By REBECCA MUSHOTA –
HOME Affairs Minister Davies Mwila has allayed fears that some people risk being de-franchised because they will not be able to register as voters due to an unfair mobile national registration card (NRC) issuance exercise.

. Mwila

Mr Mwila told Parliament yesterday that there was no need for people to worry that the mobile NRC issuing exercise was marred by inconsistencies and could stop some people from registering as voters.
Mr Mwila was responding to Mpongwe MMD Member of Parliament (MP) Gabriel Namulambe who said that because of the limited time available, some youths who had not yet reached the voting age could take up most of the registering period denying those above 18 years an opportunity to get NRCs and register as voters.
He was making a follow-up question to Chongwe PF MP Sylvia Masebo who said that the mobile NRC exercise was unbalanced and was likely to stop some citizens from registering as voters.
“We are doing extremely well. By November, we would have exceeded our target and so there is no need for people to worry that they might be de-franchised,” said Mr Mwila.
He said so far, since the second phase started on September 4 this year, 75,275 had been captured out of a target of 500,000.
Mr Mwila said the mobile NRC exercise was not a PF programme but a Government exercise which called for all MPS to participate by mobilising their constituents.
He said in an event that a particular constituency required an extension or was facing any other challenge, it was the duty of the MP to alert the ministry and get the services required.
Mr Mwila said the Treasury had released sufficient funds and would release money for the third phase in November and so, there was no need for scepticism.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda told Parliament that a consultant had been engaged to review the statutes that governed public funds in order to reduce wastage.
Mr Chikwanda was speaking yesterday when he moved the motion for Parliament to adopt new members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
The names that were nominated were Mumbwa MMD MP Brian Chituwo, Solwezi East United Party for National Development (UPND) MP Villie Lombanya, Alliance for Democracy and Development Luena MP Gertrude Imenda and Chembe MMD MP Mwansa Mbulakulima.
Others are UPND Moomba MP Vitalis Mooya, Mwembeshi UPND MP Austin Milambo and Mafinga MMD MP Catherine Namugala.
The rest are Chama North PF MP January Zimba and PF Petauke Central MP Dora Siliya.
Parliament adopted the names.
Mr Chikwanda said PAC was a vital component in helping curb wasting of public funds and should be supported.
He said he would also take to Parliament the proposed name of the Auditor General to replace Anna Chifungula who is due to retire in December this year.