It’ll be costly to take Mpombo on, says Kavindele

It’ll be costly to take Mpombo on, says Kavindele
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Sat 24 Oct. 2009, 04:01 CAT

FORMER Republican vice-president Enoch Kavindele has observed that MMD’s performance will be more disastrous in Kafulafuta Constituency than in Kasama Central should they attempt to take on George Mpombo in a by-election.

Kavindele said the MMD could not afford to ignore the grassroots' supremacy and organisation efficiencies of Mpombo which had largely contributed to the good performance of the party in rural parts of Copperbelt Province.

“It will be too costly to take him on in a by-election in the Kafulafuta or Masaiti… Mpombo has won every election in that area on five different parties,” said Kavindele in an interview from the Copperbelt Province. “So, what is bound to happen is that this would be one of the costly by-elections for the MMD. This particular by-election will be more expensive than the Kasama one. It will cost perhaps not less than K20 billion to defeat Mpombo in that area.”

Kavindele said the high projected budget for the by-election, notwithstanding MMD's dismal performance in the just ended Kasama by-election was likely to repeat itself in Kafulafuta, albeit, in a worse form.

“Mpombo is an extremely popular person in that area,” he said. “In 2001, when we were selecting candidates, the former President Dr Levy Mwanawasa preferred his brother Harry to stand there but I advised that George Mpombo be the candidate because of his immense popularity and after the elections, I was proved right. I know that man Mpombo because I was Member of Central Committee in UNIP and Mpombo was very effective in organising the party in that area. So, we can't afford to lose him.”
Kavindele said most people in Kafulafuta were ready to enjoy the benefits from the ruling party which comes with every by-election, but they would vote in contrast to the appeasements.

“He Mpombo has won all elections no matter what ticket he stands on…and I have been on the Copperbelt since Sunday, and consulting on various issues here and one of the issues that have been raised, the people in Masaiti and Kafulafuta have said they will use the principle of zaakufa Nyambe tambula meaning, what God gives you, just receive,” Kavindele said. “In this case, there are saying a by-election against Mpombo means all the benefits like free fertilisers, mealie-meal and other gifts, but when it comes to voting, they will vote for Mpombo. They will receive whatever they get from the 'Nyambe god - MMD,' but when it comes to vote, they will vote for Mpombo like what happened in Kasama.”

Kavindele regretted that Mpombo was being persecuted for adhering to the MMD constitution by new party entrants who wanted to disregard the principle of intra-party democracy on which the ruling party was founded.

“This must be the only country in the whole world where one gets punished for obeying the law,” Kavindele said. “You cannot punish somebody for obeying the law. All what George Mpombo is saying 'look, let us obey our own constitution'. The MMD has always thrived on the culture of tolerance.”

He said historically, MMD had always held elections at which winners had embraced losers.

“The culture in the MMD has been that people compete for positions and the winner embraces the loser,” said Kavindele. “Chiluba stood against late Arthur Wina and late Humphrey Mulemba but later appointed them ministers and they worked together. In 1995, Mwanawasa stood against Chiluba and he was highly critical of Chiluba's rule. Levy made reference to the bus full of passengers without a driver. Despite making a critical statement of Chiluba's rule, he went ahead and facilitated Mwanawasa's passage to the presidency of Zambia and that of the MMD.

“In 1995, I also stood against the late Ronald Penza, the architect of Zambia's economic recovery. I defeated him for the chairmanship of the economic and finance committee. But after that, Ronald and I worked very closely together…the party was afforded an input in the budget. Many new people now at the helm of the MMD do not know where the party is coming from and that is they are exhibiting high levels of intolerance. MMD has shifted from the tenets on which it was founded.”

On Tuesday, Mpombo threatened the MMD with a parliamentary by-election “if they do anything stupid”, in particular reaction to his suspension by the MMD Copperbelt leadership earlier in the week.