Maravi

HH cannibalising our members - Nevers
By Allan Mulenga
Thu 25 Apr. 2013, 14:01 CAT

NEVERS Mumba says the MMD feels betrayed by UPND for cannibalising the former ruling party's senior members.
Mumba, who is MMD president, yesterday stated that the UPND its alliance partner was creating a lack of trust and confidence by it's continued poaching of MMD senior members.

Mumba said he had regrettably accepted the resignation of Dr Canisius Banda from the party and subsequent stepping down as MMD chairperson for Health. Banda has been co-opted into UPND as vice-president for political affairs.

UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema justified the poaching of MMD senior members, saying it was one way of consolidating the opposition in the country.

Hichilema said by poaching from MMD, UPND was ensuring that members were not lost to PF.

But Mumba said it was evident that there was no mutual respect between MMD and UPND.

"The behaviour of our colleagues will now force us to reconsider the working arrangement which was slowly being built on the basis of mutual benefit and trust. The MMD has now had its hand forced and will actively review any further dealing with any possible associate who is unfaithful to the spirit of common interest," said Mumba in a statement released by his communications director Muhabi Lungu.

Mumba acknowledged receipt of a letter of resignation from Dr Banda in which he had indicated the relinquishing of both his party membership and subsequently his position as chairman for health in the national executive committee.
Mumba said he had regrettably accepted the decision by Dr Banda to move on.

Mumba said poaching of MMD senior members does not help consolidate the opposition in the country.

The MMD leadership has been trying to work with UPND.
Recently, the MMD did not field candidates in Kapiri Mposhi and Lukulu West and opted to support its alliance partner UPND.

But other political leaders like FDD's Edith Nawakwi have said it is impossible for any political party to work with UPND under the leadership of Hichilema because he is selfish and has an ego.

Nawakwi last year said Hichilema believed that he was better than anyone else for the leadership of the country.
She revealed that Hichilema's ego dated back to 2006, where he wanted to field all the 150 candidates across the country even though they were in an alliance of a tripartite nature, where it was agreed that FDD, UPND and UNIP should field 50 candidates each.

"But by the time I turned around, they even attempted to take seats where we were even most popular, like you remember Nkana. You remember, Mr Kazabu was very popular. He should have been in Parliament way back in 2006. They even wanted to get rid of a candidate like for Chasefu, the vice-president of FDD. Some of our councillors had to go out and stand on United Liberal Party. That is how self-opinionated and selfish the young man is. He is a highly self- constituted, self-opinionated and selfish individual. He does not look at the broader picture of the common good; he looks at his symbol. What drives him is his status and his ego to be big, if ego is not a big word itself," she said then.

But UPND deputy spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa advised Nawakwi to concentrate on building what he called 'the declining FDD' instead of attacking Hichilema.

Labels: HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, MMD, NEVERS MUMBA, UPND

posted by MrK @ 6:46 PM