Maravi

Shaka backs Magande

Shaka backs Magande
By Patson Chilemba and Lambwe Kachali in Lusaka, Chibaula Silwa
Wednesday August 27, 2008 [04:00]

FINANCE deputy minister Jonas Shakafuswa yesterday said he was surprised and shocked that some Cabinet ministers who knew that President Levy Mwanawasa preferred finance minister Ng'andu Magande as his successor are either quiet about the matter or have betrayed him even before his burial. And retired politician Vernon Mwaanga said Vice-President Rupiah Banda should be elected as MMD presidential candidate to complete late President Mwanawasa's term of office.

"What Zambia needs is not political solutions because politics is not offering solutions. The person to replace President Mwanawasa has to be a manager. So in our quest on who takes over and some of us who were closer to him President Mwanawasa, we know what his intentions were. He showed indications of what he wanted to Cabinet," Shakafuswa said. "On the family's part, I would rather the first lady mentions it, not me."
Shakafuswa said MMD needed someone who was energetic with managerial skills like Magande.

He said the nation would be putting a lot of strain on Vice-President Banda if he were elected because of his old age.

"Honourable Banda is a good man...very, very good but I would rather we don't strain him. I would enjoy if he continues as Vice-President," Shakafuswa said. "If they want to make a mistake, let them make a mistake and see how the country will go backwards. Some are looking for job security but I'm ready to go to the back bench."

Zambia Association for Motorists president John Zulu urged the MMD national executive committee (NEC) to vote for Magande because Vice-President Banda was old.
In his application letter to MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba, Magande stated that he considered himself eminently qualified to represent the MMD in the by-election.
But Mwaanga said Vice-President Banda should be elected MMD candidate because this would generate stability and continuity in the country.

"He will certainly be the best candidate for MMD. There is the time factor and the party on the disadvantage is the MMD because the opposition already have candidates. I believe RB is the best person for this particular time we are in," he said.
Mwaanga said MMD stood the best chance to win if the national executive committee (NEC) does its selection well.

He urged NEC members to use their heads and not hearts in choosing a presidential candidate.

"I know that a lot of people are emotional over the death but the selection should be devoid of emotion. It should be tinged with realism as to what the the Zambian people expect," he said.

Mwaanga also said he would consider accepting a campaign role for the MMD if the party leadership approached him.
He said he had not lost his zeal for campaigning and that MMD should summon all the experience to ensure whoever was picked won the elections.

Mwaanga retired from active politics last year.
Announcing his retirement, Mwaanga said the decision to retire from politics was made easy, because after so many years in public life, like everything else, there must be a beginning, there must be the end.

Mwaanga said when he first joined the liberation struggle, he crossed the path with friends and relatives but he understood them.

"I have been a big picture person in my political life. I would like to see many more young people become big picture persons so that you look at the bigger picture of mother Zambia. I never sought confrontation, I never sought conflict, I sought reconciliation. That was essentially the gist of my political life. I was exposed to the world at a very young age," he had said.

Most recently, Mwaanga said people should accept generational changes and give young people a chance to rule Zambia.

He said the current political leaders should remember that they have a lifespan and thereafter, another generation should take over.
"I think that my generation should have confidence in the younger men and women of Zambia, the young people of Zambia. I have confidence in the young people of Zambia that they are capable of taking this country forward and ensuring that the mistakes which my generation had made are not only corrected but that they are not repeated so that we can continue to advance our country and take it to greater heights," said Mwaanga.

And in his application letter dated August 25, 2008 and addressed to Kalumba, Kavindele stated that he had considerable political experience dating back to the time he served as member of the central committee in the UNIP government whilst also participating in several sub-committees. He stated that in 1993, he was elected chairman of the economic and finance committee of the MMD, a position he held until being elected MMD vice-president.

"During the 2001 tri-partite election, I took our then Presidential candidate (Dr. L.P Mwanawasa) to all parts of the country, introducing him to our electorate, actively campaigning for his election and assisting in the fund-raising. Upon his ascension to the Republican Presidency, I served as his Vice-President," Kavindele stated.

He stated that upon former president Frederick Chiluba's retirement as party president, he could have assumed the presidency of MMD as per party constitution but chose to give way to President Mwanawasa in order to harmonise the party and Republican presidency. Kavindele stated that the political positions he has held had exposed him to the breadth and width of the country. He stated that he was known by MMD members across Zambia.

Kavindele stated that other than English, he was able to easily communicate with the grassroots in vernacular in any part of the country as he spoke 29 Zambian languages.
He stated that during his tenure as Republican vice-president, he on several occasions chaired both NEC and Cabinet meetings in the absence of the President.
"Throughout Dr. Mwanawasa's first year of office, we were burdened by the Presidential petition, which required that he spent much of his time with our lawyers and I was therefore delegated many of his presidential assignments, which exposed me greatly to the challenges of that office," Kavindele stated.

He stated that in addition to upholding the President's vision for the economic emancipation of the Zambian economy and his crusade against corruption, he would want to establish a commission of enquiry into the disposal of major state assets to establish why valuable assets such as KCM were sold for paltry sums of US$ 25 million when experts advised the true value of being in excess of US$ 2 billion.

Kavindele stated that as presidents do not work in isolation, it was his hope that ministers and officials who negotiated those deals would avail and provide answers.
He stated that he was aware of the precarious financial position of MMD and that he intended to contribute towards the funding of election campaign if elected as candidate.
"Recognising that this is bound to be a three year presidency, I am of the view that the party and country needs an experienced and mature person to assume the role of Republican President. I am 58-years-old and holder of MMD card number 2," stated Kavindele.

Former works and supply minister Dr Ludwig Sondashi also filed in his application yesterday.

