Kasama, Solwezi defeats are signs that MMD is doing something wrong – Kaande

Kasama, Solwezi defeats are signs that MMD is doing something wrong – Kaande
By Chibaula Silwamba
Mon 23 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT

MMD deputy national secretary Jeff Kaande yesterday observed that the party’s recent electoral defeats in Kasama and Solwezi are signs that the party is doing something wrong. In an interview, Kaande said the MMD had problems but he was sure it would overcome them.

And Kaande maintained that the recent strategic planning workshop at Andrews Motel allegedly convened by MMD national treasurer Suresh Desai and opened by founder member Vernon Mwaanga, was held behind the back of the party.

“We do agree that as a party we have challenges but the workshop that they came up with was behind the back of the party because not even the secretariat was involved. I didn’t attend and I was not even aware. If it came through the party, the secretariat especially, a lot more members would have been involved,” Kaande said.

“There is a lot we need to do as a party. Talking even about the recent elections that we have lost, there must be something that we are not doing right. So all these things need to be looked into but as a party we should work in unity because if we start working in isolation we will not achieve anything; instead we will destroy ourselves.”

He urged all people with progressive ideas to involve the party by bringing them to the secretariat as opposed to holding meetings or workshops as individuals.

“That meeting which was at Andrews Motel was a group of individuals who had no mandate from the party. Of course, we will look at their recommendations, whatever they did, but then those will be subjected to another meeting where a lot other interest groups and members will be involved.” Kaande said.

“We are not rejecting the idea. I personally welcome the idea but it’s the manner in which it was done. There should have been wider consultation.”

Reminded that Mwaanga said the meeting was even serviced by staff from the national secretary’s office, Kaande said that was not true.

“I will tell you what they did; one individual whom I will decline to name went to take a copy of the constitution and when he took that copy he left. That is not servicing the workshop. It was not servicing the meeting,” Kaande said.

“It’s a pity Katele is not feeling well, you could have asked him, he was on the spot here in Lusaka, he was not involved in that workshop.”

Kaande expressed concern that MMD members were holding such a workshop without the knowledge of even the national secretary and national chairman, Michael Mabenga.

On Mwaanga’s concern that Katele should be concerned about the declining fortunes of the MMD, Kaande responded: “Honourable Mwaanga is a very senior politician, I wouldn’t like to exchange words with him. That is his opinion; I don’t want to comment on it.”

MMD deputy national chairman Kabinga Pande, who is also foreign affairs minister, said the Solwezi Central loss was a temporal setback.

“Having been there for that period, I know where the weaknesses are,” said Pande, who was MMD campaign manager for Solwezi Central.

And Anti Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) executive director Bonnie Tembo advised the MMD not to blame his organisation over their loss.

“AVAP has advised MMD Lusaka district chairman William Banda to conduct a fact finding exercise in Solwezi district so as to establish what went wrong,” Tembo said.

“AVAP had no grain of influence on Solwezi voters who had total freedom to vote for a person of their choice.”

He said all participating political parties breached the Electoral Code of Conduct.

“AVAP ignored a number of reports of electoral corruption and malpractices committed by either the MMD or UPND-PF pact or Forum for Democratic Alliance (FDA),” said Tembo.