Maravi

Accept you're no longer in power, Rupiah tells MMD
By Roy Habaalu
Mon 02 Dec. 2013, 14:01 CAT

FORMER Republican president Rupiah Banda says MMD members must recognise and accept that they are no longer in power.
And Banda ulogised the late Frederick Chiluba for his sacrifice to ensure that Zambians enjoy democracy.

During an MMD end-of-year women's choir competition held at party president Nevers Mumba's residence in Kabulonga on Saturday, Banda urged MMD members to remain united and focused if the former ruling party was to bounce back to power.

Banda, in a statement by his deputy administrative secretary Kennedy Limwanya advised MMD members to "recognise and accept the reality that they were no longer in power, which called for more sacrifice and doubling of their organisational capacity if they were to continue remaining relevant in Zambia's political dispensation."

Banda advised MMD members to encourage one another and not to look for faults in each other, as all people make mistakes. And Banda said no Zambian president sacrificed as much as Chiluba did.

"No Zambian president and his colleagues of which one of them is seated here sacrificed so much to ensure that Zambians enjoy democracy. We had been in a one party state and we suffered a lot as Zambians and I'm not extricating myself from that rule because I was also a member but the fact is president Chiluba and many of you here fought very hard to ensure that Zambians go back to democracy; that's something which they sacrificed so much; many of them sacrificed their jobs, many of them were put in prison, many of them were hurt, their homes were broken in order to fight against the one part state," said Banda.

"Regardless of what other people say about our former presidents, we must never forget that they sacrificed so much for us to have democracy. We suffered so much under one-party rule. But these people fought so much. We must continue to fight," said Banda.

He paid tribute to MMD founder members and in particular Heritage Party president Godfrey Miyanda for his sacrifice, saying he had tirelessly stood for the Zambian people in their time of need and that the country valued his service.

The event was also meant to honour all the former MMD presidents, of which Banda was the third, after the late Levy Mwanawasa, who had succeeded Frederick Chiluba.

Labels: MMD, NEVERS MUMBA, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 7:15 PM