Maravi

Rupiah has a slim chance, says Lusaka MMD chairman

Rupiah has a slim chance, says Lusaka MMD chairman
By Katwishi Bwalya
Thursday October 23, 2008 [04:00]

LUSAKA Province MMD chairman Geoffrey Chumbwe has said Vice-President Rupiah Banda has slim chances of winning next week's presidential election because of disunity in the party. Chumbwe yesterday said he and other people who supported finance minister Ng'andu Magande during the election of the MMD presidential candidate had totally been sidelined by Vice-President Banda's campaign team.

Chumbwe said the division had narrowed the MMD's chances of winning the forthcoming election contrary to the party's election campaign chairperson Mike Mulongoti's claims that there was no disunity in the party.

Chumbwe said the opposition was likely to take advantage of the disunity within the ruling MMD and win the October 30 presidential election, which he said would be unfortunate.

Chumbwe's statement is contrary to Vice-President Banda's assertion during a rally in Chongwe last Sunday that Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata might only win the election in Lusaka by a narrow margin.

"For the party, what I can say is that I hope for the best because politics is about numbers. And if certain people try to work on their own, leaving out others because a vote in politics is very important, it can make a difference but in this case, others are being sidelined. Maybe they think we have already won the elections," he said.

"Some of us have got positions in the party and we have been elected and we should be seen to be doing something and when we are not seen doing something, the people who elected us will ask and when they are not given the right answers, they will be suspicious.

And when Honourable Mulongoti says no one has been sidelined, then it is unfortunate because personally, I have met Mulongoti and there are issues that we have discussed and I can say here for instance, where is honourable Masebo? Even Honourable Magande himself?

Chumbwe said the biggest opposition for the MMD lies within the party.

"The biggest opposition MMD has is the opposition within the party, and it's true we are not participating because we earlier agreed at a meeting held at Government House after the burial of late president Levy Mwanawasa that all provincial chairpersons would coordinate their provinces.

I went to the campaign centre where I met Mbita Chitala and Richard Kachingwe and they told me that the candidate Rupiah had already approved a list for Lusaka and my name was not there and each time I went to the campaign centre, I could see that things were not moving well because actions speak louder than words.

But I started campaigning for RB using my own resources, going in the field but I saw that there was so much distance between us who were campaigning for Magande and other people," Chumbwe said.

He said as provincial chairman, he was not told about Vice-President Banda's movements in Lusaka Province.

"For instance, I am not told when the candidate is visiting places or even going in my province, even when he was in Rufunsa, I didn't know, even the Chongwe rally. Had it not been for local government minister Sylvia Masebo, I would not have known because she just informed me. That was how I attended that rally," he said.

Chumbwe said he sought audience with Vice-President Banda's campaign agent Benny Tetamashimba on why the Magande team had been sidelined from the campaigns.

However, he said he was informed that they were being sidelined because Magande had refused to accept the appointment as MMD campaign coordinator for Southern Province.

"Tetamashimba informed me that we have been sidelined because he Magande refused to accept the appointment to work for the party. But the way I know Magande, I doubt it if he really refused to work for the party.

But if indeed he refused to work for the party then people should ask themselves why did Magande refuse the offer of being the campaign co-ordinator for Southern Province. But what I’m saying is if Magande truly refused to work for the party then I blame him because it is unfortunate if he refused to work for the party," he said.

Chumbwe said even if Magande had refused to work for the party, his followers should not have been sidelined in such a way because they all agreed that they would support Vice-President Banda.

He said despite the divisions, the people that rallied behind Magande had continued to campaign for Vice-President Banda individually in their areas.

Chumbwe said it was unfortunate that the party was busy discussing positions in the new government when the MMD had not yet won the election.

"We should concentrate on campaigning for our candidate Rupiah Banda first before we can start sharing positions in government because a lot needs to be done before October 30," said Chumbwe.

Last Saturday, president Mwanawasa's nephew Peter Shakafuswa warned that it would not be easy for Vice-President Banda to win the elections on October 30 if the current disunity in the MMD continues.

Peter said it was unfortunate that Vice-President Banda had continued to sideline all those who voted against him during the MMD National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting that was held to elect a presidential candidate.

Peter wondered how the MMD hoped to win the forthcoming elections when it was divided.

"There is a lot of speculations that he Vice-President Banda has forsaken finance minister Ng'andu Magande and all those who voted against him. So I am challenging my Acting President to come out in the open and tell the nation the true picture...

“Where is the trust going to be and where is democracy going to be if among ourselves we have not reconciled?" Peter asked. "We are seeing situations where home affairs minister Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha, Magande, local government minister Sylvia Masebo and many others are not part of RB's campaign."

However, Peter asked Vice-President Banda to forgive all those that voted against him.

But Mulongoti said it was not true that Vice-President Banda had sidelined all those that campaigned and voted for Magande during the NEC election.

Mulongoti described as incorrect statements by Peter Shakafuswa that it would not be easy for Vice-President Banda to win the October 30 presidential election if the current disunity continued in MMD. He said as far as he was concerned, every MMD member of parliament had a role to play in the campaigns.

"I have no comment to make. I am on the Copperbelt but what people should know is that every MP is supposed to be a campaign manager in their respective constituencies, unless they reject that," Mulongoti said.

He said some ministers were seen not to be actively involved in the campaigns because of the busy nature of the offices they occupy.

"You know that some people run busy ministries but when they are free, they do attend these campaigns. As you know, government should be running smoothly despite the elections," Mulongoti said.

And losing MMD Kanchibiya parliamentary candidate Judith Kapijimpanga last week complained that MMD parliamentarians neglected her during the election campaigns.

"I have conceded defeat but I would like to outline that this is one of the quiet MMD by-elections we have ever had from the time I went into politics...the most quiet in the sense that there was no MMD backup," she said.

Kapijimpanga observed that Sata and his parliamentarians had camped in Kanchibiya to campaign for Mwango.

"But there was no MMD member of parliament in the constituency so I was literally alone until the last three days before polling day. I actually feel neglected by my fellow members of parliament," Kapijimpanga complained.

Asked if she could foresee the same voting pattern in the forthcoming presidential polls, Kapijimpanga said the MMD had to campaign hard to avoid a loss.

"Sata made sure he was everywhere in Kanchibiya, he was campaigning like he was a candidate contesting," Kapijimpanga said. "So, maybe, if there is a repeat of the same, it could lead to the same type of results but now that he is done with Kanchibiya, I don't think he will come back and camp in a manner which he did...but if we work hard ourselves...I am staying on to campaign for our candidate and my party and I hope people will realise that it's the government in power that provides money for the projects."

And later Kapijimpanga's husband, Davies, accused community development minister Catherine Namugala and Northern Province MMD chairman Griever Sikasote of practising tribalism and being behind his wife's loss.

Davies accused Namugala and Sikasote of being tribalists. He said his wife was totally abandoned by her own party.

"No one was sent there to go and campaign the way they did with the Milanzi by-election and even if resources were sent, she needed human resource; people who were going to be helping her there. PF literally camped there, all the PF MPs camped in Kanchibiya. None of our MPs from Northern Province camped there. And the reason is very simple. It is people like Catherine Namugala and Griever Sikasote who think that Northern Province only belongs to their tribe because they are tribalists," said Davies.

Labels: GEOFFREY CHUMBWE, MMD, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 8:59 AM