Nalumango’s sentiments that the people’s representatives in Kwacha and Kabushi constituencies who claimed to be representing their people well were failing to address the problem of sewer in their constituencies.
Ms Nalumango said this during the meeting with Nkana Water Supply and Sanitation Company (NWSSC) Management at the company’s head quarters and during the meeting with Kitwe Pentecostal Pastors at Kwacha Bread of Life Congregation.
But, in response, Mr Malanji said if he had failed to deliver on his campaign promises as Kwacha MP why was Ms Nalumango and her UPND using under hand methods to stop him from re-contesting the Kwacha seat.
“If I failed to deliver, why not allow me to contest the seat so that the electorate make a decision? They know they have a huge task in Kwacha constituency and this is why even after a campaign rally on Saturday, she has come back. She has been reduced to a Constituency chairperson because she is doing the work of a constituency chairman.
“She is trying to be smart during her campaign meetings and rallies, but what I can tell you is that Ms Nalumango lamentably failed to deliver on her campaign promises when she was MP for Kaputa and she ended up losing lamentably in 2011. What can she tell the electorate in Kwacha?,” Mr Malanji said.
Mr Malanji has since challenged Ms Nalumango to face him in the Kwacha constituency by-election so that the electorate in the constituency can make a decision on who should be their MP depending on the capacity to deliver.
Mr Malanji said instead of attacking him during her campaign meetings and rallies, both him and Ms Nalumango must contest the Kwacha by-election so that the electorate can make decision on who should be their MP.
“I can tell you that from the time I became MP five years, ago, I have done a lot of things than she did when she was MP for Kaputa. Iam not like her who lost lamentably after one term of being an MP.
“Because she is talking too much about me, I am now challenging her to face me in the Kwacha constituency by-election so that people can make a decision on who should be their MP. She should tell their candidate to step aside so that she steps in. They should also allow me to contest the seat so that we see which one may emerge victorious,” he said
When asked about the sewer problems which Ms Nalumango was referring to, Ms Malanji said as MP and the Patriotic Front (PF), they had lined up a well defined programme of infrastructure development to follow unlike the haphazard way of doing things.
“We had a lot of programmes which were lined up to deal with various challenges in the constituency which included sewer challenges, but because there is a by-election, Ms Nalumango and UPND want to gain mileage out of such challenges.
“It is really shameful that even when there is no goalkeeper in goal, the UPND is waffling and kicking the ball elsewhere,” he said.
