Scott says Mpongwe has potential of being C/belt main food basket

Scott says Mpongwe has potential of being  C/belt main food basket

Ndola, Feb 23/13, ZANIS…………Vice President Dr Guy Scott has observed that Mpongwe district has the potential to become the main food basket of Copperbelt province and region as it has arable land and good rains.

Dr Scott says this is more the reason the Patriotic Front government has embarked on a programme to open up areas through the launch of the Link Zambia 8000 Road Project so that such potential is developed further.

Dr Scott disclosed that government will over the next three years ensure that the Mpongwe/ Machiya road through Luswishi is tarred so as to attract development.

Dr Scott said this yesterday during a public meeting held to drum up support for PF parliamentary candidate, Gabriel Namulambe, and local government by election candidate, Justine Kachimba, election at Mushipashi Primary School in Chief Mwinuna’s area of Mpongwe district.

Dr Scott, who was accompanied by Sport, Youth and Child Development Minister, Chishimba Kambwili, Provincial Minister Mwenye Musenge, Health Deputy Minister, Mulenga Chiponde and Campaign Manager, Jean Kapata, said government was aware of the many problems the people of Mpongwe were facing.

He said chief Mwinuna of the area has already informed him of the deplorable state of roads, poor telecommunication network and delays in receiving inputs.

Dr Scott said it is the intention of government to develop Mpongwe fully so that the works that Mpongwe Development Company started are completed.

He said it was important that the people of Mpongwe vote for Mr Namulambe as he was standing on PF which has the desire to change the area.

Dr Scott said it was sad that opposition political parties in parliament had continued to shot down good policies meant to change the lives of people, adding that such attitude was retrogressive.

‘It is imperative that people vote for the PF so that development is enhanced in Mpongwe in particular and the country at large,” he said.

Dr Scott said the government was happy that 12 of the MMD MPs were ministers in the PF government and one from UPND and expressed optimism that this was not the end as more of the opposition will eventually join the PF government.

The Vice President assured the people in the area that once Mr Namulambe is voted into office as MP, the PF will ensure that the promises it has made to the people of Mpongwe are fulfilled before the end of the current term.

And Mr Kambwili, who is also Roan Member of Parliament, said it was regrettable that opposition parties were failing to fulfil their mandate given to them by the people who voted them into office as their only business in parliament was just shooting down policies and ideas aimed at developing their constituencies.

Mr Kambwili said it was important to remember that people were voted into leadership in order to bring about development and not halt it as is the current case in parliament by opposition MPs.

He said those who think the MMD will come back to power were deceiving themselves as the only party capable of moving the country was the Patriotic Front which is in power currently.

Mr Kambwili warned Mr. Namulambe to live up to the expectations of the people of Mpongwe once elected and be strong as the PF party was not for the faint hearted.

He also called on the people of Mpongwe to forgive Mr Namulambe for the wrongs he committed previously when he was MMD.

And Mr Namulambe said his reasons of defecting to the PF were to ensure that development benefited the area.

He said his conscious could not just allow him to continue serving a party which had no interests for the people and whose agenda was just frustrating development.