Maravi

Pact rattles demotivated L/stone MMD officials

Pact rattles demotivated L/stone MMD officials
By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone
Thu 15 July 2010, 04:10 CAT

MMD Livingstone party officials have expressed worry about the PF-UPND pact, warning their party leadership not to bury their heads in the sand. And discontented party officials have complained about the lack of motivation from President Rupiah Banda and the national office.

In an interview after the constituency and district meeting addressed by acting national secretary Chembe Nyangu, a party official who sought anonymity said that party officials in the district were worried about the PF-UPND pact.

“We told the national secretary to tell the President that we are worried about the Pact, and we need to be serious because things are not that safe. We don’t need to bury our heads in the sand,” the source said.

The source added that Livingstone district commissioner Francis Chika was also summoned to attend the party meeting. The source added that party officials complained to Nyangu about non-motivation among the party officials by the President.

“We complained to Nyangu that the President seems to only favour Eastern Province and not other areas. The officials told him that we also need to be motivated and that unless this is done, we are in a big problem next year.

We told him that we need people like our chairperson Mr John Mukosho to be motivated by being made district commissioner. The man was at one time the only MMD councillor here in Livingstone when the UPND dominated that council,” the source said.
And when asked to confirm that the MMD in Livingstone had summoned Chika to the party meeting chaired by him, Nyangu said that the party wanted to find out about the developmental projects going on in the district.

“Yes, we did invite him to the meeting because we wanted to find out the progress about the developmental programmes going on in the district. The road has been tarred in Livingstone. It is very nice now to drive on the roads of Livingstone,” he said.
However, when contacted Chika said that he did not attend the meeting but that he had only offered the MMD office space for the meeting.

“I did not attend the meeting. They had asked for space to have a meeting but then they realised that the place was small. They had over 50 people and they could not fit here, so they moved to Victoria Hall at the party offices for the meeting,” he said.

And Nyangu said that Mazabuka district vice-chairman Takawira Mahere has a problem.

“I'm in the province on party duties to visit my organs. On the issue of the party, I will not discuss party issues in the press; that is a style I have adopted. On the issue of Mazabuka, I have heard on Mazabuka Radio that the party has disciplined Mahere. In my view, he has a problem. We don’t need indisciplined people in the party.

I will have a meeting as I’m heading to Mazabuka,” he said. He added that the statements by Mahere needed to be taken seriously as the party in the province was losing popularity. However, Christine Lubinda and Juliet Makokwa said that the party was intact and that Mahere was just disgruntled after being demoted as district commissioner.

“We are for President Rupiah Banda and we want to send a clear message to Mahere that we shall crush him. What has taken Mahere all this time to start commenting on Solomon Muzyamba our provincial chairman and President Rupiah Banda? Livingstone is the place where the first declaration of Rupiah as our sole candidate for 2011 was made by Muzyamba, and we have been consulted and we all agree.

Mahere is just a frustrated man who wants to be reappointed; and we will not accept that. We have a capable chairperson in Muzyamba and RB is a warm-hearted person,” Lubinda said. Makokwa added that Southern Province minister Daniel Munkombwe was not misleading the President as Mahere claimed.

Labels: CHEMBE NYANGU, CHRISTNE LUBINDA, LIVINGSTONE, MMD, PF-UPND

posted by MrK @ 4:40 AM