Chiluba divides Copperbelt MMD

Chiluba divides Copperbelt MMD
By Amos Malupenga in Lusaka and Abigail Chaponda in Ndola
Mon 15 Feb. 2010, 04:01 CAT

Some MMD cadres in Ndola on Friday confiscated banners displaying praises Frederick Chiluba from Itawa and Chinese complex tenants saying they only wanted banners carrying solidarity messages for President Rupiah Banda.

But MMD district information and publicity secretary, Alex Mubanga, popularly known as shimpundu pankoloko yesterday said MMD officials only grabbed placards carrying messages of complaints from some Itawa Flats and Chinese Complex tenants.

Meanwhile, some Itawa Flats and Chinese Complex tenants have said the MMD and Ndola district commissioner Moses Mumba are fools that use poor people to gain support.

According to MMD sources, the placard-grabbing incident happened at Ndola International Airport when Alex Mubanga ordered the tenants to put away the banners and placards because they were carrying messages of solidarity for Chiluba. The source said Mubanga was allegedly acting on instructions from Copperbelt Province MMD chairman Joseph Chilambwe who ordered that he would only allow banners carrying messages of solidarity for President Banda.

“There is some growing division on the Copperbelt among MMD officials following Dr Chiluba’s campaign tour for President Banda on the Copperbelt,” the source said.

“Dr Chiluba is being accused of having created a parallel structure led by Terence Findlay, which he worked with instead of using official structures led by Mr Chilambwe. But after some intervention from other officials, the women carrying banners in support of Dr Chiluba were allowed although they were shunted at the back.”

Another MMD source said the pro-Chiluba members felt disappointed and let down by Alex Mubanga’s behaviour to grab the pro-Chiluba banners because Mubanga is one of the officials who worked with Chiluba during his two-week campaign trail on the Copperbelt.

“Shimpundu pankoloko is the one who was driving Dr Chiluba around the Copperbelt so how can he turn around and start grabbing banners that are praising Dr Chiluba?” the source asked.

But Mubanga yesterday said they only grabbed banners that carried messages of complaints from some tenants because they were avoiding trouble.

One of the placards is said to have carried the message: “Please, President Rupiah Banda help us to come up with a fair price for the Itawa and Chinese Complex houses.”

Mubanga said the placards were confiscated from the tenants because the MMD only accepted messages of solidarity and not of complaints because complaints could be a source of confusion at a political gathering.

“What we did not want at the airport were problems. We don’t allow people to make placards of complaints. We want solidarity. I think the tenants were too excited to be at the airport to meet the President,” Mubanga said. “This is why we forgave them and we explained to them what politicians are supposed to do at political gatherings. You reporters, even saw that we gave them back the placards after talking to them.”

And speaking on behalf of the other tenants, a tenant who opted to remain anonymous said the MMD and district commissioner Mumba were bad people who took advantage of the poor people because they wanted to remain in power.

“Mr Mumba came to the flats on Friday and told us that all tenants from Itawa and Chinese Complex were supposed to go to the airport and welcome the President because that is where the President is going to announce the price of the flats and he gave us chitenge materials to wear,” the tenant said. “But to our surprise, the President did not say anything about the prices and we feel used by these politicians.”

The tenant said whether the government sold them the houses or not, they would not vote for the MMD because it was a party that told lies.