Maravi

Mwaanga is contradicting himself, says Magande

Mwaanga is contradicting himself, says Magande
By Patson Chilemba
Thu 03 June 2010, 04:00 CAT

Commenting on MMD parliamentary chief whip Vernon Mwaanga’s contradictory statement that the MMD did not need an alliance with the UPND to win next year’s elections, Magande said it was clear that Mwaanga was contradicting himself because he earlier said he recently had meetings with some Southern Province chiefs, the business community and other stakeholders who supported the need for an alliance between the MMD and UPND, and he would push for that alliance if the UPND agreed.

“The truth of the matter is tell the truth then you will not have any need to remember what you said,” Magande said. “He is contradicting himself. When he got the proposals from the people he consulted, he should perhaps not have publicised the purpose of his trip to Southern Province before reporting to the head of MMD, because he can’t start now to talk in public on an issue which he had not yet reported to the one who sent him.”

On Mwaanga’s statement that MMD could win elections on its own, Magande said in fact the MMD won the 2008 presidential elections because of the support of three opposition political parties. He said President Banda was travelling with leaders of other political parties to address rallies.

“Even when we have not sorted ourselves out as MMD to see if we need other opposition parties to help us, we have already appointed someone from UNIP to be home affairs minister. Which shows we can’t run government without the opposition,” Magande said.

He reiterated that Mwaanga admitted that the MMD with its current leadership of President Banda could not win the 2011 elections, going by his earlier statement on the need for an alliance between MMD and UPND.

“Why didn’t he stand up in 2008 to say ‘we don’t need you opposition people’,” Magande said. “People like Vernon Mwaanga have realised that we are weak, that is why he went to consult people in Southern Province.”

Magande said MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga was recently in Western Province while deputy national secretary Chembe Nyangu was in Central Province.

He said they were probably performing the same duty Mwaanga was carrying out in Southern Province.

“All I can say is these people are being sent by somebody to go and ask ‘can we win’. So Southern Province told VJ Mwaanga that ‘MMD can’t win without an alliance’,” said Magande.

Earlier, Mwaanga said most people favoured an alliance between the MMD and UPND and not the current PF-UPND pact. However, Mwaanga later said the MMD was capable of winning the 2011 elections without the UPND. But Magande said Mwaanga had admitted that the current MMD leadership could not win the 2011 elections without getting into an alliance.

In response, Mwaanga said Magande was a renegade member of the MMD and what he said should not be taken serious.

Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS, MAGANDE, VERNON MWAANGA

posted by MrK @ 1:27 PM