UPND HAS NEVER BEEN READY TO GOVERN, SAYS GEORGE MPOMBO
…as Msoni takes left jibe at former leaders asking them to tone down and give UPND chance to deliver campaign promises
FORMER Defence Minister George Mpombo says the ruling UPND was better off and more effective while in the opposition as compared to being in government running the affairs of the nation.
Dr. Mpombo has observed with sadness that the ruling party looks totally disorganized and unprepared for governance since forming government.
“It’s like the UPND were totally unprepared for governance, you know here, they have indicated that they will embark on a moral crusade as a new government and that they are going to fight reckless expenditure in government, now what is sad and shocking is that you are having ministers having their wives appointed to various sensitive positions and that is nepotism,” Dr. Mpombo charges.
He says the UPND has shown a picture that is becoming a face tool of corruption and nepotism itself, a trend he describes as dangerous to the existence of the party and the country.
“You cannot have a situation like that, this government is giving a picture that it is becoming a face tool of corruption and nepotism. Once they start appointing Ministers wives to sensitive positions this doesn’t add up. When you talk about the fight against overspending, this government has the biggest civil service establishment, look at state house, the President has created and duplicated so many positions in order to accommodate his boys. For instance, he has so many aides, he has permanent secretaries who are party cadres, he has District Commissioners who are party cadres, this is strange to me especially from a man who promised to do things differently from the past regime,” said Dr. Mpombo.
However, All Peoples Congress (APC), a party that is in an alliance with the UPND has asked people who once served in Government and failed to deliver to tone down and allow the party in power to deliver its promises.
APC leader Nason Msoni says the UPND alliance is far much better than the PF administration.
“In a nutshell we are in a far much better position than we were before under the PF administration. It is rather premature and too early to pass such a harsh judgment on this relatively new government,” Msoni said.
Msoni says the UPND administration has so far demonstrated political will in the fight against corruption.
He says it is only prudent to give the current leadership room and space to fulfil its campaign promises.
“The damage that was inflicted upon this economy by the previous regime will take time to repair. Those of our friends who had an opportunity to be in government before and did not deliver deliverables to our people must now tone down and give the UPND administration an opportunity to deliver their campaign promises,” he said.
Msoni acknowledged that every government will make mistakes, however, it only takes a good administration to listen and fix it.
“Every government will certainly make mistakes but it takes a good government to listen and acknowledge a mistake and fix it. This government has so far demonstrated that capacity to listen and attend to the people’s grievances. We must now start moving away from politics of confrontation to politics if development and above all to collectively assist to enhance national cohesion and unity of purpose. Unity of purpose is a prerequisite to sustainable development,” said Msoni.
Credit: The New Dawn Newspaper