CHIEF Government spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha says no one in MMD is scared of former Minister of Finance and National Planning Ngandu Magande because the latter is not as popular as he claims.
Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha advised Mr Magande to do his groundwork and gauge his popularity in MMD before declaring that the ruling party’s members who are backing President Banda are scared of him.
He was commenting on Mr Magande’s remarks that MMD members supporting President Banda are scared of him.
General Shikapwasha said leaders who are popular have nothing to worry about because their work speaks for them. He said using the media to issue statements which are baseless to gain political mileage can be in vain if God has not ordained those aspiring to positions of leadership.
“I understand Mr Magande is forcing himself to speak. This is for society to see that he is around and still active in politics when in actual sense he has nothing to talk about,” he said.
General Shikapwasha accused Mr Magande of not having any agenda for the country which can win him political mileage.
He said it is high time Mr Magande and other political leaders understood that it is only God who ordains people to become leaders.
“I can just advise my brother honourable Magande and others to be patient because it is God who appoints leaders, and when he gives you that position of leadership, nobody can take it away from you,” General Shikapwasha said.
And General Shikapwasha has called on MMD members to rally behind President Banda to enable him deliver to the Zambian people.
He said many people have been envying the ruling party because it has excelled from the time it was formed.
“As MMD members, let’s be united and make our party win the 2011 general elections,” he said.
Meanwhile, the MMD on the Copperbelt has said the alleged courting of ministers in President Banda’s Cabinet by the UPND-PF pact is a sign that the opposition lacks credible leaders to form Government.
MMD Ndola district youth chairman Patrick Nyasulu said in Ndola yesterday that the UPND-PF pact has no direction for the country.
“If the pact has credible leaders who can form Government, why start looking at who to fish from President Banda’s Cabinet?” he asked.
Mr Nyasulu said the ruling party is the only political party which has an agenda for the country.
Zambia Daily Mail
Ba Ronnie what method did you use to measure hon Magande’s popularity? The Gullup or the Mulongoti? What a careless mouth you have mudala. At times it is better to say “No commen” than to pretend to be knowledgeable on all matters.
Firstly, let me thank the LT team for sparing us Shika’s big nose. Secondly, its not necessary to answer back to each and every little attack that is thrown on the president. These bootlickers should sometimes learn to zip there mouths because they look s.t.u.p.i.d in the end!
Where will Magande get delegates to vote for him when he has been insulting MMD members who unfortunately for him will be convention delegates chosen by the same administration under RB? Secondly he must produce a political constituency first.As a matter of fact his own village don’t want him saying he has had nothing to do with them.The first time he visited them in 2006 after 38 years, they chased him and warned him never to visit the area again.If his own village people don’t want him, where will he get votes or does he expect other people to vote for him? Charity and leadership begins at home.What level of control has he gained in MMD machinery that would deliver him opportunities this time around?
This will be another Kavindele episodes of 1991, 2001, 2006
Maybe Shikapwasha himself should be ordained by God and become president,not that i support Magande(all mmd scam),but did Shikapwasha ever had an opportunity to sit down with Magande to ask his agenda for Zambia
Why can’t this man learn to shut up! All he utters malabishi yeka, nensoni tachakwata. Atase
Miyanda asks PF/UPND to explain Pact content
HERITAGE Party (HP) president, Godfrey Miyanda has challenged the Patriotic Front (PF)/ United Party for National Development (UPND) Pact to explain the content of the Pact to their followers.
Brigadier-General Miyanda said there was need for the Pact to tell the Zambian people details of their agreement to allow them to make an informed decision.
Speaking during a Radio Phoenix Let the People Talk programme, yesterday, Gen Miyanda questioned how the Pact could get into an agreement without agreeing on certain issues.
If I may ask, in what capacity is Ronnie speaking? He is a govt spokesperson and this subject matter squarely falls under the party confines and hence the person who is supposed to issue such a statement must be from the MMD Party secretariat. If he wants to advise Magande, why through the press? Why not pick up a phone? What IF Magande emerges victorious at the convention, how will the likes of Ronnie, Mulongoti convince me and others to vote for Magande when they’ve unleashed several irreparable allegations on him?
Now the POST are on their feet to sell their preferred MMD candidate.Both Magande and RB were not MMD until being appointed by LPM.Magande was UPND.Now who has an advantage between these two will be judged by MMD delegates at the convention and knowing the way MMD apparatus works,someone will cry out aloud.
