Maravi

Patrick is welcome to stand as Kafulafuta MP, says Kaande

Patrick is welcome to stand as Kafulafuta MP, says Kaande
By Chibaula Silwamba
Thu 29 Oct. 2009, 04:01 CAT

PATRICK Mwanawasa is welcome to stand as Kafulafuta member of parliament, ruling MMD deputy national secretary Jeff Kaande said yesterday. Commenting on late president Levy Mwanawasa’s son Patrick’s statement that it was inevitable for him to join active politics and he would stand as Kafulafuta member of parliament in future, Kaande said it would be good for Patrick to join politics at an early age.

“If the guy has decided to be a politician, let him come here at the MMD secretariat and buy a card and we make him a member. Then he can go through the mill rather than just start from an anthill,” said Kaande in an interview.

Asked if Patrick did not have an MMD membership card, Kaande said: “I am not sure if he is card-holding member but he is not any of the party officials that can say what he is saying. But he has got an opinion.”

He said Patrick like any other person was free to join the MMD.

“We will welcome anybody who wants to be a member of the party. We will not chase anybody. Politics is about numbers,” Kaande said. “And if the people of Kafulafuta feel it is Patrick they want, they will tell us and if that is what they want, we will give them.”

Contrary to MMD acting spokesperson Mike Mulongoti’s assertions that Patrick was young, Kaande said it was good to join politics when one is still young.

“In fact for me, people who start at an early stage in politics it’s a good thing. I personally started politics when I was 15 and I have grown through it. So if Patrick can do the same it’s quite good. He is welcome,” said Kaande.

“We have the George Chulumundas who are young men in their prime youth being Cabinet ministers. So we do welcome that, definitely!”

In an interview on Tuesday, 26-year-old Patrick, the eldest son of Mwanawasa, said he had a burning desire to join active politics especially that his father died while on duty.

“I do have political ambitions and as far as I am concerned there will come a time in future that I will stand as Kafulafuta member of parliament. I have got that burning desire I shared with my father of helping out the people of Zambia and much more so now that he died whilst he was on duty. I think that it is inevitable,” Patrick said.

“If people are already plotting my downfall then let them go ahead. But as far as I am concerned, God will always be with me and the future is still bright for me.”

Patrick rebuffed statements that he was too young to engage in active politics.

“I was born on 8th March, 1983 and now I am 26 years old. I don’t know, maybe you can refresh my memory. How old was Vernon Mwaanga when he became a politician? How old was our current President, President Rupiah Banda when he joined politics? So are they just expecting me to bottle up all my beliefs in a bottle of whisky or just go and stand by the corner in Northmead over there and not let my voice be heard by the people? I have a voice and it shall be heard even if it means me losing my life, so be it, so God help me!” Patrick said.

When reminded that President Banda had said he joined politics when he was 17 years old, Patrick wondered why people were now saying he was too young when the current President joined politics when he was younger than he is.

“What are they scared of? If they have any programmes to neutralise me, let them go ahead,” said Patrick. “I mean, there is a saying that ‘in politics you can get shot 100 times and still survive but in war you can get shot once and you can die’. So this is politics and this is the first shot from Chiluba’s son Miko. I am game!”

Labels: ELECTIONS, JEFF KAANDE, MMD, PATRICK MWANAWASA

posted by MrK @ 3:14 PM