Lubinda predicts mass exodus of MMD ministers

Lubinda predicts mass exodus of MMD ministers
By Chibaula Silwamba
Mon 11 Apr. 2011, 04:01 CAT

MMD will experience mass exodus of ministers and other senior officials after Rupiah Banda announces the election date and the ruling party will remain a shell, says Given Lubinda.

And Lubinda said President Rupiah Banda had been shamed after being defeated by Sylvia Masebo, who won the position of party’s chairperson for women affairs despite the head of state’s attempts to cow her into withdrawing her candidacy.

In an interview yesterday, Lubinda said President Banda’s intimidation of MMD members ahead and during the party convention had added to discontent in the ruling party that would lead to defections.

“With what happened at Mulungushi Rock of Authority in Kabwe, you can be sure of the fact that many more MMD members are going to walk out on Rupiah Banda because they do not agree with his style of government,” said Lubinda, who is PF Kabwata member of parliament and chairperson of the party’s local government committee.

“MMD ministers and ordinary parliamentarians’ absconding from Parliament during a vote on constitutional amendment is among many other signs to show you that as soon as Mr Rupiah Banda announces the date of the election, you will see mass exodus of ministers, deputy ministers, district commissioners and a lot of his cadres will leave the MMD as a shell because after all those genuine members of MMD have realised that the party has been hijacked.”

He said ministers and deputy ministers would follow the footsteps of Maynard Misapa, who quit as sports deputy minister and joined the PF.

Lubinda said President Banda was reaping what he sowed.

“William Shakespeare once said, ‘when problems come, they don’t come in a single file, they come in a battalion and this is exactly what is unfolding for Mr Rupiah Banda,” Lubinda said. “If you ascend to power through deceit, you will also leave power through deceit.”

Lubinda observed that President Banda had constantly castigated the PF and its president Michael Sata as being undemocratic, when in fact he President Banda was the one who was undemocratic as exposed during the MMD provincial conferences and national convention. He said God had His own way of showing people their mistakes and President Banda’s lies were being laid bare.

“During their provincial conferences, he barred all those people that he didn’t want to contest elections at provincial level and we saw him do it at the national level. Shame upon him because some of the people he wanted to bar outsmarted him,” Lubinda said.

“He thought that he and his bunch of confused people can stop everybody but unfortunately for them there are some people who are smarter than all of them put together.”

Lubinda said President Banda was hoping he could use access to treasury to facilitate easy passage for his preferred candidates but did not succeed.

“This is just a start of more things to come. Mr Rupiah Banda cannot be permitted to lie to all the people all the time. Now, he has been defeated by Sylvia Masebo at the convention. She defeated him,” Lubinda said.

“Wait for the general elections because he will be defeated by all the Zambians. His level of deceit is so high that it even blindfolds him. He starts believing in his own lies. That is the problem with people who are dishonest. Once a person starts believing in his own lies, it means his end is near, so Rupiah Banda’s end is near.”