Maravi

Munkombwe dares MMD officials plotting his removal

Munkombwe dares MMD officials plotting his removal
By Agness Changala
Thu 18 Mar. 2010, 03:40 CAT

SOUTHERN Province minister Daniel Munkombwe has dared MMD officials who have vowed to petition the President to have him removed from his position to do so, saying he is not a stranger to President Banda.

And Munkombwe described Choma district MMD chairman Christopher Lungu as a hopeless and illiterate fellow for saying that MMD officials in Choma belonged to more than one political party.

Reacting to some district officials in Choma who vowed to seek an audience with President Banda to demand his removal as minister for causing damage to the party with his nepotism, Munkombwe said he was also not a stranger in the politics of this country.

“They are free to go to President Rupiah Banda because I am not a stranger or visitor in the politics of the country and neither am I a stranger to the President himself,” Munkombwe said.

He said if he was a storyteller or gossiper, he was not going to be in politics for this long, adding that he was an achiever and President Banda was aware.

“And that’s why even the late president Levy Mwanawasa appointed me and the current one also endorsed me,” he said.

Munkombwe said people should just let him continue and that no one should talk about him because he was not in the habit of doing so to others.
And Munkombwe said Lungu was a fool.

“But a fortunately, a fool has nephews and nieces who are wise voters,” said Munkombwe.

He said Lungu’s claims about the party in the province were baseless.
He said his role was to unite the party in the province in readiness for the 2011 general elections.

And on accusations that he had been openly appointing his relatives to various government positions, leaving out deserving MMD cadres who had sacrificed so much for the party, Munkombwe denied the allegations saying he had nothing wrong regarding nepotism.

He said even the appointment of new Southern Province permanent secretary Gladys Kristafor had nothing to do with him.

“I didn’t bring her, it’s the system that brought her,” said Munkombwe.
The officials also said for a long time now, MMD officials had been complaining against Munkombwe’s open practice of nepotism and that there had been no response from the national leadership who believed the minister was an asset to the party when infact he was a big liability.

On Saturday, Lungu said some MMD officials in Choma belonged to more than one political party.

Lungu said the MMD in the areas was facing challenges as some MMD officials belonged to more than one political party.

He said the dishonesty among party officials was a serious matter which needed to be handled carefully as Choma was the nerve centre for politics in Southern province.

“The situation in Choma should be handled like an egg because this is the nerve centre of politics in the province,” he told tourism minister Catherine Namugala during the card renewal exercise. “I have to report to you that some dishonest officials belong to more than one political party.”

Lungu complained that grass root party structures had been neglected by the top MMD leadership resulting in them being demoralized. He said the grass root structures were only being remembered and considered during an election.

Labels: DANIEL MUNKOMBWE, MMD

posted by MrK @ 1:28 PM