‘Rupiah’s authority will be undermined if he’s not acting MMD president’

‘Rupiah’s authority will be undermined if he’s not acting MMD president’
Written by Mwala Kalaluka
Monday, November 10, 2008 7:41:26 AM

WESTERN Province MMD chairman Simasiku Namakando yesterday said newly-elected President Rupiah Banda's authority will be undermined if the ruling party's national executive committee (NEC) does not appoint him as acting president of the party.

But MMD acting president, who is also the party's substantive national chairman, Michael Mabenga said such calls should be ignored.

Commenting on calls by some MMD members on the Copperbelt that President Banda be appointed the ruling party's acting president following his election as Republican President, Namakando said the party in the Western Province would support such an idea.

"We cannot start discussing that until the NEC meets; the NEC will decide whether President Banda should be appointed acting MMD president like what happened last time when the late president [Levy Mwanawasa] was elected party president," Namakando said. "President Rupiah Banda is a trustee just like what happened to the late president. What happened is that, we knew there would be some conflict if we did not do that."

Namakando said late president Mwanawasa was first appointed acting president of the ruling party before the party held a convention where he was elected party president and he argued that it would be improper for the MMD to hold a convention to elect President Banda as its acting president.

"What we did was to allow the late president to be the party president and then we went to the convention," he said. "Our party chairman Michael Mabenga is also the acting president although the constitution says different things. The constitution says that in the absence of the party president the vice-president should act. Now we do not have a vice-president..."

Namakando pointed out that the MMD would be weaker if President Banda does not take up the leadership of the party.

"It will be proper for us to do so, so that the President is not undermined by the people," he said. "We had problems with the second president [Frederick Chiluba] when he was party president following the election of the late president and we saw those problems. Therefore, it will be proper for the NEC to allow President Banda to be party president, but that has to be discussed."

Commenting on the matter, Kitwe MMD chairman Evans Mfula said he had only heard about the issue from the grapevine.

The proposal emanated from Kitwe.

"I have just heard from people because I was at a funeral. Somebody has just told me that this is what was in the news. So, I can't comment because I have not yet verified," said Mfula.

And when asked to comment on the calls, Mabenga, who could not allow the reporter to conclude his question said: "Ignore. You just ignore whatever you are calling calls. There are no calls as far as I am concerned. I am not commenting on things that are baseless."