Maravi

L/stone MMD youths say no to violence

L/stone MMD youths say no to violence
By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone
Thu 14 Jan. 2010, 04:00 CAT

MMD youths in Livingstone have vowed not to allow any violence against any party member at the forthcoming convention.

Reacting to works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti who on Saturday supported calls by some MMD youths in Lusaka to prevent former defence minister George Mpombo from attending the MMD convention, Livingstone district youth chairman, Felix Liandisha, said youths from the province shall not allow anybody to intimidate any party member.

"I would like to support our national youth chairperson Patrick Musonda who said that we don't have any system referred to as a league. It is true that our party constitution does not provide for that so if there is a pressure group calling itself as a 'youth league', this will be flushed out,” Liandisha said.

“Our party constitution states that there shall be a branch, ward, district, constituency, provincial and national youth committees and not leagues.

We shall not allow anybody to intimidate any delegate to the convention. We need to benefit from the convention in terms of learning from our democracy that the party was founded on. So as Musonda says, the MMD is a founder of democracy in this country and those who want to go and contest at the convention in whatever capacity are free to do so, even people like the former Minister of Defence, Honourable Mpombo," he said.

Liandisha said he and other youths in the province would abide by what the majority of the delegates want when they go to the convention.

"As much as we appreciate the aspirations of Mpombo and others who are still in hiding, we as youths in the province will abide by the aspirations of the province when it comes to who we support and as at now the choice of the province is President Rupiah Banda. You may wish to know that, that the endorsement of President Rupiah Banda was first pronounced here in Livingstone by our party provincial chair Mr Solomon Muzyamba,” he said. “But to say that we would not allow Mpombo or anybody else with divergent view contrary to ours is not welcome as it is not being democratic.”

Labels: CADRES, MIKE MULONGOTI, MMD

posted by MrK @ 5:26 AM