I would like them to tell the Zambian people and their followers as a whole is the content of the Pact because I feel this is necessary,” Gen Miyanda said.
He, however, said he was aware that the Pact was formed with a view to removing the MMD from power, hence the need for them to give such details to the people.
Gen Miyanda challenged Zambians against accepting bribes ahead of the elections in 2011.
He said he would never buy his way with a view of becoming president of Zambia, and appealed to Zambians to scrutinize all political leaders.
MMD elections are conducted by the MMD Party functionaries.And delegates to the convention are MMD members period.The party is neither founded on insulting tabloid editorials nor at their whim.To become an MMD leader, you must marshal country wide support and be a factor with a strong political constituency.What you have brought to the party than sponsoring tabloid insults on the party members counts.I sympathize with MMD in his democratic rights to stamp for what is an exercise in futility.If he struggled to find a parliamentary constituency around the country and in Chilanga took a dismal ending, what makes him think he has a national party constituency?
#6 Kuku, why should Miyanda want to have the Pact reveal their strategy? MMD is now using every Jim and Jack to under mine the PACT
MMD is not a subsidiary of an embattled tabloid generating sales by sensationalizing its news coverage of MMD.We know that a black out on MMD centered news would choke the embattled tabloid sales. MMD’s tolerance to let the tabloid survive on sensationalism does not mean the ruling party has slumbered and become subservient to the wishful agenda of a tabloid.This why MMD membership and party outrightly as democratic institutions refused the coronation of Magande by same tabloid.Every member is guaranteed of democratic rights and space but no chance if of no value to the integral party interest.
“If the pact has credible leaders who can form Government, why start looking at who to fish from President Banda’s Cabinet?”
Common sense. But sadly, that has been anaemic in Messrs Sata and Hichilema. They shot themselves in the foot.
#10 Veteran- Without the Post MMD could not have so easily beaten Unip in 1991. As for MMD convetions, these have been marred by paid hooligans whose job is to harrass well meaning contestants. Iam a founder member of MMD so you cannot cheat me on this issue. When MMD was being founded you were deeply praising KK and Unip so what do you know about the MMD ideals? Yes they good but you and your Unip cohorts have buried all these principals where you can allow a known ruffian to become Lusaka Province Chairman.
#12 Veteran. Wouldn’t it be interesting if Magande won the MMD nomination to see how the tabloid would campaign for both the PF-UPND pact and Magande’s MMD? It is written that ‘a man cannot serve two masters at the same time, he will love one and hate the other.’ But THREE masters! Wow! Someone is in for high jump!
Bloggers, is true that this VETERAN/CAPITALIST is one of Zambia’s renowned Journalist??? I dont want to mention his name for fear of bring victmised.
Caroline
I don’t know about Veteran but I can assure you I am not a journalist.
I think Shika has it right on one and very wrong on the other. He is not popular in MMD, lets admit he is not the most charismatic or likable of people. Even his frinds in Cabinet found him arrogant. I find he is kind of like the Mbeki. Gordan Brown politician who is not too in touch with the grass roots. Then the other thing is he never built his constitunecy in MMD, in MMDand most other parties in Zed, building a constituency means patronage buying the beer, talk time, etc. AS for vision, i think he certainly has one but if you cant articulate to the delegates who will be concerned with beer and mattreses, then you are screwed. THE NEC results showed it all
Magande and Shakafuswa presided over one the most inefficient times of the Ministry of Finance. They wilfully worked with unqualified personnel in the accounrs dept. They allowed an unquailified person to be Accounant General.They used this to propel thier personal agendas. There is alot to come out and I hope funds will be sourced to facilitate the conducting of a forensic audit at the ministry. I heard Shakas debate in parliament the other day– and he inter alia was saying the blame for not settling imprest and all must be blamed on unqualified accountants who were not advising bosses ably…The zambians are not gullible..Both these gentlemen will one day explain their stay at the ministry. We are talking about people’s money here.
Let the MMD-thieves fight. It is good for the PACT.
Magande is the most arrogant Finance minister Zambia has ever had just like the editor of a certain tabloid. Their fair weather friendship is one purely based on arrogance and an inflated sense of self-importance.
Let Magande account for his time at Ministry of Finance. They have become good bed fellows with the Post because of the Zambian Airways debt which Magande promised to sort out. These self-centred characters…and they want to hold the country at ransom!
