MP REFUSES TO HELP BUY A COFFIN, “LET THE DEAD BURY THEMSELVES” – MONGU MP OLIVER AMUTIKE

” The rich will bury the rich , the poor will bury the poor”

Mongu Central MP Oliver Amutike yesterday told the family members who were stranded to buy a coffin to bury their relative who died saying let the dead bury themselves.

This came after one of the community members called the law maker to request for a K200 contribution towards the purchase of a coffin, but he refused and referred the mourners to the area Councilor.

The poor family almost used a bracket to bury their relative because of lack of money.

Read the story written by Barotseland Political activist Munyinda Munukayumbwa below:

HON. OLIVER AMUTIKE SHOCKS MOURNERS AT WINELA PLOTS AFTER REFUSING PUBLICLY TO ASSIST THE POOR FAMILY WITH K200 CONTRIBUTION TO BUY A COFFIN

Yesterday evening I took time to visit a funeral House at Winela plots where someone died.

The family members literally had nothing to facilitate the burial of their beloved one. They narrated to me that they had no transport even to take the body to the mortuary as well as money to buy a coffin as cheap as that of K800. I was briefed that due to their financial constraint the family were opting to bury their beloved one just the following day after he died. We struggled with other people to raise money towards transport and the buying of the coffin. The only money we managed to raise torwads the coffin was K600 and we were short of K200 to meet the K800 coffin cost.

Running with a lot of thoughts on how we could help bury the deceased in a dignified manner, some people recommended that we engage our Member of Parliament since the deceased was also a supporter of Hon. Amutike himself.

Promptly, I picked my phone and called Hon. Oliver Amutike to sorrowfully intervene in the sad situation.

I narrated to him the situation of the family and I asked him if he could help by contributing K200 towards the purchase of a coffin. Answering and speaking from his comfort zone and beautiful house, the humble servant of Mongu Central constituency Hon. Amutike Mumbuna MP developed money leprosy and failed to straighten his hands to help the vulnerable family, but swiftly referred me to the area Councilor. When I informed him that we had asked the Councilor already but he doesn’t have, the same Hon. Amutike told us to request the Mongu Deputy Mayor Mutompehi Suzyo Ng’uni.

In despair and sad mood I phoned the Deputy Mayor who told me to call him after a while. I waited for 30 minutes, I then called him back as promised (Deputy Mayor Mr. Mutompehi Suzyo). He switched off his line. This is the drama we faced from our Civic leaders, especially on the case of the MP it was really shameful because it was the community which asked for his intervantion not an individual.

Lucky enough, a Good Samaritan from Sikongo but always passionate about the people of Mongu, came to our aid and sent me the K200 within 15 minutes after explaining the situation to him. Thereafter, We managed to buy a coffin and buried this morning.

Politically, the community that gathered there have given Hon. Amutike a benefit of doubt even on other donations we hear he does give. It seems the man is interested in votes not the welfare of the people of Mongu. We are not saying it’s his duty to contribute K200 torwads the coffin but where it’s due I think K200 is too little for a Honorable Member of Parliament who resurfaced mysteriously from business circles in South Africa to represent the people of Mongu in Parliament.

The sad part is that Amutike failed to help the people during Easter time where people or Christians are bound to exchange love by sharing what they have with poor people. The K200 that we requested from the Hon. MP was not for drinking beer, but to help the family that lost a beloved one.

It was to help a family that failed even to take their beloved one who died to the mortuary because of lack of transport. It was to help the family that wanted to bury their beloved one after dying due to financial situation. It was to help send off the person who voted for him as Mongu Central Constituency MP. I am surprised that Hon. Oliver Amutike’s conscience is free even after he failed to help the poor dead electorate.

He has never even bothered to call me to ask if we managed to get a coffin and bury. He is silent inside his room in Mongu enjoying Parliament allowances. It is okey for him since people have voted for him already but he should not forget that his coming from South Africa just to contest for elections still has many questions, and this story confirms how genuinely he is connected to the people of Mongu.

By Mutompehi Munyinda Munukayumbwa
Barotseland political activist

Email: munukayumbwamunu@gmail.com
Phone number:+260975 384328

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