Maravi

Rupiah doesn’t listen to advice – Mpombo

Rupiah doesn’t listen to advice – Mpombo
Written by George Zulu in Monze
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 5:09:56 PM

FORMER defence minister George Mpombo has said President Rupiah Banda is a big challenge to democracy. Featuring on Monze's Sky FM last Sunday, Mpombo said President Banda was a stiff-necked person who did not want to listen to others. Mpombo said he resigned from the government because of the undemocratic tendencies in the current government.

"Why I had resigned over eight months since Mr Banda became President, I found him very difficult to work with maybe because of his leadership style. He is a difficult person to get advice, he would want to carry out what he believes and I found him being a little bit autocratic in terms of working with other people," Mpombo said. "He is stiff-necked and doesn't want to listen to advice and he is a big challenge to democracy."

He said when President Banda was appointed as vice-president under the leadership of late Levy Mwanawasa, he was friendly and ready to work with others.

However, Mpombo said after the death of president Mwanawasa, vice-president Banda suddenly changed and wanted to be coronated like a king.

"Under President Banda, the country is slowly drifting into troubled waters. His leadership and MMD is like a ship which is lost in terms of direction. We have lost direction and it is sad that we are even veering off the democratic path and losing credibility at the international scene," he said. "President Banda is not providing the kind of leadership that accrued the country sympathy when president Mwanawasa was still around which gained economic performance."

Mpombo said he had continued to disagree with President Banda's leadership style especially that he wanted to forego the constitutional mandate which required the MMD to go for a convention every five years.

"If we cannot accept and stick to the democratic principles and processes that we have set ourselves, to follow for our personal penchants for power, I know power... the institutions of MMD say after five years you go for elections and that means that we have to elect the entire NEC [National Executive Committee]," he said. "We have exhausted the five-year mandate and we have to go to the new mandate and people must now elect new or the same people and we have to choose a new candidate. But this situation where you have the President wants to manipulate the process is totally unbelievable."

Mpombo reiterated that it is only the convention which had the power to elect a party president, saying President Banda was just acting party president.

He said it was shameful that President Banda wanted to abrogate the law in his acting capacity.

He challenged the MMD leaders to resign if they had failed to raise funds to enable the party hold the convention.

"That statement is an insult and has no intellectual capacity. Where did MMD get the money last year? We had millions and millions of kwacha that we poured into the campaign. Where did that money come from? If you choose and offer to be president, you accept the responsibility of sourcing for funds," Mpombo said. "There are so many sympathisers, members and wellwishers who can [give] and this money does not come from the pocket. We shall just send an appeal and the money will be made available from both local and international friends for the convention and they will just pour the money. If they say they cannot raise the money for the convention, then let them step down. Let them resign."

Mpombo suggested that the new constitution should also include a clause where the Republican President could be recalled in the event that he did not perform well.

He said Zambia was not short of people that could govern the country.

On the sale of the 75 per cent stake in Zamtel and the appointment of RP Capital as financial advisors, Mpombo said the deal stinks and would put the country into problems.

Mpombo said there had been no transparency in the manner the Zamtel-RP Capital deal was handled.

"... I doubt there hasn't been transparency in the manner it has been handled, the President appointed a ministerial committee to look into this particular deal but what have they done to legitimise an illegitimate stinking deal? They are legalising an illegal act, and none at ZDA [Zambia Development Agency] can refuse the presidential directives. It has to be stopped forthwith," said Mpombo.

Labels: GEORGE MPOMBO, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 4:10 PM