2 October 2008
Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mike Mulongoti says he has no plans of resigning because he has not engaged himself in any wrong-doing.
Mr Mulongoti, who is Chief Government spokesperson, said as a public officer, he was under obligation to accompany the president or vice-president if asked to carry out certain duties.
Mr Mulongoti who was speaking in an interview in Lusaka yesterday said he had not committed any crime for people to ask him to resign and described the calls as malicious aimed at tarnishing his name.
He further questioned the motive behind such calls and challenged people who thought he had failed to perform his duties to come out in the open and disclose their motives.
"I am not going to resign because I have not done anything wrong and I have not failed in my work. What about members of Parliament who are assisting in campaigning for their leaders, how can you explain that? " he asked.
And MMD spokesperson Benny Tetamashimba said he was confident of the ruling party's victory in the North-Western Province in the forthcoming presidential by-election.
Mr Tetamashimba said that owing to his popularity in the province, the MMD presidential candidate, Rupiah Banda would emerge victorious.
Speaking at a Press briefing in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Tetamashimba said that he would resign as member of Parliament (MP) for Solwezi Central if the MMD failed to win convincingly in the province.
Mr Tetamashimba said it was misleading for United Party for National Development (UPND) leader , Hakainde Hichilema to state that he was not telling Mr Banda the truth over the popularity of the party in the province.
"If people of North -Western Province and their chiefs who have directed us that we vote for him do not vote for him, I will resign from Parliament as a sign of my commitment to Mr Banda and having been disappointed by my North-Western masters voting against a person they directed me to support and vote for," Mr Tetamashimba said.
Mr Tetamashimba also challenged Mr Hichilema to retire from active politics if he lost the presidential vote in North-Western Province.
He stated that during the 2001 elections, he led the UPND to victory in the province, a move that saw the party win nine parliamentary seats compared to the current two.
Mr Tetamashimba said that on his expulsion from the party, he had warned that in his absence, the UPND would lose its popularity in the province.
"I will follow the decision of the province and campaign for Mr Banda like I campaigned for late Mazoka and late president Mwanawasa," Mr Tetamashimba said.
Mr Tetamashimba commended the chiefs in Southern Province for endorsing Mr Banda as their preferred candidate saying the situation was similar to North-Western Province.
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