By SYLVESTER MWALE –

MMD Chisamba Member of Parliament (MP) Moses Muteteka has said that President Edgar Lungu deserves a chance for a full five-year term because he has done a lot to correct past mistakes.
Mr Muteteka said he would remain available for President Lungu if the Head of State needed him to secure victory in Chisamba and Central Province as a whole.
The parliamentarian was pardoned in June last year by President Lungu due to ill health after suffering a stroke while serving a five-year jail sentence at Lusaka Central Prison for theft of a motor vehicle.
In an interview, Mr Muteteka said Mr Lungu had attracted more support to the ruling party because he had tried hard to correct many errors committed by his predecessors.
“When the PF came into power, I was one of the MPs who were approached to work in late President Michael Sata’s Government and when I refused, then it became a problem and the fight started until I was jailed.
“But with the coming of Edgar Lungu, most things have changed; he has changed many things and we must give him the benefit of doubt,” Mr Muteteka said.
He said he would be available in case Mr Lungu needs any advice, including on who should stand in Chisamba Constituency because the “MMD is dead and will never rise again.”
He said the MMD would be more divided in this year’s elections than it was during the 2015 polls when the former ruling party split its allegiance.
“As I am talking, there are some members that have already joined UPND, others have joined the ruling party while others are trying to stick to the MMD.
“But after 2016 the MMD will be no more just like UNIP. In fact it will be worse than UNIP,” Mr Muteteka said.
He accused MMD leaders of seeking selfish interests at the expense of the party, and warned that the opposition party would have no member by the time the elections were held.
Mr Muteteka has served as MMD MP since 2006 after grabbing the seat from the United Party for National Development.