Maravi

Chitala questions Nevers' ideology

Chitala questions Nevers' ideology
By Kombe Chimpinde and Mwala Kalaluka
Mon 28 May 2012, 13:15 CAT

NEVERS Mumba has a baggage-laden political background, says MMD founder member Dr Mbita Chitala. Dr Chitala said in an interview yesterday that in view of his baggage-laden background, such as that of abandoning his own party the National Christian Coalition, Mumba should focus on re-defining the MMD party agenda, which was ruined by former president Rupiah Banda and William Banda.

"He has to tell the Zambians, what will his politics be? Is it going to be confrontational or that of opposing any government programme for the sake of opposing. All these are challenges that have to be answered. Is he going to transform the MMD into a new NCC, the party he earlier abandoned, or is he going to transform the MMD into a religious party of some kind as a third measure?" Dr Chitala asked.

"History always judges us. In our background if you have had baggage, we shall be seen as people who came from a baggage-laden history. If you have been a good person, you will be seen to be a good person. The point at hand is he has been elected by the party and they think that he is the best."

Dr Chitala, who is also president of Zambia Research Foundation, said in democracy, anyone who entered the political scene must have the development of the country as their focus.

"We wish all other parties that have come on board can address issues in such a manner that Zambia wins. This is a democracy and we wish anyone who enters the (political) battleground well. It depends on the programmes that they have, which is the issue of development. All of them have equal chance of winning in a democracy," Dr Chitala said.

"So MMD has elected Pastor Mumba as their leader, maybe that is what they deserve."

Dr Chitala said the political parties of today should focus more on development than anything else.

"If they think Pastor Mumba, with all his background is their best bet to rejuvenate then that's it, but in the current scenario the challenge is about development. UNIP gave us independence, they have gone. The first MMD, in which I was a member, brought about multi-party democracy. The next parties which are coming on the scene after 20 years must address the issue of development and that is how we shall judge them," he said.

"The parties today must address and tell us their views or policy programmes concerning the constitution making which has been going on for years. They must tell us how they intend to create jobs for our young people who are currently hovering between suicide and madness. So many are in the streets aimlessly, they must tell us how they intend to devolve power from Lusaka to the regions, achieve national unity and integration, eradicate poverty and underdevelopment; how they intend to tax the mines whether they are going to re-introduce windfall tax, how they intend to fight corruption and allow for transparency and accountability and also have a free press which has been a challenge for many leaders."

Dr Chitala also said the new system of electing the MMD president through provinces had the potential to create provincialism.

"First of all he Mumba has come out of a new electoral system where they used provinces as electorate and voted per province. To some of us this appears like they have re-introduced provincialism. So this needs to be managed well as it has potential to be very divisive for the country," said Dr Chitala.

And losing party presidential contender Kapembwa Simbao who polled the least votes in the intra-party elections held countrywide on Friday, said in an interview yesterday that election outcomes were usually difficult to tell.

"What was important was to give the members a wider selection, so their choice is their own preference. If they have chosen Mr Mumba and he proves a difficult in future, at least they voted for him," said Simbao, a former works and supply minister and MMD member of parliament for Senga Hill. "That should make the party strong because they have picked the person they believed."

Simbao said what was primary was that the MMD now had a president and that it was normal for those for whom things did not go their way to think otherwise.

"Normally things happen when somebody does not get what they wanted but what is important is to trust in others also," said Simbao when asked if MMD members that did not vote for Mumba would not leave the opposition party.

"In this particular case we follow the majority. So if it is not you who is in the majority, just accept the one who is the majority."

Labels: MBITA CHITALA, MMD, NEVERS MUMBA

posted by MrK @ 4:39 PM