Zambia opposition donor note miffs govt
- Category: Africa
- Written by SAPA
A group of opposition movements in Zambia irked the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) party on Wednesday by asking Western donors to investigate alleged governmental financial misconduct and political witch-hunts in the country.
"It is shameful for the opposition political parties to rush to the donor community to petition the PF government over matters that could be handled internally," PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba said.
A 10-page letter to donors, signed by five opposition groups, has been circulating online and accuses the ruling party of "nepotism".
"Zambia is currently experiencing a crisis of confidence in the quality of its governance, raising credible and legitimate doubts that the current group of individuals in the seats of power can be trusted to issue debt, transparently manage financial resources, or conduct themselves within the boundaries of the constitution," the letter says.
The groups say that the finance ministry recently hired relatives of President Michael Sata while government contracts had been awarded to companies linked to top PF members.
The letter also charges that the media was being intimidated by a string of defamation lawsuits brought by Sata, while at least one member of the press has been jailed.—Sapa
