Rupiah’s Mufumbwe ex-campaign manager fears extinction for MMD

Rupiah’s Mufumbwe ex-campaign manager fears extinction for MMD
By David Chongo in Solwezi
Mon 24 May 2010, 04:00 CAT

MMD members are dragging the party into oblivion, President Rupiah Banda’s campaign manager in Mufumbwe during the presidential by-election in 2008 has said.

Stafford Mulusa, who also contested the Mufumbwe MMD primaries to choose the candidate for the recent by-election, said party leaders in North Western Province were not familiar with people’s problems.

He said members of parliament from North Western Province were ‘dead weight’ and would struggle to retain their seats in 2011 because they didn’t relate with the people on the ground.

Mulusa said the electorate in the province was fed up with their leaders hence the recent election losses.

“Not all is well with MMD here including our MPs. I am not being malicious; I am talking about the truth. If elections were called today, MMD will recover only 3 parliamentary seats in North Western -maximum. In Solwezi West even if we boast that we have an MP, the relationship between the member of parliament Humphrey Mwanza and the electorate is very sour. Here in North Western Province we have one MP in Kasempa, one in Kabompo, one in Mwinilunga, who might win back their seats. The rest, forget!” he said.

“Maybe also in Chavuma. If the same people were to be maintained we might only retain four parliamentary seats. These MPs have failed the people. Can you imagine during a ward by-election in Solwezi East, at one polling station we got zero! When such things happen, you begin questioning the relationship of the MP with the people.”

Mulusa said during Levy Mwanawasa’s time, the president used to tell the leaders to go and speak to the people about the development projects that the government was doing.

“But here the MPs are not with the people; MPs are not on the ground. In Solwezi and Mufumbwe there could have been victory but there was no communication with the people,” he said.

Mulusa, wondered how the ruling party could go through such electoral losses despite “lots” of government investments in North Western Province.

He expressed optimism regarding the party’s fortunes in the region reiterating that it could still be revived if the Provincial Executive Committee was reorganised.

“If MMD wants to survive in North Western Province, it has to remove the PEC. Losing for this executive has become a habit. Members have got nothing to do with mobilisation; we have people in the organs. But we don’t have leaders to organise the party. There is a weakness with by-elections,” he said.

“Solwezi central and Mufumbwe were mishandled by the NEC. We are lacking the spirit of reconciliation. It’s like MMD is more comfortable with people leaving the party than reconciling. Former MMD provincial chairman James Katoka is bitter, the party knows that but they are not talking about bringing him back. There should be reconciliation. They should listen to dissenting views but it’s like leaders don’t care about the people who have left for the opposition.”

He singled out the ousting of Katoka and the resignation of former youth chairperson Newton Malwa as negative pointers to the state of the party in the province and the need to revamp its provincial leadership.

He said the non-committal leadership style of acting MMD North Western Province chairperson Pinakin Patel and his team was killing the party in the province.

“Look at Patel. Do you believe that Patel can leave his businesses to go into campaigning fulltime? No! We are not being tribal but can Patel speak Kaonde, Lunda or Luvale? How can he explain to the grassroots party plans? He will need a translator everywhere,” said Mulusa.