(LUSAKATIMES) Mwanawasa family tells off Levy’s son

Mwanawasa family tells off Levy’s son
Tuesday, June 23, 2009, 9:15

LATE President Levy Mwanawasa’s sister, Evelyn has said the family and herself are happy with her appointment as MMD national trustee contrary to claims by the late president’s son Patrick that the family was not consulted.

Ms Mwanawasa said claims by Patrick that she was not aware of the appointment were not true and advised her nephew to avoid being used by people not happy that the Mwanawasa family was ready to work with President Rupiah Banda.

“The Mwanawasa family has always been ready to work with President Banda. We said this even at first prior to the October 2008 presidential by-election and I do not see the reason things can change now.

“This situation will not take us anywhere. I mean, Patrick has never been in touch with me to talk about this issue and if anything, Patrick is just a child and he is not the person we should be consulting over such issues,” she said.

Ms Mwanawasa said family members who included her uncles Green Chilabika and Philimon Mokola and her older sister Rona were all consulted and gave a ‘green light’ for her appointment to the NEC.

Reacting to claims published in yesterday’s Post edition that she and the family were not consulted, Ms Mwanawasa said she even had the opportunity of discussing the matter with her close friends who all advised her to accept the appointment.

“We actually sat down as a family and advised Evelyn to accept the appointment. We are MMD and we see no reason we should abandon the party to join the opposition just because our brother has died,” she said.She advised Patrick to go back to school and build his future than allowing himself to be used by the people that would not help him shape his destiny.

Ms Mwanawasa said her family was ready to work with President Banda’s administration and that was the reason she accepted the appointment.

“In fact, after my appointment, we even went to State House with my two uncles to meet and thank President Banda for recognising me as a person who can work with the party and this confirmed that we were actually consulted,” she said.

Rona Mwanawasa said separately in Chisamba that the family actually sat down and advised her sister to take up the position.

“We actually sat down as a family and advised Evelyn to accept the appointment. We are MMD and we see no reason we should abandon the party to join the opposition just because our brother has died,” she said.

She said that those trying to use Patrick should desist from doing so because they were just bent on destroying the young man.

“In fact, if Patrick says anything wrong in the whole thing, he should have contacted us than going to the newspaper. We have never been in touch with him and it is not true for him to say he had even contacted Evelyn over the appointment,” she said.

Patrick claimed in the Post Newspaper story that MMD wanted to use the Mwanawasa name only when it suited them and that the appointment of her aunt was not genuine and was just intended to benefit the MMD.

But Rona said Patrick was not a politician and had never been one and that those trying to use him were not helping him.

[Times of Zambia]