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Mulongoti’s U-turn on convention is uninspiring, observes Mpombo

Mulongoti’s U-turn on convention is uninspiring, observes Mpombo
By Patson Chilemba
Sat 28 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT

FORMER defence minister George Mpombo yesterday said Mike Mulongoti’s U-turn on the convention is uninspiring. And Mpombo said he is not ready to reconcile with President Rupiah Banda’s leadership that is undemocratic and insults late president Levy Mwanawasa’s legacy.

Commenting on works and supply minister Mulongoti’s statement that the MMD was now reorganising to go for the national convention, a U-turn on his earlier position, Mpombo said there was no way President Banda and Mulongoti could be allowed to treat people like children.

Mpombo said President Banda, Mulongoti and their colleagues should resign for having brought confusion in the party on account of agitating for the postponement of the convention.

“That U-turn is not inspiring, number one, because it has done a lot of bloodletting in the party. It has fractured party unity, and the party has lost its credibility, and now the party is almost being reduced to a political shell because of poor leadership,” Mpombo said.

“They should apologise to the general membership for turning the name of the party into ridicule. It amounts to bungling political incompetence, the kind of leadership that cannot take the party to any political height.

It is a recipe for political disaster. The best thing really is even as we go to the convention, Mr Banda must not seek confirmation as party president. He has shown excessive incompetence.”

Mpombo said the U-turn by Mulongoti showed that Zambians had become mature and were not in a mood to brook dictatorship, saying politics of bootlicking had no place in Zambia.

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.

Mulongoti said the party was now reorganising and was on its way towards holding the convention.

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

Mulongoti’s statement was amplified by President Banda in Kasama when he asked those who were agitating for the holding of the convention to resign from the party and join other parties that were going to hold a convention.

And reacting to information minister Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha’s statement in a recent edition of the Times of Zambia that the MMD was willing to iron out the differences that exist between the party and Mpombo, Mpombo said Lt Gen Shikapwasha and his colleagues had taken this approach because the political climate was not favourable to them because they were insulting president Mwanawasa and attempted to postpone the convention.

“It is quite a difficult moment. You see, Gen Shikapwasha has not lived up to his expectations having been closer to the late president. He has not defended him on some of the unfair allegations that have been levelled against him,” Mpombo said.

“If we continue insulting Mwanawasa, that is going to erode our constituency as MMD. So it is not morally right, it’s un-Zambian to release a barrage of attacks on somebody who can’t defend himself, I would not have my conscience free in an environment where Mr Mwanawasa is being attacked.”

Mpombo asked President Banda to be careful with Vice-President George Kunda, saying the man was a political chameleon who would desert him once he was out of office.

He said Vice-President Kunda had deserted president Mwanawasa.

Mpombo said it would not do for President Banda to fail to adhere to democratic tenets in the party and entertain insults on president Mwanawasa’s legacy.

He asked President Banda to address fundamental issues in the party and nation.

“And also the government must be able to listen. They must not dare people all the time like what happened on RP Capital and the recent fuel crisis,” Mpombo said.

Mpombo said his differences with the MMD arose from the manner President Banda was running the party and national affairs.

He said he did not understand what Lt Gen Shikapwasha meant by reconciliation because he had been treated shabbily by the government.

“I have been treated like a criminal, like not even a former minister of defence. For instance, government allowed a trigger-act permanent secretary to instruct police to impound my car, personal-to-holder vehicle wherever they found it. A vehicle that I was entitled to buy, but they used technicalities to deny me from buying,” said Mpombo.

“I was bundled out of the house like a criminal, and right now, the conditions of service when I was employed as minister I was given some K22 million as settling allowance, and I am entitled to repatriation allowance with my two house servants. Up to this time I think Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Defence have refused to pay me. I had to hire transport to move my katundu property out.”

Mpombo maintained that whether there would be reconciliation or not, he did not believe that President Banda was the right person to lead the MMD into the 2011 general elections.

He said President Banda did not have what it took to win the elections.

Lt Gen Shikapwasha was quoted in the Times of Zambia as saying that the MMD was willing to iron out differences that existed between the party and Mpombo.

Labels: GEORGE MPOMBO, MIKE MULONGOTI, MMD, NEC, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA

posted by MrK @ 12:52 PM