#20 Kambolongo.. Exactly my thoughts..I was truggling to comment on this story and the other one on Mpombo but then realised that it was MMD infighting which is of no interest to me.. Which ever way.. This year, next year or 2011 , both seats are ours.. VIVA PACT!!.
WHAT A GENERAL???!!! HE USED UMWEMBESHI TO BE A GENERAL, THE MAN IS DULL
chi veteran waba ithole…..pipo like u deserve to die.
Sometime, am saddened by the stories in this article. The problem in the MMD camp is a big one and that is Rupiah banda. He can not win any election, the state in whcih the MMD is in. The option is to try someone else other than their president. Out of all the people, I still believe Magande is the only one. The problem with some of the blokers is that you do not understand the situation in zambian politics. The math will work on Magande, he can take still take western, north-western, southern and other MMD strong hold, if sata becomes the pact president other than HH. Do you want to sink with rupiah banda as it was the case in kaunda erra. I do not see rupiah banda winning!!!!
Chi # 21 Chinese Eyes you are a coward. Mention the name of the Editor. Wali samwa sana
Magande for presido olo Pact as long as we kick out Akhulu Mphuno
Well, magande is not that popular both in the party and in the country. As for not seeing RB win lets wait and see. In 2006 I never saw Mwanawasa winning but the incumbancy has its advantages. If RB loses well let Sata get it.
RB/MMD desparation.That is why now they want to give title deeds to maketeers so that they can increase their popularity. Who ever advised RB on this wamufulo. Do they realize the chaos this will cause in the entire country. Alot of time will be spent on eshtablishing the real owners of these market stalls. And alot of money will be wasted(stolen) on administeration of this ill conceived idea.
There are always surprises in politics just like there are no permanent enemies. So Magande may scoop the Presidency at the convention with or without the perceived popularity.
As for Gen Miyanda, he should now just leave politics and rest. He has had a lot of opportunities but missed all of them because of his selfish agenda.
The debates about leadership in Zambian political parties only comes from the MMD. Meanwhile, Mr Michae Chilufya Sata has lost 3 elections and Mr Hichilema 2. In UK there is no leader of a political party who attempts an election 3 times and continues as leader! If Zambians in the opposition were really serious, they would have kicked out the Satas and Hichilemas long time ago, but could it be that these ‘parties’ are so financially dependent on the two that they would be nowhere without them? If that is the case, it is a dangerous thing to elect any one of them to power. An individual should never be bigger than the party. I am not MMD but that is a better option for democracy.
It is also interesting to note that some MMD members want to change a leader who won them an election! Those whose leaders have failed up to 3 times, do not want to change their leaders! What kind of thinking goes on in the Zambian psyche? This is a nation that needs Sigmund Freud to resurrect and analyze this. Granted that Magande has a democratic right to challenge for the leadership, why is there no challenge against the real LOSERS (Sata and HH)? I am certain that had Mazoka lost another election, he would have handed over to another. A gentleman indeed! But why are we still stuck with no real choice. I am disappointed.
Zambian politics. Why are all of us being deceived by party parocial mentalities and not universal truths. MMD is a movement that arose then. The current players in MMD – some of them know very little the raison d’etre of the origins of MMD. I urge bloggers to think principles. What was the principle behind the emergence of MMD. What principles are at stake in our country today. Think principles not bodies. When the principle was set, it did not matter whether FTJ or Arthur Wina was at the helm. Think principles first. What are the principles at play in our country today? Think. Then you will know how to side with this or that individual. For me my principles are quite clear I will side with people that stand for my principles whether they win or lose in 2011.
I feel sorry for Shikapwasha, he should just quit politics and join Dunamis Ministeries.Dan and Ronnie make a very good team “ubufi abantu aba”
Magande is a useless arrogant character, no wonder he is rejected in his own village. I will not forgive this fellow for betraying Mazoka for his own aggrandizement. This is not leadership material, it is waste of time to even talk about him. Have you ever heard him open his mouth and talk about what his strategy for moving Zambia forward is? He has no idea just like the other trumpets.
Magande ,should just join a different part or form his own otherwise .My trabale cousin will never make it.Its true the man is arrogant .Though very intellegent .Now politicts is a different game altogether.One need a good number of poeple to vote for you with that its Giroo.
Iwe ci shikapwasha just keep quiet!!!!!!!!! ici mona kwati baposelepofe. everytime u speak its rubbish!!