29 September 2008
The New Generation Party (NGP) has joined other organisations in backing MMD presidential candidate Rupiah Banda during the October 30 election.
NGP president Humphrey Siulapwa said after scrutinising all the four candidates contesting the presidential election, the party resolved to support Mr Banda..
Mr Siulapwa said this at a Press briefing at the party's secretariat at Findeco House in Lusaka yesterday.
"We have decided to Support the MMD presidential candidate Mr Rupiah Banda. We are safer with Mr Banda than any other presidential candidate in the next three years. We have seen God's hand in RB. RB is Zambia's gift from God," he said.
Explaining why a party for the youths did not settle for Hakainde Hichelema, Mr Siulapwa the United Party for National Development (UPND) was carrying an alleged tribalism tag.
He said some senior members of the UPND in 2006 strongly came out stating that a person who was not Tonga speaking could not lead the party following the death of the then party president Anderson Mazoka.
"I don't believe HH is tribal but people who surround him are," he said.
On Heritage Party (HP) President, Godfrey Miyanda, Mr Siulapwa alleged that the brigadier general was like a loner in the party and therefore NGP could not support him.
Commenting on the Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata, Mr Siulapwa said the NGP would only support a candidate who would uphold the Republican Constitution and that it could not support Mr Sata on this score.
He said in 2000, Mr Sata supported the third term bid by second Republican president Frederick Chiluba that was unconstitutional.
He said Mr Sata's stance on the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) was another indication that Zambians would not get a new Constitution under his leadership.
Mr Siulapwa said the other factors they took into consideration were prudent financial management, diplomacy and foreign policy capabilities of all the presidential candidates.
Meanwhile, Mr Siulapwa said providing resources for people campaigning for a candidate did not amount to corruption.
"If New Revolution Party got K15 million to campaign for RB, there is no corruption. If it was taken from Government coffers then I can have a problem," he said.
He said all political parties used resources to carry out their campaigns.
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