Maravi

The fight for MMD presidency starts

The fight for MMD presidency starts
Written by Patson Chilemba in Lusaka and Abigail Chaponda in Ndola
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 5:32:29 AM

MMD presidential aspirant Dr Ludwig Sondashi yesterday said he will not recognise President Rupiah Banda as interim party president. And former finance minister Ngíandu Magande said it was unconstitutional for a few National Executive Committee (NEC) members to sit and adopt President Banda as interim party president.

Meanwhile, a newly-formed MMD pressure group on the Copperbelt has charged that President Banda is not the right candidate for the 2011 presidential, parliamentary and local government elections.

Commenting on the appointment of President Banda as interim president for the MMD, Dr Sondashi said the party’s national secretary Katele Kalumba, national chairman Michael Mabenga and deputy national chairman Kabinga Pande had no power to fill the vacancy of president.

“Party matters are supposed to be handled transparently. They must be sensitive to what they are doing. They are holding those positions on behalf of the party. They must know that the position of party president is sought by many people,” Dr Sondashi said. “Speaking for myself, I am still interested in aspiring for the party presidency. Even if they wanted Rupiah Banda to assume office, they should have allowed other interested parties to aspire. This is what the party constitution stipulates. There is no question of giving someone the position in the interim. NEC does not even have the power to fill the position of president. I don’t recognise Rupiah Banda as party president.”

Dr Sonadashi said Mabenga and other MMD leaders had given President Banda the party presidency as if they were giving it to their own relatives.

He said MMD was not a private company where positions could be given anyhow.

Dr Sondashi said the Republican Presidency was a very powerful institution and that President Banda would use the position and the party presidency to assume a second term of office.

“Rupiah Banda will use the Republican and party presidency to disadvantage other interested parties,” said Dr Sondashi.

And Magande urged MMD senior members to follow the rules and procedures of the party.

He said the MMD constitution stipulated that the party national chairman would lead the party in the absence of party president and vice-president.

“It’s unwise for any group to change rules on their own because the club has got procedures. We want to know the constitution they followed,” said Magande. “If that is what they have decided [adopting President Banda as interim president], then it’s unconstitutional. One is supposed to go to the constitution. The constitution can’t be amended by NEC.”

And MMD NEC member Walusiku Lisulo said appointing a party president was the prerogative of the entire NEC and not a few individuals.

Lisulo, however, said NEC had the power to fill all casual vacancies which happened in between conventions.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Kalumba stated that the party had appointed President Banda as interim party president until the next convention following a decision reached after an agreement among some NEC members.

And MMD Copperbelt pressure group interim chairman Charles Kaputula has said President Banda had not done anything to solve the problems that the party was facing, adding that he was not good material for the presidency.

In an interview, Kaputula said NEC was to blame for the division in the party.

“We are not happy with what is happening in the party. The party is disorganised and the problem that we are facing in our party is that when we have elections, we seem to be active but immediately elections are over, the party becomes dormant,” he said. “This is the more reason why we on the Copperbelt have formed this pressure group to make sure that President Banda does not stand for presidency in 2011. What we want is a capable leader who is going to be prepared now.”

Kaputula accused President Banda of not showing that he was the right person to be picked for the 2011 elections because he lacked force to drive the party forward.

He further charged that MMD was a disorganised party, saying President Banda won by chance in the last elections.

He said his pressure group did not want the same situation to repeat itself in 2011.

Kaputula said had UNIP president Tilyenji Kaunda stood in Eastern Province in the last elections, President Banda would have lost in that province.

“We urge NEC not to pick President Banda if they want to see the party prosper. But if they want the opposition to take the day, they should let President Banda stand in 2011. We want a leader who is going to be popular and institutional. President Banda is not just the right person,” he said. “We are not doing this because we hate him, no! We love MMD and that is why we are doing this. This pressure group is over 21 days-old and we are not going to rest until we see that NEC selects a good candidate for 2011 and not President Banda.”

And Kaputula said MMD’s NEC was dividing the party instead of resolving the problems that were destroying it.

“We need change of leadership within MMD. We don’t care what NEC officials are going to say, we are assuring them that we will not rest until things in our party are okay. Enough is enough. And if they say that we are being used, we are not. We are fully paid-up members of the MMD,” he said.

Kaputula said President Banda had exhausted his time and had shown that he could not do anything more for the party and should therefore pave way for other people.

But MMD Ndola district chairperson Cephas Katongo said he was not aware of such a pressure group.

He said he knew a Mrs Kaputula who was a staunch MMD member and wondered whether the pressure group’s chairperson was related to her.

He said he could not comment much on the matter as it was beyond him.

Copperbelt MMD chairperson Joseph Chilambwe would not answer his mobile phone when contacted for comment.

Meanwhile, former Luapula Province MMD youth chairman David Chanda has hailed the appointment of President Banda as acting party president.

Chanda said the MMD would have been divided if President Banda was not at the helm of the party.

Labels: MMD

posted by MrK @ 5:32 AM