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NEC members clinging on Rupiah are just serving own interests – Shakas

NEC members clinging on Rupiah are just serving own interests – Shakas
Written by Chansa Kabwela
Sunday, February 08, 2009 7:49:58 PM

SCIENCE and technology deputy minister Jonas Shakafuswa yesterday said some MMD national executive committee (NEC) members that are clinging to President Rupiah Banda are just serving their own interests. Clarifying yesterday's story in which he was quoted as having said President Banda was being treated like a god by some NEC members, Shakafuswa said some NEC members that were surrounding President Banda were just after favours.

Shakafuswa said the party members who were currently silent were the ones that love the President.

"President Rupiah Banda should be very careful with NEC members who want to treat him like a god because they want to please him so that they can get favours from him. He should know that these people don't love him. They just want positions. They are clinging to those positions to make money," Shakafuswa said.

"These people who are quiet are the ones who love Rupiah Banda. The first ones to run away from Rupiah Banda will be the ones who are making noise today. When the chips are down, they are the ones who will run and those who are quiet are the ones who will remain. So he should be very careful with these people."

Shakafuswa also said the NEC should have appointed President Banda as vice-president to enable him act as party president to avoid a constitutional crisis.

"I had said when NEC sits tomorrow [yesterday] the best thing to do is not to take [local government minister Benny] Tetamashimba's approach of appointing Rupiah Banda as acting president. We have got a vacancy in the position of vice-president so the best is to appoint Rupiah Banda as party vice-president and automatically he is going to act as president and that way, there will be no constitutional crisis," he said.

Shakafuswa reiterated that there were people in the MMD that wanted to contest certain positions but some members had made it difficult as they kept on fighting each other. He said leadership was about directing and leading people.

"Leadership is not about being a boss. Leadership is about direction. And a leader, when there is a conflict, should bring people together and solve the problems and move forward. But now what is happening is that instead of bringing people together they want people to be fighting. That is mediocre leadership," said Shakafuswa. "The best leaders are not bosses. They lead and direct their people. And this thing of intimidation when people want to talk is not good. That is not leadership."

Labels: JONAS SHAKAFUSWA, MMD, NEC, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 7:49 PM