MONZE Central UPND member of parliament Jack Mwiimbu says National Restoration Party (NAREP) president Steven Nyirenda has lost direction and has become a surrogate of the ruling party PF.

Speaking on Diamond TV’s COSTA programme last week, Nyirenda said he did not want to join the UPND because that party lacked a vision.

“UPND has been actually ruling for the past 15 to 20 years. UPND has more than ten constituencies, districts, they should have shown us just one, turn it upside down they have the muscle to do it. When I talk to my friends I say ‘a district or a city council is the richest society in any country’ because they own everything in that city, the roads, the land they can turn that into anything and change how it looks and UPND has not changed not even one single, for me that’s why I say there is no vision. If there was vision, they would have turned one constituency and showed us that this is how I’m going to run this country. The other time a person was telling me about CDF you can’t run a district using CDF K800,00 is for other people they use to shop at Shoprite you need proper resources, and the resources are the youths, number two; the land number three; the brains to make sure what you have you create wealth,” said Nyirenda.

But in an interview, Mwiimbu said Nyirenda was ignorant.

“It is unfortunate that Mr Nyirenda would utter such statements against the UPND. He has to realize that the UPND has never been in government. We would like to forgive Mr Nyirenda for the ignorance he has exhibited. If he doesn’t know that the provisions in the constitution in terms of providing developmental activities rests squarely in the government of the day, and the government of the day is PF. We do not understand why he can start attacking a political party which is in the opposition like himself? Him and ourselves are supposed to offer checks and balances to the government. If he continues attacking us then we realize that he is a surrogate of the PF and he is trying to be a good boy to the PF,” Mwiimbu said.

Mwiimbu wondered why Nyirenda was siding with the PF when they destroyed his Television station.

“Even the attacks he has done against Prime TV just shows he has lost direction. He was running Muvi TV and it has been brought down by the PF themselves how can he now praise the PF? And put the blame on us? He is ignorant about the role of the MP, my role is to be an advocate to speak on behalf of the people I represent which is Monze and I also represent the country on issues that affect them and I can proudly say I have not failed the people of this country. And if he comes to Monze, he will see a number of developmental projects contrary to what he is saying,” he said.

Mwiimbu said local councils lacked the resources to implement any projects without government’s support.

“Even the little that the councils make, if they make any money, it goes towards payment of salaries and wages. The financial constraints in the current local payment system were created by the MMD at that time and have been perpetuated by the PF itself. Despite the provision in the constitution which states ‘that road taxes, road tolling and motor vehicle license are supposed to be the responsibility of the local authorities’ the government has refused to give those powers to the local authorities to enable them to generate funds. It is also important to note that during the MMD era, all the houses that w ere held by the councils were sold to individual residents, the councils now don’t have any base whatsoever. The base that they can have is the road taxes, motor vehicles licenses which have been taken away again by the Central government. We therefore recommend that the central government must give back the powers to the local authorities and be independent, and provide developmental duties in the constituencies,” said Mwiimbu.