Maravi

MMD-UPND alliance just between Mumba, Hichilema

MMD-UPND alliance just between Mumba, Hichilema
By Abigail Chaponda in Ndola
Sun 02 Sep. 2012, 10:27 CAT

MMD Ndola district officials say the party structures on the Copperbelt are not in support of the purported alliance with the UPND. In an interview, party officials who did not wish to be named said the purported alliance was sugar-coated.

"We cannot be in an alliance with a pompous man like Hichilema... The branches, wards, constituencies and districts are not in support of this alliance; it is just between two people (Mumba and UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema)," said one of the officials.

The officials said MMD NEC members did not consult the grassroots before deciding on an alliance with UPND.

"So as far as we are concerned , this pact is between Dr. Mumba and UPND leader Hichilema. As a party, we are wondering who is going to be the president of this same alliance? This is a problem because we will not allow Hichilema to be the president, never! We will not allow that," said the official.

The officials also expressed pessimism about the purported alliance progressing further saying both Mumba and Hichilema were power hungry and would not accept subordinate positions.

"As far as we are concerned, this alliance is going nowhere. UPND was in a pact with PF, what happened? They parted, this is what I am seeing, we cannot work with Hichilema, maybe if the leader was not Hichilema, we might work together," said the official.

And the official said Mtayachalo had indicated that he wants to withdraw the Chama-North by-election petition at the Ndola High Court.

They said Mtayachalo did not want to petition but party Mumba forced him to petition on promise that the party would meet the costs.

"From the look of things, the party has refused to pay the costs. So Mtayachalo wants to withdraw because he doesn't have money to waste. He just wants to concentrate on his business and building the party on the grassroots in readiness for 2016," said the source.

But Mtayachalo who is also MMD Copperbelt information and publicity secretary said it was not true that the grassroots was not consulted over the alliance with UPND.

He said after former president Rupiah Banda stepped down as MMD party president, the party on the Copperbelt held a meeting at Jubilee Lodge in Kitwe where it resolved that it would work with UPND.

"Those people who gave you this information should rewind their minds and go back to the meeting we had in Kitwe. All the wards, branches, constituencies, districts on the Copperbelt were represented," he said.

Mtayachalo said it was too early to talk about who was going to lead the alliance.

"It is just too early to talk about who will lead the pact. It might be Dr. Mumba or it might be Mr. Hichilema. I am sure, both parties will go for conventions and from the conventions, that is where we will have to choose who will lead the alliance," he said.

He said both parties should concentrate on building their parties in readiness for 2016 rather than talking about who would lead the alliance in the next elections.

Meanwhile, Mtayachalo said he was not forced to petition the Chama-North by-election but that the top leadership decided that he (Mtayachalo) should petition.

"It is not true that I was forced by our party president to petition the elections. Yes, the party top leadership decided that I should petition, even the people of Chama wanted me to petition," he said.

Asked if he was considering withdrawing the petition, Mtayachalo said he was consulting the Chama village headmen and chief over the matter and that he would soon decide on whether to go ahead or withdraw the petition.

"You know when you take matters to court, other things come up, you have to look at the interest of people and not your own. In this case Chama-North was petitioned by PF and again, I have petitioned, this is not good for the people of Chama and these are things I am concerned about. For me I am not desperate to be an MP," he said.

Asked who was going to meet the petition costs, Mtayachalo failed to give an answer on who was going to pay the costs.

"I mean, I, the party is going to meet some costs and I will also meet some costs, but I am still consulting and when I am done, I will let you know whether I will go ahead or I will withdraw the petition," he said.

Labels: MMD, UPND

posted by MrK @ 3:33 PM