Tuesday December 9, 2014 NO LAW TO COMPEL US REVEAL FUNDERS-UPND UPND deputy secretary general Kachunga Simusamba says there is no law in Zambia that compels politicians to reveal their funders. And Patriotic Front (PF) secretary general Davies Chama says party president Edgar Lungu will not use public resources in his campaigns. On Sunday, Zambian Voice executive director Chilufya Tayali challenged UPND president Hakainde Hichilema and other politicians to disclose their sources of funding. Mr Simusamba said it would be naive of UPND to reveal names of individuals and organisations assisting its leaders because it fears that they might be harassed. He said Mr Tayali was not an officer of any law enforcement agency for him to compel politicians to disclose their sources of funding. “Mr Tayali wants his sponsors to start harassing these noble men and women once we reveal their names. We can only say thank you to them for showing confidence in our ability to deliver a better Zambia. And this privacy clause is not unique to Zambia, even in developed countries, there are anonymous funders who just want the best for the country; so this again is a non-issue,” he said. Mr Simusamba assured Mr Tayali that if there was a law to compel politicians to disclose people who finance their campaigns, the UPND would not have hestitated to reveal them. On Mr Hichilema’s business interests, Mr Simusamba said Mr Tayali should exercise patience because as a requirement for filing in presidential nominations, the candidate must declare what they are worth. He said Mr Hichilema will disclose this information between December 17 and 19 this year when he files in his nomination papers. Mr Simusamba reminded Mr Tayali that Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA)was a public institution,where people including himself were free to check for any information about Mr Hichilema’s businesses. And Mr Chama said Mr Lungu would not use Government facilities for his campaign although he is Minister of Defence and Justice, adding that he has not used party resources to conduct his campaigns. Mr Chama said yesterday that there were concerns that Government facilities were being used in the campaign. “We wish to inform the nation that PF president Edgar Lungu will conduct a fair, peaceful, and non-violent campaign as enshrined in our electoral laws and as provided for in good governance principles,” he said. Mr Chama said Mr Lungu has advised all ministers and officials to comply with his directives on the use of public resources. ‘From our laws, only the Republican President and the Vice-President are allowed by law to use such facilities,” he said. “As demonstrated by the two functions relating to the national launch the party held in Kitwe and Mansa, the helicopters and plane used were hired from the private aviation companies and we wish to emphasize that no Government facilities were used from the Zambia Air force.”
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 09:35:08 +0000
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