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MMD will lose 2011 elections – Mpombo

MMD will lose 2011 elections – Mpombo
By George Chellah
Sat 24 July 2010, 04:02 CAT

GEORGE MPOMBO yesterday said the MMD will still lose the 2011 elections even if the PF-UPND Pact went into political disarray. In an interview, Mpombo said it was unwise for the MMD to begin celebrating over the problems facing the pact.

“Right now the MMD is standing with one foot in a political grave and the prognosis for their performance next year is quite disturbing. It’s folly for anyone in the MMD to start celebrating the problems in the pact because ultimately these differences have made them pact realize their shortcomings,” Mpombo said.

“Even if the pact went into political disarray, the MMD will still be sorted out in next year’s elections. The MMD will still lose because it’s just an empty shell currently. Whatever happens to the pact MMD will never win elections, whether the pact went into disarray or not.”

He said President Rupiah Banda was simply not sellable.

“He has no grip or grasp on the political situation in the country. So the MMD must not even celebrate because the fact of the matter is that PF is a huge political force to reckon with and one can only ignore that at his own political peril. One would expect the MMD to know better when you look at the tough challenges PF has posed to the MMD in previous elections. For instance, you saw what happened to RB in the last presidential by-election despite the goodwill and sympathy accrued to him as a result of Levy Mwanawasa’s death,” Mpombo said.

“RB only managed to get slightly above 35,000 votes against PF to win that election and this was when people had not even known his poor leadership, lack of transparency, questionable deals like the RP Capital and Zamtel saga and so forth. So what will happen next year bearing in mind the fact that more of RB’s skeletons have now been exposed to the people? These are issues that people will not just ignore, they will definitely top the campaign agenda next year.”

He said currently the MMD is only surviving a few inches above water surface.

“The MMD is not in the position to melt the iceberg of discontentment, resentment and disenchantment in the country as a result of RB’s horrible leadership,” he said.

Mpombo said the MMD was at its weakest and its current situation is beyond redemption.

“No miracle will change this, MMD is on a slippery path. The conduct of Mr Banda has put MMD on a path of political insignificance. Here is a president who behaves like he has cotton wool in his ears,” Mpombo said. “He is ever on the move, why can’t he delegate some of his functions? Why does he have a Vice-President he can’t show to the rest of the world?”

He said the MMD was fully aware that chances of winning the 2011 elections were not there.

“MMD is courting a catch 22 because while they are condemning the PF and UPND Pact they are also trying to coax UPND to go to bed with them like MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga was saying recently. The most unthinkable thing for UPND to even consider at the moment is going to bed with the MMD. MMD as a party is currently obsolete under the leadership of Mr Banda. Rupiah Banda can never win an election,” Mpombo said.

“Those who think MMD can come back to its feet are dreaming, it’s too late for that. Actually, MMD must start writing its political obituary. A pact between UPND and MMD will be a blunder of major proportion that could spell the death of UPND. For UPND to go into pact with MMD it will be like a person drinking concentrated hydraulic acid, a very dangerous situation.”

On the PF-UPND Pact problems, Mpombo said it was clear that the pact is facing some small challenges.

He advised the political parties to resolve the problems, particularly that their differences and shortcomings had been exposed.

“It’s now up to the top leadership of the pact Mr Sata and Mr Hichilema to meet and iron out these small differences and also to ensure that only appointed spokespersons must handle these issues not Copperbelt Province UPND chairperson Mr Elisha Matambo or any other persons,” said Mpombo.

On Thursday, PF leader Michael Sata demanded sincerity in the pact.

Sata said numerically, PF was the second-largest political party in Zambia, while UPND was the third-largest.

Sata’s remarks come in the wake of assertions by the UPND on the Copperbelt that the PF seemed to have little respect for UPND president Hakainde Hichilema and treated UPND like a junior partner.

The PF/UPND Pact has gone against its agreement not to compete against each other in any election by fielding separate candidates in Chadiza and Kaoma for the forthcoming by-election on August 5.

Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS, GEORGE MPOMBO, MMD

posted by MrK @ 4:06 AM