Dr Sondashi stated that he could confirm in terms of Article 54 (1) (a) that as one of the founding members of MMD, he had been a member of the party for a continous period of over three years prior to the application. He stated that in terms of Article 9 (d) and (g), he had the right to be elected into the leadership of any position and to express to the NEC freely his opinion without prejudice or ill will.

Dr Sondashi further stated that Article 38 (1) provided that the election of the President of the party should be by secret ballot.

"My interpretation is that whether the NEC decides to fill a casual vacancy of the President of the Republic only or the President of the Party, secret voting should be the preferred mode of voting," he stated.

Dr Sondashi pleaded with NEC that the election of Presidential candidate be conducted by the party electoral commission in terms of Article 53 in order to avoid suspicion in the outcome of the poll. He stated that he was instrumental in designing the vision of government with late President Mwanawasa upon his selection as presidential candidate by NEC in 2001. Dr Sondashi stated that he was cadre friendly and experienced politician.

Meanwhile, Kalumba has announced a three day extension of the deadline for applications from individuals who want to be considered as presidential candidates. The deadline for the applications was due yesterday.

Kalumba stated that the legal committee under secretariat which was detailed to look at the mode of adoption could only limit itself to making recommendation to NEC on the modalities of selecting a party candidate that would not be party president. He stated that this was why President Mwanawasa served for five years as acting party president in his first term because the MMD constitution only recognised the convention of the legitimate body for the election of a party president.

"It is, therefore, important that if any change of matters of adoption has to be made, the most politically convenient and constitutionally debatable option within the constraints of time and resources, would be to limit the power of NEC to the selection of a candidate who will be put up by MMD as a Republican presidential candidate and not as party president," stated Kalumba. "There is a danger of a very serious division in the MMD if the two issues are not separated."

And ministers and MMD NEC members in Eastern Province have resolved that Vice-President Banda be allowed to contest as the ruling party's presidential candidate for the forthcoming by-election.

But Vice-President Banda has not yet disclosed whether he is contesting the MMD presidency or not.

According to a resolution paper signed by ministers, deputy ministers, members of parliament, MMD NEC members, PEC members and district chairpersons from the Eastern Province after a meeting on Monday, they observed that Vice-President Banda possessed the necessary experience and maturity required to fill the gap during this trying moment in the history of Zambia.

"We the MMD National Executive Committee members from Eastern Province, with our provincial executive committee members and district and constituency committee together with our members of parliament from the province, do hereby resolve as follows: that for the sake of continuity of President Levy Mwanawasa's programmes and stability in the nation do resolve that his honour the Vice-President Rupiah Banda be given the chance to lead the nation to fill up the gap created by the death of our beloved President Dr Levy Mwanawasa," the resolution paper read in part. "We appeal to the National Executive Committee to endorse the candidature of Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda as a candidate in the forthcoming presidential by-election."

They stated that they strongly felt that Vice-President Banda understood the late President Mwanawasa's programmes better than anyone else because he worked closely with him.

"His honour also possesses the necessary experience and maturity required to fill the gap during this trying moment in the history of our country. We further appeal to all peace loving Zambians and to our party members, in particular, to avoid being hoodwinked by people who may have excessive money at their disposal because Zambia is not for sale," they stated. "We further appeal for soberness in the handling of this matter and avoid politics of tribe and/or regionalism and foster our motto of 'One Zambia, One Nation'."
They appealed to the MMD party leadership in other provinces throughout Zambia to support their resolutions.

Among the ministers that signed the resolution paper are Dora Siliya (transport and communication), Lameck Mangani (Lusaka), Angela Cifire (deputy sports), Professor Fashion Phiri (deputy foreign affairs), David Phiri (deputy information and broadcasting), Todd Chilembo (deputy tourism), Charles Shawa (Eastern Province), Dr Eustarckio Kazonga (deputy local government and housing), Boniface Nkhata (deputy mines - small scale) and Maxwell Mwale (deputy mines -large scale).
Other members of parliament who signed the document are Chadiza's Allan Mbewe, Chipangali's Vincent Mwale, Lumezi's Isaac Banda, Milanzi's Reuben Chisanga-Banda and Nyimba's Forrie Tembo.

NEC members who signed the document included Eastern Province chairman Kennedy Zulu, Vera Chiluba Tembo (who is also environment deputy minister), Rose Banda, Frank Moyo, Regina Phiri and Martha Mulenga.
The resolution paper was also signed by all PEC members and district committee chairpersons.

And chief government spokesperson Mike Mulongoti said the NEC should not disadvantage presidential hopefuls who fail to apply on account of observing the national mourning period.

Mulongoti said there were many people in MMD who might not apply because they were mourning President Mwanawasa.

He said it was not morally right for MMD members to be writing letters when the nation was mourning the Republican President.
He urged NEC to allow people to submit their application letters even after the burial of the President.

Mulongoti also urged MMD members wishing to apply to hold their applications until the burial was over.

He said MMD presidential aspirants should not shift people's attention from mourning to succession.

"I am hoping that all those MMD members who are spending sleepless nights, thinking of applying and to succeed President Mwanawasa should show high level of morality. I would urge them to first hold their application letters until the burial is over," Mulongoti said. "I don't think NEC will disadvantage them on that basis because we are all aware that the death of our president is a national tragedy and therefore, anybody who fails to apply now will be given an opportunity to apply after the burial."
Asked if he himself will also apply after the burial, Mulongoti denied having presidential ambitions.

"I have no wish at all. I am MMD chairman for elections and if I have presidential ambitions, then it will mean to advantage myself. These elections are for other members, not me. I have no intentions at all," said Mulongoti.

Labels: MAGANDE, SHAKAFUSWA

posted by MrK @ 5:23 AM