Kapeya defends PF on opposition defections

Kapeya defends PF on opposition defections

Mpika, June 2, ZANIS ——-Mpika Central Member of Parliament Mwansa Kapeya says the ruling Patriotic Front is not responsible for the defections of the opposition MPs to the ruling party.

Mr Kapeya said the opposition political parties are the cause of by election because they have kept on expelling their members or force their members to resign, an action that eventually result into by elections.

Speaking on Friday evening when he featured on Mpika FM community radio in Mpika, Mr Kapeya dismissed allegations that the ruling party has been enticing opposition MPs to leave their party and join the ruling PF.

Mr Kapeya who is also Information and Broadcasting Services Deputy Minister wondered why the opposition political parties were accusing his party of creating   elections when it was in fact themselves who were expelling their members.

He said the ruling party has no role in creating by election but merely participated in an already created by election which he said was provided for in the country’s constitution.

He noted that some opposition political parties have expelled their members who have agreed to work with government to serve their people better which he said was unfair.

He said the ruling PF has attracted members from other parties due to its good policies and programmes it is implementing to uplift the lives of people especially those in rural areas.

He said since coming into power, the PF has embarked on various programmes such as the construction of roads under the Link Zambia 8000 and Pave Zambia 2000 which he said has not only opened the country but also created employment for local people.

He said his government has also constructed a number of health centres, schools, houses for civil servants and employed all trained teachers who were left unemployed by the previous government.

He explained that he PF has not departed from its principle of creating more job and putting more money in the pockets of people as it is currently shifting resources from sectors where few rich benefited in order to allow poor rural dweller to benefit as well.

When asked whether the removal of subsidies on some commodities was not going to make life harder for the poor people as goods and services would all be expensive, Mr Kapeya said the money removed from subsidies will directly benefit rural people as they will be employed in the construction of roads and other pieces of infrastructure and further benefit them as the development which will be implemented in their areas will permanently be theirs.

He noted that the PF gained power on the promise that it will make life better for the poor Zambians hence the decision to remove subsidies on commodities that were only benefiting the already rich people who have the capacity to acquire such services even without government’s help.

Various callers came through to commend government for its move to remove subsidies and channel money to rural development.