MMD not shaken by Chishiba’s defection - Chipungu

Mr Chipungu

MMD says it is not shaken with the resignation of their Kafulafuta Member of Parliamen,t James Chishiba to join the ruling Patriotic Front on the Copperbelt.
MMD Chairman for elections, Kenneth Chipungu, said the party knew very well that Mr Chishiba was going to pat company with the former ruling party a long time ago.
Mr Chipungu, who is also Rufunsa Member of Parliament, said his party knew that Chishiba wanted to resign from the MMD soon after the 2011 general elections and that his stay in the MMD was highly questionable.
He told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that such kind of MPs lack principles because causing unnecessary by- elections was a drain to the national coffers.
He condemned the move adding that by- elections are too costly to the nation which is under developed such as Zambia.
Mr Chipungu said money going for by-elections would have been used to build clinics, schools and other important things as opposed to wasting huge sums of money on by- elections caused by individuals who are self-centred.
The Rufunsa MP has further advised Zambians and the people of Kafulafuta and Feira not to vote for such people as they are not interested in national development and their constituencies.
Mr Chipungu said Kafulafuta is a very poor constituency without basic needs of the people, stating that for Mr Chishiba to defect to the ruling party was a misguided strategy which the people of the constituency are not happy with.
He noted that MPs ditching their parties to join the Patriotic Front should be taught a lesson by the electorates like was the case in Lukulu West where the people vehemently refused to vote the PF to deter others planning to do the same.
“Zambians should look at such people carefully. Electorates are not fools to be cheated and fooled all the time. It is high time such people should swallow a bitter pill”, Mr Chipungu said.
Mr Chipungu made an earnest appeal to the electorates in Feira and Kafulafuta to seriously reflect and make a right decision on the voting day in the two constituencies by not voting the same people and instead usher in serious politicians eager to develop their constituencies.
He said MPs should not always think that their constituencies can only be developed if they belong to the ruling party.
He said it is the responsibility of Government to take development to every party of the country.
Kafulafuta Member of Parliament, James Chishiba, announced his defection to the ruling PF today during the press briefing citing bad leadership style being exhibited by party president,   Nevers Mumba.
And adding salt to the pain of by-elections Sports Minister Chishimba Kambwili told the nation during Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) main news that whoever felt aggrieved should not complain.
Mr Kambwili said his Government had already budgeted for these series and circus of the by-elections.
More By-elections are looming in Sinjembela and Kalabo Central where two opposition UPND  Members of Parliament (MPs) appointed into to serve in PF Government, are about to be taken out of the party.

With Mr Chishiba’s resignation, the MMD now has 45 MPs while the PF has 76 parliamentarians.
The UPND has 30, the Forum for Democracy and Development and the Alliance for Democracy and Development each has one while two are independent MPs.
Last week another MMD MP for Solwezi East and Deputy Minister for Commerce, Trade and Industry Richard Taima resigned from the former ruling party to join the PF.