By Mubanga Mubanga
Bill 7 will pass today, says Parliamentary chief whip Likando Mufalali
In an interview with Daily Revelation, Mufalali said Bill 7 had garnered support in Parliament and therefore, it would pass.
Bill 7 had been welcomed by majority Zambians who wanted delimitation.
“Bill 7 has been welcomed by majority Zambians who would want delimitation, would want to see women participation, who would want to see youths participation, who would want to see resources being shared at the local level, at the grassroots,” Mufalali said. “This is all Bill 7 is seeking to do. So, it is being welcomed everywhere and l can rest assure you that Bill 7 is highly supported, without any malice. This is the Bill that seeks to remove our people … (from) abject poverty.”
Mufalali said Bill 7 had no hidden agenda or malice and this was the reason it was going to pass in Parliament today (Monday).
“The Bill will pass, it is a very popular Bill, it got no malice, it got no hidden agenda. It is the law that is straightforward. It seeks to amend only those areas, lacunas that can bring confusion,” he said.
Mufalali said there was nothing wrong in the way Bill 7 was initiated.
He cited the way Bill 10 was initiated by late former Mwansabombwe member of parliament Rodgers Mwewa through a private members motion in Parliament, as an example of how it was done.
Mufalali said the lawyers and organisations that were speaking ill of Bill 7, could not mention what was wrong in Bill 7.
“The Bill 10 was brought by a private member through a motion. May his soul rest in peace, honourable Mwewa, former MP of Mwansabombwe. There were no qualms about it. He just failed when it reached the main house, as it could not garner the numbers. Bill 7 is very popular, it has garnered a lot of support in the main house. “
Reacting to allegations by the PF that he was given a task by the UPND to bribe back benchers with K20,000 each, in order for them to vote for Bill 7 in Parliament, Mufalali said K20,000 was very little to be used to bribe someone.
“Mubanga, that allegation you know when someone is dying out of drowning, he wants to start holding even a ledge so that he can survive from there. That kind of talk is too cheap for me. You cannot, l mean K20,000 what is K20,000 to UPND members, or even the opposition? You cannot buy someone out of K20,000, it is not possible,” Mufalali said. “And the time they are talking now, this, that, It is not necessary. They have just seen that they have lost this bid, they have seen that we are more united and the Bill itself sells itself and the people are happy with the Bill.”
Mufalali said the PF knew that they were going to lose over Bill 7, that was why they were making such allegations.
“So the only thing they can do is to make allegations, unfounded allegations, and they shout the loudest and say, this has been happening. They came with money,” Mufalali said.
He said there was no need to give any member of UPND a K20,000 because the party and its members had resolved a long time ago that they wanted a delimitation so that money should be shared equitably.
