Maravi

MMD should mandate me as acting president – Rupiah

MMD should mandate me as acting president – Rupiah
Written by Chibaula Silwamba, Moses Kuwema, Gillian Namungala and Mwala Kalaluka
Monday, February 02, 2009 3:19:55 PM

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has said he feels the MMD national executive committee (NEC) should mandate him as acting president to organise the party up to the 2010 MMD convention.

And chief government spokesperson Lt Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha has admitted that there are divisions in MMD, saying this is normal in any political establishment.

In a press statement issued yesterday by MMD spokesperson Benny Tetamashimba on his behalf, President Banda, however, said he would have no quarrels if the NEC picked another member of the party to lead it to the 2010 convention other than him.

“President Rupiah Banda believes that if any party member came forward and wanted to lead the party up to 2010 convention and the NEC thought that person and not him could lead the party, he has no quarrels with such a NEC decision but feels he needs to be mandated to organise the party up to 2010 MMD convention,” stated Tetamashimba.

Tetamashimba said following MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba's press statements to the nation that a group of NEC members sat and asked MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga to surrender the party presidency to President Banda and that the latter accepted the offer, it was important to clear the air over the matter.

“After these statements of the national secretary and national chairman on TV channels, there has been perceptions, mostly bordering on lies and misinformation with others stating that President Banda has grabbed the position from Hon. Mabenga and forced him out,” Tetamashimba stated. “I have been allowed by His Excellency the President Mr. Rupiah Banda to issue this statement so as to clarify his position.”

Tetamashimba quoted the MMD constitution on the provisions of acting party president.

“Article 44 - vice president, function and powers (1) The vice president shall have the following powers, duties and functions: (a) to be the principal assistant to the president of the party; (b) to exercise all such functions as may be delegated to him by the president; (c) to act for the party president in his absence; (d) to exercise the functions of the president in case of death or removal from office in terms of Article 38,” Tetamashimba quoted the MMD constitution.

“Article 45 - national chairman, powers, duties and functions of the national chairman (1) to assist the president and vice president in the discharge of the duties and functions of the party; (2) in the absence of the president and the vice president, the national chairman shall perform all functions of the president and vice president as the case may be; (3) to preside over national rallies and public meetings convened by the party and meetings of the conventions; (4) in the absence of the national chairman the vice chairman shall deputise for him.”

Tetamashimba stated that the position of party president was not a casual vacancy, meaning that the position could only be filled at the party convention.

“But the NEC has power to elect an acting president if the position fell vacant before the convention,” Tetamashimba stated.

He recalled that in 2002, the NEC forced former president Frederick Chiluba to vacate his position of party president for the late president Levy Mwanawasa to take over when he [Mwanawasa] became Republican president.

He stated that the NEC also asked then party vice-president Enoch Kavindele not to use his constitutional provision, Article 44, to be acting president if the position of party president was to fall vacant when Chiluba was to vacate it.

“Chiluba agreed to be hounded out and Mr. Kavindele who was Republican vice-president had no capacity to claim his rights to acting party presidency as he knew he could be dismissed from the Republican vice-presidency if he dared to,” Tetamashimba stated. “When president Mwanawasa died [last year], nobody became acting party president at any one time and therefore nobody could hand over the party presidency to President Rupiah Banda and President Banda can never take the presidency from Hon Mabenga or anybody as nobody had it.”

Tetamashimba, therefore, said Mabenga did not surrender the MMD acting presidency to President Banda.

“May I now state the position of President Banda on the issue of him being handed over the party presidency. His Excellency the President Mr Rupiah Banda states as follows on the issue: (1) that he never accepted the party presidency when Dr Katele Kalumba told him that the national chairman had decided to hand over the party presidency position claiming that only the NEC which everyone knew, including the national secretary and national chairman, was going to meet on 7th February, 2009 to make the decision of electing an acting party president could elect him through the NEC and not a decision of a few NEC members outside NEC as a body empowered to do so. (2) That he told the national secretary that he would be grateful to the NEC if it decided to entrust him with the mandate of running the party up to the 2010 MMD national convention when it meets on 7th February, 2009,” Tetamashimba stated. “(3) President Banda has continued to deny that he is not party president until given a chance and mandate by NEC on 7th February, 2009. (4) President Banda is grateful to the party leaders at all levels and NEC members who have openly stated that he should be given the mandate to run the party like [the late] president Mwanawasa was given in 2002 for the sake of party unity and as per precedence of 2002.”

