Maravi

Democracy is the recipe for evil, says C/belt MMD chief

Democracy is the recipe for evil, says C/belt MMD chief
By Abigail Chaponda in Ndola
Mon 24 May 2010, 04:01 CAT

MMD youths on Saturday scrambled over money thrown at them by Copperbelt task force chairperson Joe Malanji during a party mobilisation exercise in Ndola’s Chipulukusu Compound.

And Copperbelt provincial chairman Joseph Chilambwe has said democracy is the recipe for anything evil. As cadres were singing and dancing to solidarity songs, Malanji threw an undisclosed amount of K20,000 notes at them.

The excited youths stopped singing and started scrambling and tussling over the money. The situation was only calmed by MMD Ndola vice publicity secretary Alex Mubanga. Malanji also told Chipulukusu residents to start campaigning because the MMD government was doing a lot for them.

“There are people from the opposition, they don’t have manifestos and they insult, they even insult investors, attacking investors. Antagonising these people (investors) is espionage. A lot of people have been opening their mouths insulting President Banda every day, President Banda is a good father and husband,” he said.

“I am challenging Chipulukusu ward to perform and I have left K1 million for logistics so that you can organise a big rally and we have given you one month to do that.”

And in an unreasoned outburst, Chilambwe blamed the media for the Mufumbwe parliamentary by-election violence allegedly championed by the MMD, accusing the media of abusing freedom of speech and failing to explain to the people the meaning of democracy.

He said that the violence in Mufumbwe was brought about by the press because they could not censor what they were writing.

“The press is to blame for what happened in Mufumbwe because they have failed to explain to the people about freedom of speech and democracy because they want to protect themselves,” he said.

“In other countries democracy brings about anarchy and civil war. Democracy is the recipe of anything evil.”

Chilambwe further charged that FDD president Edith Nawakwi was an uncounselled woman because she was allegedly insulting President Rupiah Banda.

Chilambwe speaking in Bemba said, “Nawakwi nichitongo, kuliyena tashalilile (Nawakwi is uncounselled, traditional drums did not sound)”.

And Chilambwe claimed that former defence minister George Mpombo resigned from his ministerial position because he wanted to be appointed Republican vice-president but President Banda denied him the opportunity.

“… Now we are challenging him to resign. MMD has done a lot for Mpombo, I am the one who picked him up and pleaded with the late president to give him chance,” he said.

Labels: CADRES, COPPERBELT PROVINCE, CORRUPTION, DEMOCRACY, JOSEPH CHILAMBWE, MMD

posted by MrK @ 2:47 PM