200 Opposition Members in Chilanga Defect to Mmd

19 May 2011

More than 200 people from the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) and the United Party for National Development (UPND) have defected to the ruling MMD in Nakachenje Ward in Chilanga Constituency citing poor vision on the part of the opposition.

And MMD Lusaka Province chairperson, William Banda has charged that people should not tolerate the PF leader, Michael Sata because he is very cruel and has no better agenda for Zambia.

Speaking when he received the defectors, Mr Banda slammed UPND area Member of Parliament Cosmas Moono for being responsible for the underdevelopment in the constituency.

He said despite the people of Chilanga having voted for the opposition, the Government had released K20 million through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) for the rehabilitation of Nakachenje Clinic which had been abandoned for a long time now.

He urged the defectors to remain steadfast and strong and help stir the MMD to victory, especially now that the country will be going to the elections.

“We are today receiving our brothers and sisters that have decided to come and work with us. Don not allow them to be outside, give them positions in branches so that they feel at home,” he said.

And leading the defectors, UPND Kafue District trustee Daniel Mukanda said they decided to defect to the MMD because of the good policies that President Rupiah Banda and the MMD had implemented in the country.

He said he had been in the opposition for too long and only realised now that the opposition had no vision for the country.

And the MMD in Lusaka has unearthed a scam in which the PF is allegedly distributing spirit satchets, commonly known as Tujilijili to youths on the street as a way of wooing support.

MMD Lusaka Province taskforce spokesperson Chiwele Maimisa, who displayed several sachets of 60 mills of the “Don’t Kubeba” Rum confiscated from a suspected PF official who was found distributing the spirits on the streets of Lusaka, said the alcohol was also distributed whenever the PF were holding rallies as a way of influencing the poor youths.

The PF is said to have taken advantage of the name of the beer which coincides with their slogan ‘Don’t Kubeba’, to distribute the satchets to the youth at rallies.

Mr Maimisa, who condemned the PF leadership’s habit of using youths as tools for violence during every election period, advised the youth against falling prey to such activities.

“I am just advising the youth against falling prey to such gifts from the PF because they will take them nowhere. Those satchets will not give them jobs and they should realise that the PF is just using them for selfish gains,” he said.

He said what “Don’t Kubeba” meant was that those practicing homosexuality should not come out in public until the PF came into power.

He said it was further envisaged that 90 days after assuming office, the PF would legalise gay and lesbian rights.

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