Maravi

Teta is showing serious ignorance, says Kavindele

Teta is showing serious ignorance, says Kavindele
Written by Patson Chilemba
Tuesday, February 03, 2009 9:11:16 AM

Benny Tetamashim-ba is showing serious ignorance in his discussion on the proposal for NEC to appoint Rupiah Banda as acting MMD president, former Republican vice-president Enoch Kavindele charged yesterday.

Reacting to MMD spokesperson Tetamashimba's statement on Sunday that there was nothing wrong for the national executive committee (NEC) to appoint President Banda as acting party president because even in 2002 the then party vice-president [Kavindele] was forced to resign from his position, Kavindele said he gave up the acting presidency voluntarily to late president Levy Mwanaw-asa.

Kavindele said Tetama-shimba had expressed ignorance over the circumstances under which he gave up his acting presidency of MMD to Mwanawasa.

"It was not fear of being sacked from the Republican vice-presidency that I gave up the job to Levy. It was just a practical thing. In the year I'm talking about, Tetamashimba was still in the UPND and therefore he has just expressed serious ignorance of what went on, although I am aware that whilst he was secretary general of UPND, the MMD used him extensively to obtain information on the goings on in UPND," Kavindele said.

On Tetamashimba's statement that in 2002, NEC forced former president Frederick Chiluba to vacate his position of party president for Mwanawasa to take over when he became Republican president, Kavindele said Chiluba resigned from the MMD presidency on his own accord.

"Dr Chiluba was not hounded out of the MMD presidency but resigned on his own after it became apparent that the experiment of having Mwanawasa as Republican president and Chiluba as party president had created two centres of power," Kavindele said. "A case in point was when Chitalu Sampa, the elected national chairman, was to be appointed to the Ministry of Defence as deputy minister where he had previously served as full Cabinet minister. Chiluba advised Sampa not to accept the position but a consensus was reached that Sampa could continue to enjoy the perks of a full Cabinet minister."

Tetamashimba on Sunday said Chiluba was forced to vacate his position while Kavindele was asked not to use his constitutional provisions to be acting president if the position of party president was to fall vacant.

"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," said Tetamashimba.

But Kavindele said constitutionally, there was currently nothing that stopped MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga from handing over the party acting presidency.

However, Kavindele said he would support President Banda to take over the acting presidency because the President stood a better chance of raising more resources for the party than Mabenga.

"The experiment of having two people, one as Republican president and the other as party president has been tried before and failed," said Kavindele.

Labels: BENNY TETAMASHIMBA, ENOCH KAVINDELE, MMD, NEC

posted by MrK @ 9:11 AM