Maravi

Mumba blames PF for MMD's woes

Mumba blames PF for MMD's woes
By Allan Mulenga and Tilyenji Mwanza
Mon 17 Dec. 2012, 14:00 CAT

MMD president Nevers Mumba yesterday accused his senior members opposing his decisions, of being arm twisted and paid by the ruling PF.

And MMD vice-president for political Michael Kaingu says his fellow vice-president for administration Dr Brian Chituwo does not qualify to competently speak on Major Richard Kachingwe's expulsion.

Meanwhile Mumba yesterday took time off from party squabbles and visited Rufunsa and Chongwe to check the extent of the Armyworms, which he said was spiritual and blamed it on bad governance.

Asked whether he would rescind his decision to expel Maj Kachingwe as advised by Dr Chituwo, Mumba said the matter was water under the bridge and would never be looked into again.

"We are never going to address that issue because it is a dead matter. The National Executive Committee (NEC) made a decision and that decision is final. We are not turning back or tabling it again despite what anyone says," Mumba said.

"But what I can tell you is what is happening in MMD was not birthed in MMD. It is a PF ploy and we know they are arm-twisting and paying off our members but this is bad, very bad. Let him (President Sata) concentrate on developmental matters," Mumba said.

On Saturday, Dr Chituwo differed with Mumba over the expulsion of Maj Kachingwe as national secretary.
Dr Chituwo insisted that Maj Kachingwe was still the national secretary.
But Mumba said the current wrangles in MMD were not caused by his members but by PF.

Mumba claimed that the PF wanted to get rid of him.
He said he had information that President Michael Sata wanted to create 30 by-elections.

Mumba challenged President Sata to also call for general elections instead.
"I am well informed that Mr Sata wants to have 30 by-elections and cost us all that money. But I am challenging him to contest his seat as well. Let him do this thing once and for all. Why is he so desperate to hound me instead of concentrating on the current calamity? He just wants Mumba out. He does not want me to stand. Let him call for a general election and let him see what will happen," he said.

Mumba said Dr Chituwo, as vice-president, should know that the decision was final as it was made by NEC.
And in an interview yesterday, Kaingu said Dr Chituwo was speaking from an uninformed point of view over the issues surrounding the expulsion of Maj Kachingwe.

Kaingu, who is also Mwandi MMD member of parliament, urged Dr Chituwo and other NEC members opposed to Maj Kachingwe's expulsion to contest the decision in the courts of law.

"The meeting which expelled Major Kachingwe, the vice-president administration didn't attend it. He was in Tanzania. So he may not be qualified enough to speak on behalf of that meeting. That meeting, you are aware, expelled Major Kachingwe when he invalidated Dr Nevers Mumba's election as party president. That meeting that we had invalidated the letter that Major Kachingwe wrote to Dr Nevers Mumba. Other than that, it also expelled Maj Kachingwe," he said.

"It is not true to say that the meeting was not constitutional because it was a NEC meeting. If anybody has difficulties with that, he can challenge that in court. You cannot just challenge things like that. As NEC, we make decisions and then we revisit our decision like that, we will be inconsistent.

Our chairman is the one who chaired that meeting and other than the president, the chairman is supposed to chair the meeting and the decision was made. It is not right for us every time there is a misunderstanding of interpreting the meeting, we should meet and revisit the decision that was taken. It doesn't work like that."

Kaingu asked Dr Chituwo to abide by the party's decision.
"Men and women who offer administration of leadership must learn to hold on to the decision they have made," said Kaingu.

And Solwezi Central MMD member of parliament Lucky Mulusa said there was a lot of cowardice among NEC members over the happenings in MMD.
Mulusa said the MMD was in a tricky situation where Mumba's decision was being corrected by his vice-president for administration.

"It is important that members in MMD, especially senior leaders study the constitution of the party. It is also important that leaders are courageous enough to come out and drive whatever processes are being driven," he said. "People should start giving voices about whatever is happening in the party, so that there is constructive engagement."

Mulusa said party leadership should endeavour to bring unity to the party and ensure that there were no defections.

"We are in a tricky situation where the president's decision is being corrected by his vice-president Dr Chituwo. Let us all rise above this situation and ensure that the party, after the NEC meeting, emerges stronger and focused, guided by laid down policies and procedures. This is the only way that we are going to manage to move away from trigger events for defections," said Mulusa, in an interview yesterday.

And Mumba's former spokesperson John Ziba yesterday said the MMD president was a hypocrite, who should not be entrusted with the leadership of the party.
Speaking at a press briefing at Chainama Hotel in Lusaka yesterday, Ziba said Mumba liked using others to gain political mileage.

"He Mumba cannot be trusted. He is inconsistent with what he does. He can do one thing in public and do exactly the opposite in private. He is a hypocrite and he likes using others to gain political mileage. I worked with him closely when we were together in Reform Party and even in MMD," he said.

Ziba urged the party leadership to reject Mumba's dictatorial tendencies.
"I warned MMD members during elections that don't vote for this man because he is a wrong character. I know him better. Let him just go back to preaching because he is not a politician," said Ziba.

But Mumba laughed at Ziba's claims of knowing him personally and for issuing statements that he was a hypocrite.

"It is very funny for him to say he knows me because him and I have never mingled. He does not know me. Neither is he even a member of our party. You see, he was Levy Mwanawasa's assistant and was feeding from him and sadly that arm is gone. Those guys have no capacity at all in MMD, so I question what platform they are using," Mumba said.

"Ati John Ziba, who is he? He knows me! Awe sure! This is funny. We know they have been paid their 'tuma' monies,'. Let them just eat their monies in peace. But they want to bring on a fight with me together with the President. I tell them 'Bring it on'."

Meanwhile, Mumba yesterday visited Rufunsa and Chongwe to check the extent of the outbreak of army worms.
Mumba said the army worm attack had a spiritual connotation because of Zambia's bad governance.

"On a spiritual side, I have never seen anything like this. The last I remember is what happened in the Bible in Egypt. We need a day of repentance. This could be a spiritual thing because of bad governance. We need to repent and I call on the Church to help. We have sinned and we need to repent and I speak this as a pastor," he said.
Mumba also advised the government to declare a national disaster and bring in relief food.

"I am urging PF to take this matter serious. This is not political because if this is not addressed, come next year, we shall have a serious national economic disaster," said Mumba.

Labels: BRIAN CHITUWO, MICHAEL KAINGU, MMD, PF

posted by MrK @ 2:55 PM