Mutati’s party nods privatisation inquiry

THE commission of inquiry into the privatisation of Zambia’s state-owned enterprises in the 1990s will enable Zambians to know the kind of leaders who want to govern the country, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has said.

MDC secretary-general Lucky Mulusa said Zambians would know the people who want to rule the country after the exercise was concluded.

Mr Mulusa said the commission of inquiry would expose whatever happened during the privatisation exercise in 1990s.

He said an inquiry would enable all Zambians to know whatever happened and expose those who were involved in the process.

Recently, President Edgar Lungu said he would set up a commission of inquiry to help establish illegalities and crimes committed during the privatisation process.

He was speaking when he received a petition signed by over 427, 000 citizens demanding an inquiry into the alleged corruption, theft and other criminal activities of some of the consultants engaged by Government to help with the privatisation process.

President Lungu said time had come to put the matter to rest. “All those involved in stealing during privatisation will have to answer to the people,” he said. The President said it was clear that some people took advantage of the government process to loot, plunder and enrich themselves from state assets.

He said there were also long-standing grievances that some workers had never been paid from companies that

were liquidated or sold.

But Mr Mulusa said Zambians would know that some of the people who wanted to govern the country were involved in mishandling the disposal of the public assets.

Mr Mulusa said his newly registered party would win the 2021 general elections or be part of government.

He said MDC would make a difference in political circles unlike other political parties which had been in existence for a long time.

“We have just formed our political party and few months to 2021 general elections, but we can assure the nation that the party will be known across the country,” he said.