Maravi

Mulongoti U-turns on MMD convention

Mulongoti U-turns on MMD convention
By Patson Chilemba and Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Fri 27 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT [

WORKS and supply minister Mike Mulongoti has said the MMD is now reorganising to go for the national convention, a U-turn on his earlier position.

And Mulongoti said the dwindling fortunes in the MMD reflect the failure by the current national executive committee (NEC) to deliver on their promises during the last convention.

In an interview, Mulongoti, who had consistently asked proponents of the convention to make financial resources available for the undertaking, said the MMD constitution stipulated that party leaders should renew their mandate every five years.

“As a party we are doing reorganisation at various levels, and that reorganisation continues because going to the convention is a culmination of activities preceding the convention. So that is a very long process,” he said.

Mulongoti said he had never said that the party would not go for the convention except that the process should be complete by ensuring the legitimacy of the delegates. He said the party was on its way towards holding the convention.

“The constitution says every five years all of us must renew our mandates at all levels, from the constituency, from the branch, the ward, district and province before the convention. So it is a process that we have undertaken. Of course there were some delays here and there but it is a process that should culminate into ultimately holding a convention,” Mulongoti said.

Reminded that he said that the convention should be postponed because it would cost a lot of money which could be used for the 2011 general election campaigns, Mulongoti responded: “One other reason like I have said is the people going to the convention must carry legitimacy, and that’s also a cost.

You know to hold these elections at branch, constituency, district, it costs money. Look at all that added up together, and then the convention, it is colossal. So this is why we had to be very cautious in the way we approached it.”

Mulongoti said nobody pronounced that there would be no convention but that the national executive committee would have to look at the matter.

Asked if the holding of the convention still hangs in the balance since the NEC had not met, Mulongoti said the constitution stipulated that there should be a convention and that was the position the party held on to.

On September 16, 2009, Mulongoti asked former finance minister Ng'andu Magande and those championing the holding of the convention to make the resources available for the undertaking.

Mulongoti had said Magande, former defence minister George Mpombo and others had championed the holding of the convention and they should go a step further by making the money available for the exercise.

He said those opposed to the holding of the convention had made those calls on account of cost implications.

"I have said those people who think they have got money, they must put that money where their mouths are, by saying ‘here is the money’ to the treasurer of the party ‘can you call for the convention’. That is all people are saying," said Mulongoti.

"But they would rather talk about wanting to be candidate but not bringing the money to call that convention, and when that convention is called they want to walk there, and compete and win for nothing. That's not the idea. The idea is that we want them to participate as members of the party by making resources available.”

And Mulongoti told journalists on Wednesday that the current NEC members and not the new entrants into the party should be blamed for the recent losses by the MMD.

Mulongoti said he had difficulty to remember the names of all chairmen of MMD committees because they were not contributing to the growth of the party.

“Those who were elected in 2005 had an obligation because we were given the mandate to push the agenda of the party,” he said. “I want to ask you whether you know them.

You don’t know them for one reason because they are not being active. And because if you are not active, what do you do? You are killing the party. We want everybody to be vibrant and show dynamism in the party. So, we carry responsibility.

Yes, we are to blame because we are the ones who were given the mandate in 2005. We can’t blame those who have come in because they didn’t get the mandate at the convention…each one of us who were elected must account for what we done in the last five years.”

Mulongoti feared that wealthy people might hijack the MMD if the ruling party goes for a convention without adequate funds.

“We are going to the convention to get certain outcomes and those must be planned for…the money that must be used at the convention must be party money so that no specific individual can hijack the process,” said Mulongoti.

“We would want the party to go to that convention so that when we get there, we go there as members of the party using party platform, not that an individual is too wealthy to just come and sponsor everyone to win the presidency or chairman.”

Labels: MIKE MULONGOTI, MMD, NEC

posted by MrK @ 1:48 PM