Maravi

Lufwanyama MMD quizzes official for attending pact meeting

Lufwanyama MMD quizzes official for attending pact meeting
By Mwila Chansa in Kitwe
Fri 12 Feb. 2010, 03:57 CAT

THE MMD in Lufwanyama has given its information and publicity secretary a seven-day ultimatum to exculpate himself for attending a UPND-PF pact meeting or face a six-month suspension.

In an interview on Tuesday, MMD Lufwanyama district chairman Moses Chiyuka accused Mwansa Kunda, the MMD Bulaya ward councillor, of leaking party information when he attended a UPND-PF pact meeting in Lufwanyama on January 31. Asked if it was wrong for Kunda to interact with other Zambians from the opposition, Chiyuka said it was not wrong to interact at a personal level.

“But if one is leaking party information to the opposition, then that is wrong. It simply means that he is not with us,” said Chiyuka.

Chiyuka insisted that it was unacceptable for Kunda to have attended the opposition’s meeting.

“We have not expelled him but if he fails to exculpate himself within seven days, he will have to be suspended for six months. This is just a first step in the disciplinary process. He is a very hard working person and he is still our member if he does not defect,” he added.

Asked if he thought that Kunda’s decision to attend the UPND-PF pact meeting meant that he had lost confidence in MMD, Chiyuka said actions spoke louder than words.

And in a statement, Chiyuka restrained Kunda from performing all party and civic duties in accordance with article 50(5) of the MMD constitution.

“Mr Kunda committed the following offences; being in the company of some district and constituency officials organising and holding a closed door meeting with opposition UPND-PF pact Copperbelt provincial leadership on 31st January 2010; attending opposition PF-UPND pact public meeting held at Makoloi on the same date and divulging of party secrets and confidential information to unauthorised people or outsiders,” stated Chiyuka.

But Kunda yesterday explained that he merely followed his wife who had defected to the UPND and ended up attending the pact meeting to witness what was happening there.

Kunda said he did not go against any party rules and denied ever influencing anyone to defect to the opposition.

He accused MMD Lufwanyama member of parliament Dr Lwipa Puma of instigating his suspension because he recently vowed to finish him Kunda off.

Some MMD councillors in Lufwanyama recently threatened to suspend Dr Puma for allegedly saying that they councillors were illiterates.

But Kunda said the person who made that statement to the media was well-known and wondered why Dr Puma was targeting him.

He expressed disappointment with Dr Puma for allegedly threatening his life, saying he was supposed to learn how to dialogue with people as a man of high calibre.

Kunda said he was not mad to accuse Dr Puma of threatening his life if he did not do so adding that he even reported the matter to police who advised him to be calm.

Kunda said he personally campaigned for Dr Puma with his own resources during the last elections and he had no grudge against him.

Dr Puma denied ever threatening Mwansa saying he phoned him merely to ask why he was causing confusion in the MMD in Lufwanyama.

“I have information that Mwansa was causing confusion in the party, he has been working with the opposition. He is even the one behind that story that I called the councillors in Lufwanyama that they were illiterate, he just concocted the story,” charged Dr Puma. “Mwansa is treading on a dangerous path, we are aware that he is a Congolese and his name is not Mwansa.”

Labels: MMD, MOSES CHIYUKA, MWANSA KUNDA, PF-UPND

posted by MrK @ 3:46 PM