Leslie Chikuse has  called on the suspension of article 64 of the National Constitution which seeks to empower funding to political parties with representation in Parliament.

Chikuse who is Republican Progressive Party(RPP) vice president  is aware that the Zambian economy, as small as it is cannot  manage to fund political parties.

Speaking in an interview after attending a Political Parties’ Bill meeting at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre(MICC) recently, Chikuse said article 64 should not be amended but rather suspended in view of the limping economy.

He said the Zambian Government cannot afford to fund political parties on borrowed money because as things stand, the country has not returned  a single coin from her debtors, locally and internationally.

” Article 64 of the National Constitution must be suspended. It must not be amended but put on stand-by  until the economy recovers. We cannot afford to fund political parties on borrowed money. Right now, we have mountains of debts and we have not paid a single ngwee then we start thinking of funding political parties. There is need to put priorities right,” Chikuse said, ” As RPP, we would rather not betray the citizen by taking part in chewing the money that will be funded by government at the expense of national development. Besides the funding is not sustainable. ”

He said the political party funding is not something to be excited with as it will have conditions attached like disclosure of sources of political party funding.

He said the  Bill is likely to destroy the current political set-up because it is a cut and paste document from the Kenyan thinkers.

Chikuse said the political set up in Zambia and Kenya are totally different.