CHONGWE RESIDENTS WARN ‘ABSENTEE’ MASEBO
Monday
ELECTORATES in Chongwe have warned their Member of Parliament, Ms Sylvia Masebo not to take their vote for granted by becoming an absentee MP that they said she was when she first represented them in the National Assembly.
They said that holding a ministerial position should not be an excuse for absenteeism.
Some residents talked to said that the MP has not shown up for any of the few official functions so far and was not picking their calls.
Pastor Sandy Sakala of
Life Changers ministries said Ms Masebo had suddenly become too busy to attend to her constituency, a thing she promised to change. "We thought she had changed, but we are 20 surprised September, that she 2021 has maintained the tendency that made her lose the seat in 2016. Her fellow ministers are visiting the electorate, why not her?" he asked.
He appealed to the MP to create time to respond to the needs in the community.
He also alleged that some suspected UPND cadres were sharing land around the Kenneth Kaunda International airport area, but she had not attended to that matter despite being informed. He said that such illegalities would be difficult to resolve once the people erect structures in the airport reserve.
He said that people wanted change and expected nothing less. He said that the 2021 elections must be a wakeup call to politicians who have a tendency of abandoning the people after they are voted for.
And former Chongwe central ward councillor, Juvenalis Mulimbika argued that it was not too early to complain. He said that a five-year term was too short to ask for time to settle down.
He said that the community had pressing issues which needed urgent attention.
"People have the right to complain when their representative is nowhere to be seen. Her number one allegiance must be to the constituency and not to cabinet," he said.
Another resident who sought anonymity complained that the MP did not even attend the installation of the mayor, Christopher Habeenzu. He said that the mayor was very new to the system and needed guidance from veteran politicians like Ms Masebo.