I can’t re-contest the Petauke seat, I did my part – Dora Siliya
I can’t re-contest the Petauke seat, I did my part – Dora Siliya
FORMER Petauke Central Member of Parliament Dora Siliya has set the record straight for naysayers and doubting Thomases that she won’t ever be on the Petauke ballot if it ever holds by-elections.
Siliya stated that Petauke Central was still a part of her heart but couldn’t find time to re-contest as MP as she had already given her all to the Constituency.
She was responding to reports in the media suggesting that she had been eyeing the position since the incumbent MP Emmanuel Banda slipped through the fingers of five police men early this month.
The fugitive who was remanded at Namuseche Correctional Facility in Chipata on a charge of aggravated robbery was taken ill at Chipata Central Hospital on August 1.
Home Affairs Minister Jack Mwiimbu confirmed that Banda who was being guarded by two police officers and three Zambia Correctional Service officers escaped through a window on the second floor of the facility.
Since the ordeal, social media has been set ablaze with queries on whether Siliya would consider taking the Petauke seat if it was declared vacant.
But on today’s Hot Breakfast Show, the former minister of Information and Broadcasting Services reiterated that she had no intentions of re-contesting the seat.
She however, noted that Petauke Central remains a part of her heart which she can never abandon.
“Petauke is my child, I was the first female MP, I did end up being the youngest MP at the time, I was elected four times, I have Petauke at heart. I did everything for Petauke, I paid school fees for a lot of children. I remember really thinking that we need to have a mortuary, we worked very well I gave it everything.”
“If there’s a by-election in Petauke, I’m not aware that there’s a by-election but I would say Petauke deserves their fair share of the national cake. I will always support Petauke, supporting schools, [and] supporting women. I think my name being on the ballot will not happen, I’m currently occupied with a number of things,” she stated.
Meanwhile, the former MP urged young people to use social media correctly instead of depending on spreading misinformation.
“I love media technology, it has potential for transformation, let us be productive, but bear in mind that social media is also a danger, I wonder where people find the time to spread hate on social media. Social media is like pa Nsaka, anybody can say anything,” she said.
By Catherine Pule
Kalemba, August 29, 2024