NATIONAL Democratic Congress (NDC) national youth chairperson Charles Kabwita has urged Vice-President Inonge Wina to stop using Parliament to tell lies and protect thieves.
And Kabwita has wondered why the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and other investigative wings have not taken interest to find out the source of the huge donations being made by Cabinet Ministers and members of parliament in their constituencies.
In an interview, Kabwita said it was sad that Parliament had been turned into a “house of liars.”
“Ba mayo ba Inonge Wina, bachilamo uku bepa ubufi mu (madam Inonge Wina, it’s too much of you telling us lies in) Parliament and it’s unfortunate that now Parliament has been turned into a house of liars and it’s unfortunate that this time in Parliament, it’s Cabinet Ministers and the Vice-President. Indeed, I can take you back to Bowman Lusambo where he lies with impunity that he was in contact with B-flow’s mother. Just days ago, Her Honour, the Vice-President, misled the nation by saying, ‘the ECZ will not discard the 2016 voters register, but instead supplement or add new voters to the register,’ which was not true. Today, Her Honour, the Vice-President, I doubt if what she said is true that, ‘the ministers and MPs who are making huge donations in their various constituencies are using their own personal money because they are men and women who are involved in business…’ We know these ministers; we know these MPs before they became MPs; we know who they were before they became ministers; we know who they were so I don’t think that Her Honour, the Vice-President, is telling the truth and I feel that, again, she has misinformed the masses by using Parliament,” Kabwita said.
He said that Parliament should be used to communicate facts and not defend thieves.
“In all fairness, Parliament should be used to communicate things, which are factual. Parliament should be used to inform the nation on the number of activities that government is undertaking and what government has approved as the road map for development and also to enhance democracy, but today, our leaders in Parliament are using Parliament to lie with impunity! Since MPs, and ministers in particular, have amassed so much wealth, and unfortunately the mother that I hold in high esteem, Madam Inonge Wina, Her Honour, the Vice-President, has now embarked in defending criminals, thieves! I can cite examples of a number of MPs and ministers, who have purchased Higer buses and donated to their various constituencies. If the money used to purchase the buses was Constituency Development Fund (CDF), I would have not even laboured so much to talk about it, but these people are boasting that they have used their own personal money from their own pockets and handbags to purchase expensive buses and donate to the people in the constituencies,” Kabwita said.
“Even the people that they have donated the buses to are doubting where their Ministers and MPs are getting monies from to make donations in their constituencies, personal money. By the way, I want to tell you that I come from the Copperbelt, and I am specifically talking about the Copperbelt because I know these ministers and MPs who are making donations and how they were before they came to Parliament.”
And Kabwita wondered why law enforcement agencies were quiet on the massive donations of cash and buses.
“It’s unfortunate that thieves now have risen, stealing with impunity and the Anti-Corruption [Commission], the DEC and other investigative wings cannot take interest in investigating where these people have gotten money to donate in their constituencies. The PF government is the only government where we have seen MPs and ministers donating colossal sums of money from their pockets that cannot even amount to what they get, including their allowances, to give in the constituencies. I don’t think under president Kaunda, even if I was young then, can allow such careless stealing, whilst he was president to allow ministers or MPs to make such donations in their constituencies. I know that president Kaunda would have loved to know the source of income before such a donation is made in a constituency or anywhere, but today, President Edgar Lungu has not taken interest to find out where his ministers and MPs are getting monies from,” he said.
“If, for instance, the Vice-President is saying they are businessmen and women, when did they start the said businesses and why were they not donating before they became MPs and ministers? Is the Vice-President telling us that not until you are a member of the PF and subsequently minister or MP under PF that’s when you can amass so much contracts, so much business and you can have so much money to give out? What about these old businessmen who did not wait for PF to form government are not making the same donations that others are making because we have businessmen who have made so much money and they also do what they call CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), they do it in a fashion that allows them first of all to make money and that’s when the firm will sit and decide what to contribute to the community. But this trend by the ministers and MPs where every Friday when they break, they will go back to their constituencies to give K50,000, K80,000, K100,000.”
He further urged Minsters and MPs to come out clean on their source of donations, warning that they will be arrested because they will not be in power after next year.
“Mwafumya kwisa mwebanensu indalama ishi, ala mukesakakwa. Ubu ubupupu bulemoneka na ku mwaiche dye uwafyalikwa, they know that ishi indalama tashili (Where have you gotten this money from? You will be arrested, this stealing is showing even to a newborn, that this is not clean money), this is dirty money. My elder brothers and sisters, I don’t want to mention your names, but you know yourselves, ala mukesakakwa. Next year, you are not going to continue to hold onto power, the people of Zambia are so upset with your government and they will not re-elect you, even if you bring Edgar Lungu for a third term, you are not going to manage to form government!” said Kabwita.
