Mabenga describes Mpombo as a coward

Mabenga describes Mpombo as a coward
Written by Patson Chilemba
Tuesday, September 08, 2009 3:34:31 PM

GEORGE Mpombo is a coward, MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga has charged. Reacting toPatson Chilemba Kafulafuta MMD member of parliament Mpombo's assertions that the resolutions from party provincial committees to postpone the convention were being stage-managed by senior national executive committee (NEC) officials because President Rupiah Banda was scared stiff of being challenged at the national convention, Mabenga charged that Mpombo was a coward who had chosen to attack the President and MMD outside NEC.

"Honourable Mpombo, I have told him in his face, he is a coward because if he had those misgivings, why did he leave the NEC to go and speak outside? I thought he would be better placed to speak in NEC. I have never heard Mpombo propose something in NEC. In fact if anything, he was a silent man through and through," Mabenga said. "If anything he just supported ideas which came from others. So I am surprised to hear that."

Mabenga asked Mpombo to cool down and get things done properly.

He challenged Mpombo to come out in the open to say what he wanted to do.

"He seems to be hiding," Mabenga said.

On Mpombo's warning that should President Banda and his colleagues insist on their undemocratic line to endorse the stage-managed calls to postpone the convention another faction in the MMD would be formed, Mabenga said there could never be factions in the MMD.

He said if Mpombo had decided to go his own way, he should form his own political party.

Mabenga said MMD was founded on the principles of a democracy, and in a democracy the majority made decisions.

"It does not talk of minority decisions," Mabenga said.

Mabenga said none of the senior members of NEC had ever gone to provinces to influence the provincial committees to take positions over the cancellation of the convention.

He said the provincial executive committees were doing so out of their own accord.

On Sunday, Mpombo said President Banda is scared to be challenged at the convention and that the resolutions from provincial committees to postpone the convention were being stage-managed by NEC officials for the own selfish reasons such as protecting their jobs or seeking to be appointed to government positions by the President.

He said the message should be clear that President Banda was not the candidate to contest the 2011 general elections on the MMD ticket.

Mpombo warned that should President Banda and his colleagues insist on their undemocratic line, another faction in the MMD would be formed.

His comments came in the wake of the statement by Mabenga that the resolution by the provincial committees to postpone the national convention would be tabled before NEC.

Several provincial committees in the country have called on the MMD NEC to postpone the party convention in view of the global economic meltdown and to float President Banda as the party's candidate for the 2011 polls.

The calls came in the wake of a recent decision by the NEC to adopt President Banda as the sole candidate of the party for the next elections.

On the death of local government minister and MMD spokesperson Benny Tetamashimba, Mabenga said Tetamashimba was a great man who was able to defend the MMD and government policies.

Mabenga said the late minister was one person he found easy to instruct.

Tetamashimba died in the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) on Saturday night.

He had been evacuated to South Africa for specialist treatment on August 9 but was brought back to Zambia last week and admitted to the UTH intensive care unit.