WEED OUT CORRUPTION IN ADOPTIONS, UPND TOP-BRASS TOLD

By ANDREW MUKOMA THE high levels of corruption, bribery and underhand methods by those seeking re-adoption and adoption should not influence the outcome of the National Management Committee (NMC), some UPND officials have warned. The officials in Southern Province have expressed sadness with the way the primary elections especially at ward, constituency and district levels came out. According to senior party officials who sought anonymity, there was corruption, bribery and underhand methods targeted at party officials who were involved in the voting process in order to favour some aspiring candidates. They said in Livingstone that the trend was visible in constituencies such as Sinazongwe, Mapatizya, Dundumwezi, Bweengwa and Livingstone where even some pockets of violence were reported. “Our interest is to ensure the National Management Committee does the right thing by adopting people on merit and not what happened in Sinazongwe, Mapatizya, Dundumwezi, Bweengwa and Livingstone where officials were being given money, bought motorbikes and bicycles by those seeking re-adoption or adoption. The senior party officials advised the NMC to follow what the people who are not in structures want if they are to pick credible and popular candidates. Last week, UPND Secretary General Batuke Imenda issued a statement in which he stated that the party had taken note of a number of reports alleging that some aspiring candidates were actively distributing inducements to constituency, district, provincial and national officials in a quest to secure re-adoption or an adoption for first timers in the forthcoming general elections. In a statement, Mr Imenda said the party’s posture towards corruption and manipulation of systems for personal gain was aggressively adverse. “We are a democratic party and shall endeavour to practice democratic tenets openly…. Democracy must not only be practiced but should also be seen to be practiced. Any practices that are shrouded in secrecy and go against openness are alien to the UPND and will, therefore, not be entertained,” party of the statement read.