When did the Dubai Company printing ballot papers become a darling Of UPND?
Now that the printing of ballot papers has been concluded under the controversial Al Ghurair, it is perhaps the right time to reflect on how fiercely UPND in opposition opposed the United Arab Emirates-based company.
No political party has ever put up such an aggressive fight to resist the foreign choice of a company to deal with printing ballot papers.
In 2016 the UPND put up a commendable and brave challenge to the ECZ for selecting Al Ghurair as the firm to print ballot papers. It was the same in 2021.
In fact, in 2016, UPND were so meticulous in their case that they even engaged lawyers from Dindi and Company who wrote a detailed letter outlining why Al Ghurair was the wrong choice. UPND even mounted a measured legal challenge which did not succeed.
Part of the reasons advanced against Al Ghurair were that they had been the same company were involved in printing ballot papers in the petitioned Uganda elections that saw the impugned victory of Yoweri Museveni held in that country on the 18th of February 2016.
“That said, our clients (UPND) object to subject the process of preparing and delivering ballot papers for the forthcoming elections in this country to any firm that participated in the Uganda elections which include Al Ghurair Printing Company of Uganda.”
Dindi and Company said the UPND and the general citizenry are inundated with information that the PF top brass have savings accounts in Dubai and that there was strong suspicion that these PF top brass is behind the bidding and awarding of the contract to Al Ghurair Printing company.
In parliament, former Monze Central Member of Parliament Jack Jacob Mwiimbu labelled Al Ghurair as a potentially criminal entity being used to siphon money by the Patriotic Front. He put up such an admirable show even detailing how Government Printers provided a credible option for such a task.
Mwiimbu pledged that when the UPND took over power, they would recapitalize Government Printers and ban the printing of ballot papers outside the country.
But now that UPND is in power, what have we seen?
As other political parties scrounging for some resources to at least witness part of the process, the UPND got a head start by getting into Dubai alongside the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) while the opposition.
In fact, we can state with certainty that UPND is the only party that witnessed printing of ballots from the start to finish!
Before we punch holes into the hullabaloo around who should have gone on a free government pass to witness the printing or not, we can start from, “when did Al Ghurair become a darling of the UPND establishment?”
What happened to the elaborate plans to recapitalize Government Printers? At least Mulungushi Textiles has seen one its usual smokescreen election season re-opening staged. It was comical to see the UPND trumpet the case for Al Ghurair as the ultimate ballot paper printing company. They did not just take the front row seat but also made sure to elbow everyone out of the way.
For once the taps were closed for opposition observers on account of fiscal prudence. We know a few UPND officials that thrived on the once in five years ECZ Dubai junket when they were in opposition.
We are tempted to name names but we will leave it here. Now that they are in power, they have seen the need to lock out everybody and enjoy the little junket alone.
Have we not heard that they have shut out everyone including the electorate from the election ‘harvest’? Of course, only a litany of soulless musicians better known in street parlance as “Bamucindila bwali” are getting a whiff of the little droppings from the table. The twerking or ukucinda is so contagious that it has even claimed the life of the archangel himself! Or is it the twerking Elder?
Should subject the ruling UPND to the same standard it applied to PF or it is another case of Miles Sampa of PF is different from Miles Sampa supporting HH.
Source: The Vital
