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By-elections: Mulyata manhandles Namakando over rations

By-elections: Mulyata manhandles Namakando over rations
By Mwala Kalaluka in Luena
Mon 12 July 2010, 13:20 CAT

THE MMD’s campaign in the Luena by-election started on a violent and shaky note after Mongu Central parliamentarian Joseph Mulyata manhandled provincial party chairman Simasiku Namakando over food rations.

And MMD provincial youth chairman Njamba Musangu has claimed that Charles Milupi is a desperate liar who has now realized the mistake he made to cause a by-election in Luena.

Highly placed MMD sources told The Post in Mongu that the incident that could have a negative effect on the ruling party’s campaigns in Luena happened last Wednesday morning at provincial minister Richard Mwapela’s residence.

“MMD Mongu District chairman and deputy defence minister Joseph Mulyata on Wednesday morning 7th July 2010 insulted and used unpalatable language and violently abused MMD provincial chairman Simasiku Namakando in full view of hundreds of MMD cadres and the public at the residence of provincial minister Richard Mwapela. It took about 30 minutes for Mwapela to restrain Mulyata from causing damage on Namakando who was visibly sick,” the source said.

The sources said Namakando was unshaken and unmoved in the face of such a serious challenge from Mulyata.

The sources said Mulyata was incensed by reports that MMD district officials, which he heads planned to boycott the campaigns because they were not given ration money, as they went in the field for campaigns.

“This made him vent his anger on provincial chairman Simasiku Namakando,” the source said.

“Reports indicate that Mulyata accuses Namakando of failing to recommend him to NEC as campaign manager for Luena by-election. Visibly unhappy with the incident were the campaign manager Professor Geoffrey Lungwangwa and his vice Mwapela and other party officials who felt that if Mulyata had a grievance he should have handled himself in an official manner befitting a minister of government.”

The sources said during the fracas Mulyata told Namakando that he would challenge him at the provincial party conference for the position of provincial MMD chairman.

“After leaving Namakando, Mulyata turned on Namakando’s driver only identified as Mwangala with a view of beating him,” the source said. “The incident, which shocked the public and unbefitting of a member of parliament, minister and district party leader took place as MMD party cadres and officials were being dispatched to Ushaa, the nomination centre for the Luena parliamentary by-election. The incident is likely to cast a negative shadow on MMD’s campaigns and success in Luena by-elections.”
The sources said the party membership in Mongu was shocked with Mulyata’s conduct and he had since been asked not to be part of the campaign team in Luena.

“It was Namakando who handpicked Mulyata to be MMD Mongu District chairman when Mulyata had lost constituency elections, district elections and provincial party elections in 2005,” the source said. “Namakando even picked him to contest the 2006 parliamentary elections when he was rejected by the lower organs of the party.”

The sources said Mulyata’s conduct was likely to be discussed by the provincial MMD executive after the Luena by-elections.

“However, permission will be sought from the party president Rupiah Banda before Mulyata is charged with misconduct against a senior party officer Namakando and bringing the image of the party into disrepute,” the source said.

Efforts to get Mulyata proved futile.

And reacting to Milupi’s assertions that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) was tolerating the MMD’s usage of schools for their campaign in Luena, Musangu said Milupi had just realized that he was losing the by-election.

Musangu said Milupi’s accusations were not true because the MMD only used schools when community development minister Michael Kaingu went around the constituency disbursing women empowerment cheques to ‘women’ during metings.
“That was a government programme,” Musangu said. “Milupi is now becoming desperate because he has realized that he is losing.”

Musangu said the people of Luena would vote for the MMD because they were tired of lack of development.

On Milupi’s assertions that MMD candidate Mwangala Maopu had been meeting teachers and head teachers from Luena with a view to influencing them to vote for the MMD, Musangu said Maopu could only do that, if at all it were true, when he was still District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) for Mongu.

“At that time he was not yet a politician,” said Musangu.

Maopu opted to go on early retirement to contest the Luena by-election on the MMD ticket.

Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, FOOD, JOSEPH MULYATA, SIMASIKU NAMAKANDO

posted by MrK @ 11:45 PM