BRIAN HATYOKA in Sichili, Western Province –
VICE-PRESIDENT Inonge Wina has urged traditional leaders in Zambia to allow the electorate in their chiefdoms to participate freely in voting without exerting undue influence on their choice of candidate.
Meanwhile, 15 UPND supporters in Sichili have defected to the Patriotic Front (PF) with Ms Wina calling on the residents in the area to vote for the ruling party’s candidate Dennis Lyambai for the ward election. Ms Wina, who is in Sichili to drum up support for Mr Lyambai’s election on Thursday this week, said voting for a PF candidate would spur development in the area.

. Wina

She said it was unfortunate that some village headmen were stopping their people from voting for candidates of their choice.
She said there was a tendency where some traditional leaders interfered in the voting process by influencing the candidate who their subjects should vote for.
“I request our traditional leaders to stay out of politics. Sometimes some village headmen will stop their people from voting for certain candidates. Please let your people exercise their democratic right to
choose the people they want to represent them.
“This country has chosen a mode of governance called democracy and in a democracy, we have a leeway to have our own freedom of choice and freedom of expression. We also have our own freedom of association and, unfortunately for this country, we have discovered that some of these freedoms are being abused by the people who think they have more freedom than others,” she said.
Ms Wina said it would be easy for a PF councilor to relate to PF Member of Parliament (MP) for Mulobezi Patricia Mulasikwanda and for the two to relate to her office in Lusaka and finally relate to State House.
She said President Edgar Lungu was working with all MPs and councilors across Zambia, but sometimes some opposition parties did not want their MPs to seek support from the Government for various programmes aimed at benefiting the locals.
“I came here to ask for your vote for Mr Lyambai. The councillor you are going to choose on September 24, 2015 will be the person who will work with you on a daily basis, and whereas the area MP may be here at times but the councillor will be with you every day. So you have to make up your mind,” she said.
The Vice-President thanked the 15 defectors for joining the ruling party as it was a progressive party.
She urged PF members to embrace newcomers and work with them to grow the ruling party.
“Those of you in UPND who think that UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema (HH) will be president of Zambia, I can assure you that this will not happen because the people of Zambia have made up their mind in following PF because of the development that PF is bringing throughout the country,” she said.
Ms Mulasikwanda thanked the electorate in Mulobezi for voting for her during by-election in June this year.
On behalf of the 15 defectors, Bridget Kwenda thanked the PF for welcoming her team to the ruling party and pledged continued loyalty.