CHISHIMBA Kambwili has urged Roan and Bahati residents to use their vote to tell the “thieving” PF government that twanaka nobufi bwenu (we are tired of your lies).
He said PF had run out of ideas on how to govern.
“It’s a government full of deceit,” Kambwili said, while appealing to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to move into Luanshya and come and see what is going on.
“President Lungu must be ashamed of himself. I am appealing to the Anti-Corruption, they have an office in Kitwe, to quickly move into Roan and see how their government is behaving. The ruling party is performing acts of corruption openly.”
And Roan constituency has adopted a ‘pamaka pakulila, ukuvota nipakasuba’ slogan whose loose translation is that owing to the hunger situation in the area, they would get the bribes from PF but they would vote for the NDC candidate Joseph Chishala.
Addressing the media at his Luanshya residence, Kambwili said he was disappointed with the corruption that has characterised the Roan constituency campaigns spearheaded by ministers and other PF officials.
He said PF had no message for the electorates of Roan apart from dishing out cash to the suffering masses of that mining area.
He added that corruption was being done openly in full view of the police.
“I want to discuss issues affecting the campaigns in Roan constituency. I am extremely disappointed with the corruption that has engulfed the Roan campaigns. It’s extremely disheartening to see that the government that claims to have zero-tolerance on corruption can be engaging in such vises during campaigns,” Kambwili said.
“We have seen that almost all the ministers of government and members of parliament for PF have stationed in Roan Constituency for nothing but giving out money to the electorates without regard to issues under the anti-corruption Act. We have seen and observed with a lot of worry that from the time the campaign started, the PF have no message whatsoever to the electorates. The only thing we have seen is perpetuating corruption.”
He said from the time the campaign started, PF has been lining up poor people and giving them K20 or K30 each as well as telling them to vote for the ruling party candidate.
“This is tantamount to corruption and I don’t think a government worth its salt can be practising corruption openly. I am very disappointed with the police that this corruption has been happening openly in their presence,” Kambwili complained.
“And in most cases when these ministers come, they are escorted by the police and giving out money in their presence. I must hasten to mention that we have asked the police why they are behaving like this and their response is that it is very difficult for them to take action because they have been threatened that they will go the way their friends went in Sesheke, meaning therefore that they have been threatened with dismissal should they do anything contrary to the instructions given to them by [home affairs minister Stephen] Kampyongo when he came to Luanshya.”
He urged the ACC to move in and see what had been happening.
Kambwili charged that President Edgar Lungu must be ashamed of committing himself to fighting corruption when his party was at the centre stage of the immorality.
He explained that money being dished out to bribe voters in Roan could build a hospital, school, pay University of Zambia and council workers’ salaries.
“I have said it and I want to say it again that this government is a government of thieves, it’s a government of corrupt people. The amount of money that they have been giving out in Roan constituency from the time the election campaign began, I can assure you that they can build a new university,” Kambwili said.
“The amount of money that they have been giving out in Roan constituency to the residents, from the time the election came, I can tell you that a new hospital can be built, UNZA lecturers paid, council workers paid. What kind of government is this that is failing to pay civil servants on time? That is failing to pay council employees? that is failing to pay university lecturers? That is failing to pay all grant-aided institutions like RTSA? But can come and dish out money in an election like no man’s business!”
He said the amount of money being dished out was so colossal, adding that almost every household had received various amounts of cash in exchange for a vote.
“We have been told that this government has no money but one wonders where they have gotten all this money they are giving out to the electorates. President Edgar Lungu must not even, at any time, be talking about issues of corruption because the PF government and President Edgar Lungu are corrupt. They have brought all MPs, almost the entire Cabinet in Roan constituency and the only thing that they are doing is giving out money,” he lamented.
“They have no message whatsoever to tell the people of Luanshya. The amount of money we have seen being dished out is so colossal that almost every household has received either a K20, a K10 or K30…. This is unacceptable! The Anti-Corruption Commission must move into Luanshya and come and see what is going on. President Lungu must be ashamed of himself!”
And Kambwili observed that the PF was performing acts of corruption openly.
“Imagine they went to a shopping complex in Mpatamatu popularly known as pa Madan, they line up men, women and youths and openly start giving them money and urging them to vote for the PF candidate and even the candidate himself is giving money!” he wondered.
He further accused the PF of having given mine union officials K450 each while local pastors pocketed K300 each.
“What kind of thinking is that? And then President Edgar Lungu must go to Parliament and address us on morals, hehehehe… What kind of morals was he talking about if they can act in this manner during elections?” he asked.
Kambwili stressed people must be allowed to vote for a candidate of their choice and must not be influenced by money.
He said the PF government was full of deceit.
“I, however, trust the people of Roan; they are above this. So, come the 11th wina azalila (someone will cry). The people of Roan know that they have suffered because of unemployment, they have suffered because of the closure of some mining shafts and you think you can come and give them some K20 they would vote for you?” Kambwili said.
“This act of corruption must come to an end. PF are extremely scared of the name Chishimba Kambwili, looking at the number of ministers camped in Roan and the amount of money being dished out. PF has run out of ideas of how to govern, it’s a government full of deceit. It’s time for the people of Roan and Bahati to tell the government that twanaka nobufi bwenu (we’re tired of your lies). Use your vote to tell this thieving government which is giving money out to bribe people when there are no drugs in the hospitals, students’ meal allowances are being abolished, that enough is enough.”
Meanwhile, Roan residents have vowed to ‘eat’ with the PF but vote for the opposition NDC candidate Chishala in the April 11 by-election.
As the convoy of the UPND/NDC headed for Nkulumashiba grounds for a mini-rally, residents of Roan, clad in new PF chitenges and T-shirts, flashed the new symbol of lopola (whip).
The residents, who had just been gifted with ‘goodies’ by the PF, failed to hide their excitement as the UPNDC team drove by.
Lopola is the combination of the UPND and NDC symbols which together make up a whipping gesture.
At the rally, Copperbelt Province UPND chairman Elisha Matambo urged the residents not to forget what their ‘servant’ Kambwili had done for them during his reign as a member of parliament.
He reminded the residents that the opposition alliance chose to have the NDC to field Chishala in the spirit of togetherness.
Matambo said the PF had been winning because the opposition was fragmented but “this time the case is different as only one candidate was floated for all to support.”
He said the other alliance members, including the NDC, would support the UPND in Bahati Constituency.