Maravi

Chiluba has influence in MMD – Kavindele

Chiluba has influence in MMD – Kavindele
By Patson Chilemba
Mon 08 Feb. 2010, 04:01 CAT

ENOCK Kavindele yesterday said Frederick Chiluba has some influence in the MMD and may be quietly talking to the party leadership to have President Rupiah Banda adopted as Republican presidential candidate.

And Kavindele said Chiluba should beware of the consequences of a former president indulging in active politics, because the law to bar former presidents from active politics was introduced under his leadership.

Commenting on Chiluba’s campaigns for President Banda when the MMD has not yet decided on the presidential candidate to contest the 2011 elections, Kavindele, who is former Republican vice-president, said Chiluba still had some influence in the MMD.

“Dr Chiluba, he has some influence in the MMD, and he is probably pushing for Mr Banda to be adopted at the convention. So I would like to believe that maybe he is quietly talking to the party leadership to adopt President Banda,” he said.

On MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba’s statement that whoever would be elected president at the MMD national convention would not be an automatic presidential candidate for the party, Kavindele said what Kalumba was saying had never worked, and it was the source of most problems the MMD faced.

“It should be that the one voted for at the convention should be the candidate for 2011. In other words, the candidate, whoever will be elected at the convention, if it is President Banda, we should all rally behind him and support him for 2011. Should it be another person, that is fine,” Kavindele said. “What Katele is suggesting or talking about is exactly what caused Zimbabwe to have MDC Tsvangirai and MDC Mutambara. If they carry out this idea which they have, there is a possibility that the party could be divided into two. You have MMD Banda, and MMD somebody else.”
Kavindele said if the MMD implemented what Kalumba was suggesting, it would be seriously affected in the long run.

“All those who are thinking like this are pushing for division, a serious division in the party. The procedure in the past has been that the one elected at the convention is the one who has been endorsed to be Republican candidate,” he said.
Kavindele explained that in 2001, the MMD had Chiluba as party president and late president Levy Mwanawasa as Republican President because the former wanted to go for a third term.

“But when the third term failed, the party had to quickly identify a candidate, and in this case it was Mwanawasa. We did so because we did not have money to go back to yet another convention,” Kavindele said. “I do not know where it Kalumba’s position is coming from, but whoever it is, it is a very dangerous move, and it will lead the party into serious divisions, and when there are divisions in the party that is going for elections, then chances of winning are reduced.”

Kalumba on Thursday said whoever would be elected president at the convention would not be an automatic Republican presidential candidate for the party.
Kalumba said the MMD national executive committee (NEC) had endorsed President Banda as the party’s Republican presidential candidate.

And commenting on Chiluba whose recent trip to the Copperbelt was bankrolled by State House to campaign for President Banda, Kavindele reminded Chiluba on the law he introduced to stop Dr Kenneth Kaunda from receiving his emoluments because he was actively involved in politics.

“Well as far as I am concerned, Dr Chiluba is or should be aware of the consequences of a former president indulging in full time politics. For a long time under Dr Chiluba, president Kaunda’s emoluments or benefits were withheld because the Constitution stated that a former president should not be involved in active politics,” said Kavindele. “The law was changed under his chairmanship. Initially a retired president would support a party of his choice, and in this case Dr Kaunda deposed KB Musokotwane, and when he came back, then the law was changed. The law was not always there at all, it was changed because president Kaunda had come back and taken over the leadership of UNIP.”

Labels: CHILUBA, ENOCH KAVINDELE, MMD, PRESIDENCY, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 5:03 AM