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MMD ready for elections, declares Chitala

MMD ready for elections, declares Chitala
By Chibaula Silwamba, Patson Chilemba and Mutale Kapekele
Wednesday September 10, 2008 [04:00]

RUPIAH Banda is completely ready for the elections, chief executive officer of the MMD campaign team Mbita Chitala has said.

In an interview yesterday at the newly opened MMD campaign office in Lusaka, Chitala said: "We as a party are completely ready to go for elections and our candidate Rupiah Banda is completely ready," Chitala said.

"We have united all those colleagues that initially appeared to have other views as to who their candidates were. I personally, as chief executive officer of the campaign, have talked to all of them and they have all assured me that, 'we are part of the party and we will campaign for our candidate to ensure that there is continued stability and development of our country'."

Chitala said the Rupiah Banda-campaign team had come up with a theme, which was aimed at ensuring that the Zambian economy continued to grow.

"Our theme of the campaign is, 'Building on the promise, stability, development and good governance'. We want to ensure that development comes to our people, the fight against corruption will continue," he said. "We now have the campaign centre and our address is 1304/3 Bwinjimfumu Road in Rhodes Park, Lusaka."

He said the MMD would continue using the manifesto which it used in 2006 because it had helped the economy to grow at about five to six per cent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per annum.

"We would want it to go further. We the MMD were elected by the people of Zambia for five years and the five-year term comes to an end in 2011 and our performance has been heroic so there is no reason why the MMD should be stopped midway," Chitala said. "I think the people of Zambia should allow us to finish this term and come and judge us in 2011 and I am sure all Zambians are of the same view."

He said Zambians would have to go for elections because of constitutional obligations.

"We are prepared as MMD to go and defend our experience and I am sure the Zambians will give us the mandate to continue with a landslide victory," Chitala said. "For the opposition parties we welcome them to the contest, it's not war, it's a contest among brothers and sisters. We just plead that the contest is conducted in a civilized and respectful way and that there should not be any insults or violence."

He defended the MMD's proposal that the country forgoes the presidential by-elections and allow Acting President Banda to continue as President.

"The issue of no elections was raised on the basis that the MMD was given a five-year mandate and their programmes are for five years and midway we had this tragedy of our President passing away and we have to go for elections as per constitution," he explained. "Therefore, what that means is that we have to get about half a trillion kwacha to divert from schools and other programmes to go to elections. We are saying that that is a non-patriotic act because it means that some schools and hospitals may not have desks and medicines. We would rather the Acting President go unopposed.

"If he goes unopposed he will be declared winner of the elections so that we save this money."

Chitala said if that were to happen, opposition political parties would contest in the 2011 elections, as it would have happened had President Levy Mwanawasa not died.

"As MMD we have about, I think, 90 members of parliament in Parliament together with our allies such as those in PF Patriotic Front whom we have been working with and probably the ULP United Liberal Party we will have more than 116 seats. So it's possible to have a situation where Parliament becomes unstable, if any other person other than MMD becomes President. He might not be able to pass legislation there and that will bring a lot of instability," Chitala explained. "So the plea was made based on patriotism. For now it is unpatriotic for any opposition person to contest in the election, even though it is provided in the constitution, because of the difficulties they will have to coordinate the central administration and Parliament."

Chitala said the only people who could participate in the elections would be those who were unpatriotic and those who are so desperate to be Republican president.

MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba yesterday said it would be difficult for opposition leaders Hakainde Hichilema and Michael Sata to start new programmes and see them through to 2011.

Kalumba said Vice-President Banda had a better chance to complete the programmes that late president Levy Mwanawasa started. He said he had consulted various constituents and was confident that Vice-President Banda would win the elections with a landslide.

On Vice-President Banda's age, Kalumba said the Acting President's age was not something to worry about. He said Vice-President Banda's age would not make him fail to perform. Kalumba said leadership was not given on account of young age.

He said even Sata was old.
On the issue of forgoing the presidential election to save on costs, Kalumba said some UPND members approached him and the concept of consensus political arrangement was brought up.

He said he thought Zambia Centre for Inter-party Dialogue (ZCID) was the best platform through which this issue could be digested.
On the adoption of Vice-President Banda as MMD candidate, Kalumba said he was confident that they will to adopt Vice-President Banda reflected the interests of party members.

And Southern Province minister Daniel Munkombwe said Vice-President Banda should be subjected to elections.

Addressing the press on Monday, Munkombwe said coercing people into forgoing presidential elections would weaken democracy and that the country could become ungovernable if that happened.

"Everyone who aspires for presidency must seek authority to rule from the voters because they are the ones who can give a mandate to lead the nation," Munkombwe said. "We don't want to weaken the MMD and democracy by coercing people to forgo elections. Rupiah Banda is lovable enough and supported by most of the MMD members of parliament, so no attempt should be made to reduce his value by not subjecting him to elections."

He said the danger of 'coercing' the people into forgoing elections was that political parties would start asking for "their share" in government.

"Rupiah Banda should be bold enough to face elections," Munkombwe said. "If he doesn't, then other political parties will start demanding their share in government and saying we helped you to be President. That can make this country to be ungovernable."

Munkombwe said people with "lion" hearts like former Republican president Enock Kavindele should help Banda to campaign for the forthcoming presidential elections.

Munkombwe said ‘bold’ people like Kavindele should help Banda to campaign for the MMD to win the next elections.
"Kavindele has a lion's heart, that is why he stood up against Kenneth Kaunda in 1990. Now he should use that courage to campaign for Rupiah Banda," said Munkombwe. "And those that contested should also rally behind our candidate."

Labels: ELECTIONS, MBITA CHITALA, MMD

posted by MrK @ 4:34 AM