Rupiah is destroying the MMD – Mpombo

Rupiah is destroying the MMD – Mpombo
By George Chellah
Wed 25 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT

RUPIAH is destroying the MMD, former defence minister George Mpombo said yesterday. And former finance minister Ng'andu Magande has urged the government to listen to science and technology minister Gabriel Namulambe's observations and permit others from within to speak out on their experiences.

Commenting on Namulambe's observations that the Lamba people are frustrated, hurt and injured by constant attacks on the late president Levy Mwanawasa's legacy, Mpombo said he has been vindicated.

“Firstly, I would want to congratulate Gabriel for this bold, courageous and principled move. It vindicates me… it demonstrates high principles really because indeed the agenda of Rupiah Banda has been to vilify and scandalise the legacy of Levy Mwanawasa,” Mpombo said. “When we were campaigning for Rupiah Banda, he was saying that 'I will continue with the legacy.' But his action has shown to the contrary.”

Mpombo said President Banda was trying to discredit the late Mwanawasa's fight against corruption.

“He is saying that Levy's conduct was wasteful, vindictive and also that he had an axe to grind with certain individuals,” Mpombo said.

He said Namulambe's observations were a wake up call to President Banda that the people's patience was running out.

“The President must know that, like Gabriel has said, in Lambaland and Central Province people feel very, very insulted with the way the government has put in the machinery to scandalise the legacy of the late president,” Mpombo said.

“It's sad that Rupiah Banda's actions are destroying the MMD in Central Province and Copperbelt rural. If this trend is not stopped, they are going to harvest a banquet of disastrous political results.

“The President's poor leadership has brought confusion in the party. For example, the national secretary Dr Katele Kalumba dissolves the Western Province executive… the President and Mulongoti sit down and lift the suspension. There is massive confusion in the party and what has contributed to this is that Katele is being sidelined.”

Mpombo said Kalumba should not be sidelined because he was the senior-most party official since President Banda and Vice-President George Kunda were just appointed as party president and trustee in the national executive committee (NEC).

Mpombo encouraged Namulambe to be bold and soldier on.

“He must be strong because a wrong is a wrong. What Namulambe said is a true representation of the people he represents in Mpongwe and just the whole Coppperbelt rural,” Mpombo said.

“There is a great philosopher who said 'be bold and mighty forces will rush to your aid.' Namulambe should be encouraged because all great people have not been compatriots of fear and intimidation. He should not have room for fear and intimidation. The young man makes the people of Ndola rural very proud.”

And Magande has urged the government to listen to Namulambe's observations and permit others from within to speak out.

“I am happy that other people are joining in what we have been saying. Some of us have been talking about all these things right from the word go when we started looking for a successor to Levy. Some of us were saying, 'I think we need somebody who understood Levy', not totally but somebody at least who understood quite a lot of what Levy stood for and what he wanted to do,” Magande said.

“Some of his sort of principles were things like zero tolerance to corruption, managing the economy… how he came around and said 'me I am going to have a plan' and we started with a transitional plan in 2002. From there, he is a man who just said 'I will use everybody in Zambia regardless of where they come from', that all added up in integrity.

“And that's what we said but obviously Zambians thought otherwise that just because somebody was Vice-President to Levy, he was the one who knew what Levy wanted. We have seen obviously what is happening now.

All young Namulambe is saying really is that those of us who were close to Levy, I am sure we knew what he stood for and we should have lived by his sort of principles and that is what we are talking about in Levy's legacy.”

Magande bemoaned the numerous problems Zambia was currently facing, like the fuel crisis.

“The way things are happening now just even when you see how we fail to even import fuel for the country, you would wonder what is happening.” Magande said.

“Why not go back perhaps to notes which they had when they were talking to Levy about fuel in 2007, when in fact Total decided to stop importing the fuel and a lot of people don't know that, they think Total has just stopped? They stopped in 2007 and Levy said 'I can't allow my country to go without fuel' and they started doing things and we continued to get very low rates of inflation and so on.”

Magande said those in Cabinet or leadership positions were lucky that there are people like Namulambe.

“…Somebody amongst themselves who is saying 'things are not being done correctly'. Perhaps some of us are very far and they think they can't invite us perhaps for a cup of tea while they ask us 'what are the people saying?'” said Magande.

“But here is somebody who is inside…they should just allow everybody in their group to say what they are experiencing. They should really listen to those who are among themselves who know what is happening elsewhere.”

Over the weekend, Namulambe said the Lamba people feel so frustrated, hurt and injured that some people publicly declared that they hated the late Mwanawasa.

Namulambe said Lambas were injured by the insinuations that late Mwanawasa was corrupt.
“To hear some people again insinuating that we are celebrating certain people as heroes yet these things of financial scams happened during their time.

I think you carried this story as The Post some time last week has really injured us and I want to warn…I have got no apologies to make. I want to warn that we who were of the same tribe with the late president feel greatly injured because that person was a nationalist who did not know tribal politics or anything he appointed people of merit some of us for instance,” he said.

He said he believed in late Mwanawasa's principles.
“I won't mention what action we are going to take. But I just want to warn that we must be respected as Lambas. That man ruled Zambia and he put the name of Zambia on the world map, people at least realise that we had potential leadership in the name of president Mwanawasa. So whoever didn't like Mwawanawasa at the time and they didn't speak out, I think that is their problem but I want to warn that we will not take kindly anything that will jeopardise the name of the late president.

He stood for what was right, he died on duty for the right of the Zambians,” Namulambe said. “He also he stood for the truth, he was a principled person. For any person to lump him and say he was corrupt and what, it is themselves who are corrupt those who are saying so. This is a very friendly warning that I am sounding now that they must stop it, we are injured.

It's not only in the Lambaland but in other provinces as well where they liked Mwanawasa. I think people are injured with these sentiments. So those who are talking ill of the late president must stop it. What we are saying is that at least let the man rest in peace, let him be respected.”