Tetamashimba stated that President Banda indicated that he had been an MMD member since 2002 and had been loyal ever since, leading to Mwanawasa appointing him as his vice-president, a consideration he cherished to the late leader.

“From the above, it is wrong to accuse President Banda that he grabbed the position from Hon. Mabenga or that he accepted the illegal alleged transfer of power of party presidency without the NEC decision as he trusts and believes in NEC decisions as a loyal party member since 2002,” stated Tetamashimba.

And Lt Gen Shikapwasha admitted that there were divisions in MMD. However, he said the MMD was on the ground preparing for the 2011 general elections.

“Even in a family, divisions are very normal so these divisions are a normal thing in any grouping,” Lt Gen Shikapwasha said. “I can tell you that right now, the party is in review to prepare for the next general elections.”

Lt Gen Shikapwasha further called for unity among the MMD members for the party to continue being in power even after the 2011 elections.

And Tetamashimba hoped that President Banda will give the party authority to punish Katuba member of parliament Jonas Shakafuswa for insulting senior party officials.

He was commenting on Shakafuswa's statement in yesterday's Post that there was a lot of bullshitting in MMD because some officials thought they owned President Banda.

Tetamashimba said Shakafuswa knew that the party could not punish him for insulting his seniors because he held a presidential appointment of junior minister. He said the party could only punish Shakafuswa with authority from President Banda as the appointing authority.

“Yes, I am junior to Katele Kalumba but Shakafuswa is too junior to me, because he is nowhere near any senior party position; not even at district or provincial level,” Tetamashimba said.

He hoped that President Banda would give authority for the party to deal with his appointees who are bent on insubordination and perpetual rudeness.

Tetamashimba said in UPND, Shakafuswa was too junior to know what was happening in the party as he was a mole for the MMD prior to the 2006 elections.

Meanwhile, MMD chairperson for elections Mike Mulongoti said he did not own President Banda.

Reacting to Shakafuswa's remarks that he was among those who thought they owned president Rupiah Banda, Mulongoti, who laughed before responding, said he did not know how to own anybody and urged Shakafuswa to explain what he meant.

“You know why I am laughing? I am laughing because I don't know how to own anybody, so Shakafuswa should explain what he means because I am in the dark,” Mulongoti said. “Yes I am a member of the party and have been appointed as minister so it does not mean if I am able to deliver, then I own anybody.”

And Mulongoti said there were no divisions in MMD, save for mere debates.

“There are no divisions in the party but of course there are issues going on in the party. But I believe division is not the right term to use because people are only expressing their different views in a democracy,” said Mulongoti. “They just debate on further leadership which will be resolved after the NEC meeting on 7th February. You can only say there are divisions when you have failed to resolve them but we will discuss these issues and they will be resolved.”

Western Province MMD chairperson Simasiku Namakando yesterday cautioned that the ongoing squabbles in the ruling party had potential to weaken the party ahead of the 2011 general elections.

Namakando said the quarrelling MMD leadership should be mindful that there were only two years before the next general elections and the opposition was working hard to reorganise itself.

He said it was retrogressive for the party leadership to exhibit such divisive tendencies at a time when they should direct their energy towards explaining the government policy in the country's outlying areas.

“There should be discipline in the party. All of us should make sure that MMD becomes very strong,” he said. “Let us work as a team for the betterment of the MMD. Let us stop quarrelling...we want those people who are putting more energy on quarrelling to come in the rural areas and explain the government policies. People want food. People want roads in the rural areas.”

Namakando said it would be folly for anyone to differ over 'who was who' in terms of relating to President Banda following recent suggestions that NEC appoints President Banda him as acting party president.

“Some people should not be seen to create problems for our party on very simple reasons,” he said. “When we go for the NEC, we should now say that Rupiah Banda is acting party president. Why do people want to create problems on simple issues? When the NEC meets and endorses that, it means the constitution has been followed.”

However, Namakando said the divergent opinions on the matter showed that the MMD was still a democratic party.

Labels: MMD, NEC, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 3:20 PM