Nawakwi’s allegations are “symptomatic of a frustrated and failed politician” – Shamenda

GOVERNMENT has dismissed as mischievous allegations by FDD president Edith Nawakwi that the country is headed for a K5 billion budgetary deficit.
In a statement issued to the Sunday Mail yesterday, acting Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, Fackson Shamenda said Ms Nawakwi’s allegations are “symptomatic of a frustrated and failed politician who wants to use lies to gain cheap political mileage”.
“Ms Nawakwi once served as Minister of Finance under the MMD government when corruption and general mismanagement of the country thrived, which this government is now working hard to reverse,” Mr Shamenda said.
He said the FDD leader should not pretend to have answers to the management of the country’s economy.
The minister also condemned Ms Nawakwi for speaking against by-elections, saying as someone who at one time served as a member of Parliament, she should desist from cheap politicking on issues she ought to be well familiar with.
“The current constitution provides that a by-election is held within 90 days when a vacancy occurs for an elected member of Parliament. By-elections are, therefore, a constitutional expenditure and obligation, and the current constitution gives a member of Parliament freedom to resign and join another political party,” the statement reads.
Mr Shamenda also said as a democratic and law-abiding leadership, the PF government cannot stop anyone from defecting.
“Defections have not gone one way. Both the ruling and opposition have had their fair share of loss and gain of defectors. Why should it be right for the opposition to receive defectors and wrong for the ruling party to do so?” he questioned.