Levy warns against elections corruption

PRESIDENT Mwanawasa has sternly warned political parties, including the MMD against manipulating the electorates as the country nears the tripartite general elections.

Zambia News and Information Services reports that Mr Mwanawasa also urged political parties to ensure that the electorates are not influenced to supporting and electing candidates who were prone to using underhand methods or corrupt practices in their campaigns.

The caution was made on Friday night during an anti-corruption sensitisation night organised by the National Movement Against Corruption (NAMAC) at Intercontinental Hotel in Lusaka.

In a speech read on his behalf by Ministry of Home Affairs Deputy Minister, Justin Chilufya, Mr Mwanawasa said political party leaders should refrain from corrupt methods of campaigning so that the elections were free and fair.

He said for democracy to be seen to be working, all aspiring candidates must ensure that they conducted their campaigns in a fair and corrupt-free manner.

Mr Mwanawasa also said that corruption was perpetuating poverty in the country by taking away resources from public welfare to private and personal interests.

The President noted that without corrupt persons in society, Zambia would have more and better roads, better schools, more jobs, lower cost of essential commodities and reliable medical facilities.

"It is corruption that has frustrated plans to build enough decent shelter for our people, corruption has taken away what we need in order to have decent lives, the same corruption has robbed the country her sanity," he said.

At the same function, NAMAC Lusaka Province chairperson, Esther Kakompe, said corruption was a complex problem and he called for concerted efforts to restore sanity to the nation.

Mrs Kakompe said that NAMAC would soon carry a door-to-door anti-corruption sensitisation campaign in the communities in order to empower the electorates with corruption-free atmosphere during the forthcoming elections.

She, however, expressed concern that since the President declared zero-tolerance on corruption in 2002, community participation has been that of spectators as the scourge keeps growing.

"We must keep fighting at all costs because corruption kills us quietly, it steals our national financial resources and it breeds poverty and more suffering among the people of Zambians," she said. - ZANIS.