Unhappy UPND officials boycott nominations
NATIONAL values and principles are important in preserving peace and unity in Zambia, National Guidance and Religious Affairs Minister Godfridah Sumaili has said.
The minister said it was important for Zambians to remain patriotic and accountable to guarantee peace and unity.
Reverend Sumaili said values, principles and ethics were paramount to national development because Zambia would not develop in their absence.
She was speaking when she called on Copperbelt Minister Japhen Mwakalombe at his office in Ndola yesterday.
Rev Sumaili said that it was important to preach peace and unity in the country for morals and values to be followed by members of the society.
She said she would engage a number of chiefs in the province so that they would be able to reach out to the grassroot in sensitising people on values and principles.
The minister commended some traditional leaders who had been championing good values and morals in the nation.
“The chiefs have welcomed the need to promote values, ethics and principles as they are in line with the cultural values,” she said.
Rev Sumaili also called on political parties taking part in by elections in Mwasabombwe, Lukashya, Lufwanyama and Mpongwe to preach peace and unity even as they go about their campaigns.
And Mr Mwakalombe said the majority of the Churches in the province had welcomed and received Bill 10 positively.
Mr Mwakalombe said the churches had admitted that they were Christians and were not ashamed to be identified as such as enshrined in the Bill.
SOME UPND members who lost provincial intra-party elections on the Copperbelt boycotted a solidarity march to support five candidates who were filing nominations in local government elections set for September 17 in Mpongwe and Lufwanyama.
They said they could not be part of the crowd to give solidarity to the candidates because they lost elections which were fraudulently conducted ion the Copperbelt.
Members who spoke on condition of anonymity, said UPND had degenerated into an authoritarian party, which had preferred officials and candidates.
They said morale of supporting
THE rampant illegal sale of land by some councillors in Kitwe is as a result of people seeking leadership positions for personal gain, some resident have charged.
Mr Kelvin Chunga said during a debate on Kitwe residents blog that many councillors end up in land scandals after discovering that the allowances they get are minimal.
The bloggers were reacting to a story in the Daily Nation concerning a land scam which was unearthed in Parklands residential area where a play park was illegally sold using altered council minutes
During the debate, Mr Chunga said some councillors seek positions for personal gain and hence they start laying their hands on plots including reserve land.
“I guess people campaign to be councillors in the hope of serving the people. But when elected, they discover that allowances they get are very minimal and on top of that people knock on their doors for assistance too.
“They later start using their own unaudited resources. So in the end majority go into these things not really to serve the people but for their own gain....the sad reality,’’ Mr Chunga all party activities had waned following the loss they suffered at the hands of some preferred candidates of some senior party officials who have no regard for democracy in the party
“Some senior party officials in the province were raising people to challenge those they didn’t like. What kind of democracy is that, where you use your position to fight your juniors. We are still hurt,’’ said one vanquished UPND member. UPND Copperbelt provincial information and publicity secretary, Lawrence Mwanza, confirmed that some party members who lost the elections were still bitter about the loss.
He however advised them to find a way of recovering and continue to support the party.
Mr Mwanza said those who lost
said.
Mr Chunga said sometimes councillors are not directly involved in the land scandals, but they initiate the illegal deals.
“If you know Riverside well and know a street called Chitambo, the one that leads to Faith Baptist Church on the junction, you will find a Zesco substation, I recently passed there only to find a newly built house there.
“It is not a councillor living in that home, but you may find that the allocation, sorting title and other things elections were still members of the UPND and should not stay away from its activities, especially the filling of nominations.He said it was unfortunate that those who lost elections had decided to boycott party activities instead of supporting the newly elected executive.
“”Yes, I know that some people are still bitter after losing elections and do not want to participate in party activities, but my humble appeal to them is that despite losing the elections, they are still UPND members
“Yes, they are still UPND members and should find a way of recovering so that we can move together.
It is very unfortunate that they have decided to side-line themselves after losing the party elections,’’ Mr Mwanza said
‘‘Some councillors seek positions for personal gain and hence they start laying their hands on plots including reserve land.’’
were probably initiated by a councillor. Look at that land next to the stream cross that new clinic next to Hill view clinic....someone has obviously got a fresh title and I don’t think it passed under a councillors nose,’’ he said.
Other bloggers observed that there was need to seriously scrutinise councillors before voting them into office.
Local Government Minister, Charles Banda, recently suspended councillors at Kitwe and Lusaka city councils after rampant illegal and deals.