Maravi

Chiluba is breaking the law – Magande

Chiluba is breaking the law – Magande
By Patson Chilemba
Sat 06 Feb. 2010, 04:01 CAT

NG'ANDU Magande yesterday charged that former president Frederick Chiluba is breaking the law by engaging in active campaigns for President Rupiah Banda and risks having his presidential benefits stripped.

And Magande said holding the MMD national convention would be a waste of time if President Banda has already been declared the party's Republican presidential candidate.

Commenting on Chiluba whose recent trip to the Copperbelt was recently bankrolled by State House to campaign for President Banda, Magande, who is former finance minister and currently the MMD's Chilanga member of parliament, said this was the same Chiluba who refused to give Dr Kenneth Kaunda benefits on grounds that he was engaging in active politics.

He asked Chiluba to stay out of active politics and enjoy his rest now that he had healed and stopped frequenting South Africa for medical treatment.

“He is breaking the law, and he has to be very careful,
Parliament is opening on 23 rd of February; and someone could read the Constitution in Parliament, and we end up now not removing his immunity which others did for some reasons, but stripping him of his presidential benefits,” Magande said. “It is not allowed by the law, by the Constitution, and he knows it. He is the one who didn't pay Dr Kaunda because he said Kaunda, by making comments, he is actually participating in politics. This is what some of us are trying to do, let's give everybody a fair playing field. Don't say ‘do what I say and not what I do’.”

Magande said everybody remembers how Chiluba mistreated Dr Kaunda.

“This is what people are saying, let president Chiluba know that he is no more going to court, his health also has improved, he is not going to South Africa, let him enjoy his rest, not getting in these compounds in Chifubu, in Ndola,” Magande said. “He is just now getting to the cadres, and cadres can say anything. Let him just continue enjoying his respect.”

Magande wondered why Chiluba had gone to campaign for President Banda when the party had not yet decided on the presidential candidate.

“Perhaps he has been given that information that President Banda is the candidate. But you know who you should ask? Ask RB himself, 'are you the candidate?' If you can't ask RB, then ask the secretariat,” he said.

Magande said he would start serious campaigns for the convention because that was the channel through which one would eventually become presidential candidate.

“And you know these are the same people who are in control. He is acting president, what does he feel the ordinary members will understand; that we will go to these elections where he has already decided he will be the presidential candidate? Why would we then go there?” asked Magande. “He should start asking those questions, why would anybody go to the convention if they have already decided he will be the candidate? So it just brings a lot of uncertainty in some of our minds.”

MMD national secretary Katele 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.

Labels: CHILUBA, MAGANDE, MMD, PRESIDENCY

posted by MrK @ 3:45 PM