Maravi

Rupiah wants to continue as MMD president

Rupiah wants to continue as MMD president
By Chibaula Silwamba
Tue 03 Jan. 2012, 13:59 CAT

RUPIAH Banda wants to continue as MMD president and is soliciting support from national executive committee members for his candidature at the party convention, according to highly-placed source in the NEC.

Sources said former president Banda wants to cling to the presidency and had approached several MMD NEC members, asking them to back him at the convention where he wants to stand for re-election.

"Yes, RB wants to stand at the convention to continue as party president. He has contacted several NEC members, asking them for their support but what is coming out is that most of them are not keen to back him because they feel he is being selfish," the source said.

"RB has a lot of money and he is bulldozing his way in everything, even the committee organising the holding of the convention.

He has realised that his preferred person Nevers Mumba might not make it because he lacks structural support. So, as acting party president with his control over the flow of funds he will have his way through at the convention to continue."

The sources said Banda's decision would give the PF government a reason to deny him his retirement package. "But it seems he is ready to forgo his benefits; he has a lot of money and doesn't want to lose control of the MMD," the source said.

"Even the so-called Die-Hard Team in MMD is his but he is using it to back Nevers."

According to state media, chief government spokesperson Given Lubinda indicated that the government had frozen Banda's benefits after the MMD had maintained him to lead the party until his successor is elected this year. In mid-December, Lubinda said:

"Immediately they MMD made the announcement to the effect that RB is still the acting president, he is also disqualified from receiving any emoluments due to a former president because it means that he is still in active politics."

The Constitution states that benefits conferred by the benefits of former Presidents (Amendment) Act of 1998 shall not be paid, assigned or provided to a former president who is engaged in active politics.

According to the Constitution, the interpretation of active politics is the doing of any act indicating a person's intention to hold elective or appointive office; or the holding of elective or appointive office in a political party, or in an organisation whose main aim is the furtherance of political objectives.

Former presidents Kenneth Kaunda and Frederick Chiluba were temporarily denied their benefits when they continued heading their political parties after leaving office but resumed receiving their dues after they quit politics.

The MMD, which lost power to the PF in the September 20 elections, has announced it will go to the convention to elect Banda's successor in the first quarter of this year.

Members of parliament Felix Mutati (Lunte), Situmbeko Musokotwane (Liuwa), Kabinga Pande (Kasempa), Moses Muteteka (Chisamba) and former Republican vice-president Mumba, who was recently recalled from Canada where he was Zambia's High Commissioner, have applied to stand for the MMD presidency.

Labels: MMD, PRESIDENCY, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 6:07 PM