Maravi

Nobody will stop me from discussing MMD presidency, says Magande

Nobody will stop me from discussing MMD presidency, says Magande
Written by Patson Chilemba
Saturday, July 11, 2009 3:34:26 PM

MMD presidential aspirant Ng'andu Magande has said nobody including Katele Kalumba will stop him from talking about presidential campaigns in the party.

Reacting to MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba's order for party members to stop talking about presidential campaign politics, Magande said it was too late for Kalumba to stop him and other party members from discussing the MMD presidency. He said people should be allowed to debate the sole candidate the national executive committee (NEC) had endorsed.

"My reaction is that this issue was discussed at the national executive committee meeting. It was raised by somebody and I understand it was seconded, and after that a press statement was issued. When you go to the public with that statement you are supposed to receive comments [from the public]," Magande said on Thursday.

"So, I don't agree with what the national secretary is saying. Why did they in the first place accept the debate in NEC [over the endorsement of President Banda]? Besides it was not on the agenda. The national secretary said Chitambo and a disciplinary issue in Luapula, those are the only issues that were on the agenda. So if somebody ambushed the NEC, why didn't the national secretary advise that this issue is inappropriate?"

Magande said the normal thing was for the public to make comments over President Banda's adoption since the press statement was also made public.

He wondered why Kalumba was stopping others from commenting over the presidency when he had failed to stop President Rupiah Banda, Southern Province minister Daniel Munkombwe, works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti and local government minister Benny Tetamashimba from talking about the matter.

"... Only yesterday [Wednesday] they [ZNBC] were showing us Munkombwe and the President himself talking about the matter. So why is the national secretary stopping others? He is not stopping those who seem to support the idea of President Banda being president? So that is not fair. Let there be general debate, 'is the sole candidate who was elected capable?'" Magande asked.

He advised Kalumba to join in the debate rather than try to stop others from talking about the presidency, saying people were not listening to his orders.

"So why is the man wasting his energy when people are not listening to him?" Magande asked. "On Kalumba's order, it is too late because this matter was brought in a private meeting by the same people. They wanted the public to react, so let the public react."

Kalumba on Tuesday said he had ordered party members to stop discussing the party presidential campaigns. He was reacting to MMD member Willa Mung'omba's statement that the party should obey the constitution by allowing President Banda to be challenged.

Kalumba said Mung'omba was a senior leader and must avoid getting into presidential campaign politics in the party.

On Tetamashimba's statement that the presidency would not be contested at the convention, Magande said Tetamashima had no authority to do that.

On former defence minister George Mpombo's resignation as minister and NEC member, Magande said it was sad for a senior minister to resign when a lot of issues were being said about the government. He said he believed that something seriously wrong might have happened to cause Mpombo's resignation.

However, Magande said he was saddened over Mpombo's resignation.

He said people like Tetamashimba and deputy minister in the office of the Vice-President Guston Sichilima had failed to show comradeship and were destroying unity in the party.

"Sichilima, instead of talking about the business we have sent him for in Europe, he is talking about issues that are happening here. Is this how we are going to run government? They are saying Mpombo failed to run the Copperbelt, no. Mpombo was not responsible for organizing the province. So what did he do wrong to accept the responsibility to campaign for the party there?" Magande asked.

"This is indiscipline we are seeing. Junior people are making comments on issues when the President has said he will comment later. Do they know why George Mpombo resigned for them to be making those comments?"

Magande said the happenings in the MMD were an indication that the party needed reorganisation, saying people like Tetamashimba and Sichilima would regret their actions for asking other MMD members to leave the party.

"If you say that they go, then you will be strengthening another party," said Magande.

Labels: MAGANDE, MMD, PRESIDENCY

posted by MrK @ 2:36 PM