Maravi

MMD should deal with corruption, says Katele

COMMENT - It goes beyond a 'perception of corruption'. What is the place of a neoliberal party that sells out to the IMF and World Bank, in a world where neoliberal economics is failing the planet, and financial deregulation is drowning the world in hundreds of trillions of dollars of bad derivatives, when the entire GDP of the planet is a mere $60 trillion.

MMD should deal with corruption, says Katele
By Moses Kuwema and Chibaula Silwamba
Mon 19 Dec. 2011, 13:59 CAT

KATELE Kalumba says MMD should deal with the corruption perception and not just rebranding as suggested by Kabinga Pande. In an interview yesterday, Kalumba said rebranding was merely a marketing device, which did not deal with real issue.

"The devolution of power within the MMD is necessary. The other key and very vexing issue as you know is the image of the MMD. I know my brother Kabinga Pande thinks that you just re-brand the party…re-branding is like a marketing device but simply changing the label does not change the content. If the problem is corruption, you do not deal with the perception of corruption by simply changing the name of the party, it's changing the mentality, the thinking and the practices of members; that is what is fundamental," he said.

Kalumba said that once the corruption tag was dealt with, people would begin to have confidence in MMD.

"It would help to create a culture that if MMD came into government, it would not tolerate those things, but if they tolerate those things within the party, then unfortunately it would not be a very viable alternative in government as far as the fight against corruption is concerned," he said.

"I know people say Katele Kalumba is not patriotic to the fight against corruption. It's rubbish I am fighting my issues in court not because I am guilty but because I feel that's the best scenario to fight your case, go to the courts of law. If somebody accuses you don't fight in the newspapers to say no I am clean and so forth. Go and confront your cases in the courts of law."

Kalumba said as far as he was concerned, he had not lost his right to speak on matters he considered important such as corruption.

"I funded the Anti-Corruption Commission while I was minister of finance, I pushed the DEC Drug Enforcement Commission when I was minister of home affairs and they can bear testimony to my working with them. I know that my name has been tarnished, but I am okay. I am fighting that now. What is important for me is that I cannot shy away. It will be immoral or unethical for me to keep quiet just because someone has accused me and I have gone through what I have gone through then I have to keep quiet when something is gone wrong, no! What is wrong is wrong. What is wrong has to be fought from all
fronts," he said.

Kalumba said the will of the people must prevail at the MMD convention.

He hoped that younger candidates would emerge in MMD.

Kalumba also felt that the abolition of the MMD vice president position was a matter that every member of MMD felt was not properly handled.

And some MMD national executive committee (NEC) members that attended the Saturday meeting said Rupiah Banda was in a tight corner and feared losing his benefits hence his willingness to quickly relinquish the MMD presidency.

According to some NEC members, former president Banda would have liked to continue as MMD president and actively participate in politics but his hands were tied because of the constitutional requirements that stipulate that the ex-presidents must retire from active politics to get their benefits.

"From his talk, he sounded like he fears losing his benefits. That is why he is ready to leave active politics. If he had a way he could have continued. There are some people that want him to continue but others want him to go. He sounded genuine when he said he wants to hand over power, he has no option. Even if he wanted to continue, he can't because he is in a tight corner, he might lose his benefits. He couldn't even raise that issue of him wanting to continue," the source said.

"But he said he wants to hand over the party presidency the way he did with the Republican presidency which he handed over to President Michael Sata. But we will have to look for funds to hold the convention. If funds were available we would have held the convention immediately. Generally, the NEC members want him to get a dignified exit for the good things he has done for the party instead of hounding him out."

The sources said former vice-president Nevers Mumba, was losing some popularity for using individuals that were not in party structures to campaign
for his candidacy for the MMD presidency.

"During the meeting, some quarters were indirectly, through the way they spoke, demanding that we the NEC must elect the president though they did not mention Nevers Mumba but we know them and from their tones, we could tell the point they were trying to drive but we rejected those manoevres," the source said.

"For now, Nevers Mumba seems to be losing popularity because he is using people that are not in any party structures and these people have no respect for party hierarchy and they are threatening senior party members that are not
in support of Nevers Mumba. So, NEC members are not happy with that."
The source said Banda did not back Mumba's candidacy.

"For now the race is among Lunte member of parliament Felix Mutati, Liuwa member of parliament Situmbeko Musokotwane and Kasempa member of parliament Kabinga Pande. Pande's name is coming up now. But generally, the battle seems to be tilting, it's now between Musokotwane and Mutati. What we are noticing is that Felix has Bemba-speaking regions behind him especially Copperbelt Province, his own Northern Province seems to be supporting Musokotwane. Some NEC members from Northern Province don't want Felix because they claim that he doesn't answer his phone when they call him," the source said.

"From what we are noticing, it's like Banda is not supporting Nevers; he may support Musokotwane."

The source said some NEC members raised the issue of campaign funds, trying to justify the source of funds but was brushed aside.

Another source said Lumba, who is Kalumba's wife, was accused of not showing remorse.

And Lumba told The Post that she had been vindicated because the convention, which she was advocating and that earned her the expulsion, would be held to elect the party president.

"I did not do anything wrong. I think I bruised some people's egos. All I was doing was calling for the convention to be held to elect the president and that the presidential account must be audited. I am happy the convention will be held and the grassroots will be listened to and will be able to decide on who should be their president," Lumba said.

"My expulsion is sad but I have a right to appeal and I will appeal at the convention."

And MMD Luapula Province vice-chairperson, David Chanda, said the NEC's expulsion of Lumba was extreme because there were no proper reasons to warrant her eviction from the party.

Labels: CORRUPTION, KABINGA PANDE, KALUMBA KATELE, MMD

posted by MrK @ 2:34 PM