Rupiah defends gang-rapists

Rupiah defends gang-rapists
By Patson Chilemba and Chibaula Silwamba
Mon 25 Jan. 2010, 04:01 CAT

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has said the MMD cadres that threatened to gang-rape FDD president Edith Nawakwi were merely reacting to the insults uttered against him by Nawakwi.

And MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba has said Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata's university degree will be certified.

Meanwhile, President Banda said education minister Dora Siliya's nomination as MMD spokesperson will help the party because she was sufficiently educated in communication matters.

Well-placed MMD national executive committee (NEC) sources, who attended the meeting at State House on Saturday, said President Banda failed to condemn threats by the MMD youths led by Lusaka Province youth chairperson Chris Chalwe to “gang-rape” Nawakwi.

The sources said MMD Lusaka Province acting chairlady Mukalipi did not see the need for Chalwe and his colleagues to be punished.

“Sebastian Kopulande said we need discipline in the party, so Chalwe should be punished. Then the acting chair Ms Mukalipi said she doesn't see the reason why the young men should be punished because they reacted to what Nawakwi said,” the source said. “The President said the youth chairperson was just reacting to what was said. At the height of the debate the President said 'these might be reacting to the words, the insults that were made against me by the young woman Nawakwi.' Remember Nawakwi said it was madness for Rupiah to hike the fuel prices.”

The sources revealed that President Banda told NEC members during the meeting that he was not happy with the manner MMD chairperson for lands Judith Kapijimpanga and her husband Davies were attacking him, especially prior to the Solwezi Central parliamentary by-election.

“He President Banda asked Judith that 'Kapijimpanga, you are still here?'. She said: 'yes!' Then he said: 'You Judith, you are one person who talked about me in the paper.' He said Judith and her husband messed up the MMD in the Solwezi by-election,” the source said. “He mentioned that he was angry about it, but was no longer angry, and that he felt that he needed to say it in front of everybody. Judith just kept quiet.”

The sources said President Banda explained that he nominated Siliya as the party's spokesperson because of her vast experience in communication issues and none of the members objected.

The sources said the nomination of parliamentary Chief-Whip Vernon Mwaanga as a NEC member would help the party because of his vast political experience in the nation.

On the removal of Jeff Kaande as the party's deputy national secretary, the sources said President Banda would appoint Kaande to serve in the diplomatic mission.

However, the sources said Kaande could have been replaced because he was differing on most issues with the party's national secretary Katele Kalumba.

“There were also reports of financial misappropriation in the Solwezi campaigns,” the source said.

The sources also said President Banda was agreeable to holding the national convention.

And responding to a question during a media briefing after the NEC meeting in Lusaka on Saturday, Kalumba said it was misplaced fear for Sata to think the university degree minimum academic qualification requirement for presidential candidates was targeted at him.

“If he has a degree what is there to worry about? It will be certified. It will be acknowledged. It will be known. And if he wants, there are universities you can secure a degree online within a short space of time, if that is necessary, if he doesn't have,” Kalumba said.

“Let him not believe that the whole country or the whole NCC is trying to subvert him. It will be unfortunate for my big brother Michael Chilufya Sata, president of the PF to even believe that the whole NCC could sit down in order to connive, conspire to exclude him from standing.”

Kalumba said the NEC had set up a “Hit Group” to come up with a winning formula for the 2011 elections.

He said the political mobilisation taskforce would include experienced and new members to formulate campaign strategies.

“It is our ‘hit group’ for lack of a better word in the sense that this is a group that will come up with our winning formula,” Kalumba said.

He also said veteran politician Vernon Mwaanga and Solwezi Central losing parliamentary candidate Albert Chifita had been appointed to the NEC while Siliya had been appointed MMD spokesperson.

Kalumba said his deputy Kaande had been dropped and replaced by Nyimba former member of parliament Chembe Nyangu.

He said the party would assess the cost of holding lower organs elections and the national convention.

“The treasurer's committee has been set up to cost the convention and to look at the options of hosting, where it could be hosted at a reasonable cost. The convention has to be aligned with lower level organ elections because you cannot have a convention before you have lower level elections,” said Kalumba, adding that the party would launch a membership card renewal exercise on February 13 in Lusaka, which would be replicated countrywide on March 6.

Kalumba said the MMD was not in a crisis.

“It was nice to see honourable Ng'andu Magande, honourable Sylvia Masebo, Namakando Simasiku all these people together in one room during the NEC meeting and all of them who have been somewhat made like black sheep; they are not. These are senior leaders of the party,” said Kalumba.

“Let the impression be erased that has been created that somewhat MMD is divided, is in a crisis or whatever. We are a party of debate; we do debate quite violently sometimes but at the end of the day this is the only party where we find a way to reconcile ourselves. We are a very tolerant party.”