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Don't adopt corrupt candidate, Prof Chirwa urges MMD

Don't adopt corrupt candidate, Prof Chirwa urges MMD
By Patson Chilemba, Noel Sichalwe and Ernest Chanda
Monday August 25, 2008 [04:00]

MMD presidential hopeful Professor Clive Chirwa yesterday urged the party not to adopt a corrupt candidate for the forth-coming presidential by-election.

Commenting on the adoption process to choose a candidate for the MMD to contest the by-election, Prof Chirwa said MMD would be putting itself at risk if it adopted corrupt people to contest the presidency.

"Those corrupt people won't go through to the nation. You cannot present somebody who is corrupt to the nation because that way, you are putting the party at risk.

You have to continue putting people of dignity, people of respect, people who understand the issues and people who believe that this nation can go forward and become a great nation once again," Prof Chirwa said.

"Therefore, I urge my party which is the MMD, at this moment in time and this by-election, for this small period of time before 2011, to pick someone who is going to continue the legacy that His Excellency left behind."

And Prof Chirwa said he feared that MMD would split because of several camps that were building up within the party.

Prof Chirwa said a lot of camps were being formed in MMD and that this was a risk on the unity of the party. He reminded MMD that the adoption of candidates was not about individuals but to serve the people of Zambia.

"I fear that split. In fact, I fear that a lot of camps are actually building themselves up not realising that they should do this for the Zambian people," Prof Chirwa said. "I fear a split but that split won't be to our advantage. It will actually be to our deterioration and if they are not careful, they might lose this election."

Asked if he would file his application to be considered for the presidential by-election, Prof Chirwa said his focus was on 2011.

And Zambia Consumer Association executive secretary Muyunda Ililonga has criticised MMD Spokesperson Benny Tetamashimba's approach to stop non-party members from commenting on the party's presidential succession.

Commenting on Tetamashimba's statement on Friday that Dipak Patel could not advise the party on which candidate was better, Ililonga said every person was free to comment on the affairs of the ruling party.

"I think that Hon Tetamashimba is taking a very simplistic view about governance. What must be realised is that whatever decision that the MMD makes, whichever candidate they choose, once he wins his decisions will have a bearing on the economy and is bound to affect all Zambians," Ililonga said.

He said it was important that Zambians watched the presidential selection process in MMD since the outcome would affect the whole country.

Ililonga also said if President Mwanawasa had in mind finance minister Ng'andu Magande as his preferred candidate, then such a decision should be respected.

"In this regard, therefore, first of all, I wish to agree with the opinion of The Post that says that if President Mwanawasa had preferences, then those who are disputing those preferences must give good reasons why they are disputing such preferences because today, most people are talking about President Mwanawasa's successes," Ililonga said.

"President Mwanawasa did not work alone. From the time he came into power in 2001, he had worked with men and women who enabled him to function as President.

So President Mwanawasa is the man who knew these people, he knew their capabilities, he knew their weaknesses, so he was in a more advantaged position to know the men and women in the MMD who could prosper this country economically."

Ililonga said President Mwanawasa's successes could not be separated from the people who worked with him and helped him achieve what he achieved.

'Mind you, the first five years of President Mwanawasa's rule were the most difficult years because it was a period of building our economy. And in the seven years that he had been President, he knew what type of a person should succeed him and we cannot dismiss that. It is a basis on which we can choose a leader.

So I do think that the views of Dipak should not be dismissed entirely although he might have made them at a wrong time," said Ililonga.

Labels: CLIVE CHIRWA, MMD, PRESIDENCY

posted by MrK @ 4:28 AM