VETERAN politician and former parliamentary chief whip, Vernon Mwaanga, has asked the MMD national executive committee (NEC) to immediately rescind its decision to elect the acting president and leave such mandate to the national convention.
Mr Mwaanga gave his advice in a letter to MMD national secretary, Richard Kachingwe. Mr Mwaanga also said that recent revelations of financial scams have dented the image of the former ruling party and that individuals from the previous Government should be made to account for their actions inthe management of public resources.
The MMD, last month, invited applications from members wishing to contest the party presidency following the decision by former president, Rupiah Banda, to step down.
According to the letter dated November 29, 2011, Mr Mwaanga said it was clear from the tone of the members that the party could only elect a credible and confident president through the national convention or a mini-convention.
According to sources from the MMD secretariat, the party has so far received applications from former Finance and National Planning minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane, former Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister, Felix Mutati; MMD national youth chairman, Moses Muteteka and Zambia’s former high commissioner to Canada, Nevers Mumba.
Former Foreign Affairs Minister, Kabinga Pande has in the past also been mentioned as a possible candidate.
Mr Mwaanga said the MMD should inspire confidence in its leader by using the national convention which mandated a president with powers and decisions to raise resources and consolidate its hold as it prepared for elections.
“It is important to be seen to be listening to our officials and members by not going ahead with the decision to elect an acting president and instead concentrate on organising funds for a convention or, better still a mini-convention sometime in 2012,” Mr Mwaanga said.
He said the MMD should, in the meantime, allow the national chairman to act as president while the deputy should assume the position of chairperson and other members could assume the resultant vacant positions.
Mr Mwaanga said because of insufficient funds, the MMD should allow members to elect a president at provincial and district levels while NEC members could vote in Lusaka and that the electoral commission could tally such results.
He said democracy in the former ruling party would not suffer through such a measure and also advised members to avoid blaming the NEC for the loss in the September Presidential and general election because it was only in power for three months before elections.
Mr Mwaanga said the previous NEC that served from 2005 to 2011 was in power for a longer period and witnessed the decline of the former ruling party until Mr Banda tried to revamp it.
Ba VJ arent you the one that had published some poll saying MMD was winning by 44%? Sebana wikute has started. We wont be surprised to see you jumping ship
Thanks for the advice but you did the same when bringing in RB what is the difference now…its Acting until the convention decides who leads them
Any organisation fills key vacancies with Acting personnel before the filling vacancies
Shatapu iwe, we know what we are doing
Amazing hoe the mighty MMD has fallen.
Thought we were told RB was going to finish the punch drunk! More Mozi and popcorns please!
Well said VJ. But I’m disappointed that you are not among those contending for the MMD presidency. VJ, this is an opportunity for you to become president of Zambia. In fact you are the most experienced politician left in MMD. How can you let amatures try to take up the presidency? I challenge you to stop serving under serving republican presidents. Let others also serve under you when MMD bounces back to power in 2041. VJ you are a very shroud politician, please let othesr be king makers for you. You have run your race. Focus on state house now and you will certainly be a good president in 2041. Viva VJ, MMD nafuti nafuti 2041.
That’s an after thought advice.Take it you’ll be on the highway to recoverly, leave it that would be your doom
@pragramatist2011, wandepula ati vj 2041 is it nt supposed to be hh2041
VJ’s advice will be ignored to MMD’s peril. This guy had advised Kaunda on the need for reform of UNIP prior to 1990 and Kaunda ignored his advice. The old man I am sure regrets this in retrospect. Mr. Kachingwe, it (the ball) is all in your court to play right or wrong. VJ means well here.
Jesus Christ! Kaunda was not going to be leader forever. Time for him came just like it did for MMD.
With all these revelations, MMD would be lucky to even have 20 seats in the next government.
Jesus Christ! Kaunda was not going to be leader forever. Time for him came just like it did for MMD.
With all these revelations, MMD would be lucky to even have 20 seats in the next ELECTIONS!!!!!!
mmd its high time to change ur political party in to business inorder 4 u to survive
Listen to him, where are you rushing to? We dont have any presidential election nearby
Try next door. You are done
`This is my son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him and you will have everlasting life………..` Listen to this man. He has political wisdom we can use.
MMD where to now?
@Distant.
Abandon ship, this is your captain speaking, abandon ship. I repeat abandon ship!!!!!!! Toot toot toot!
Even Capitalist and Bootfimofimo are nowehere to be seen now! Ke ke ke ke ke ke ke ke!
MMD for sale.Just advice them to privatize the party ba VJ
Since the original MMD is now PF, Vernon’s advise is timely and it would be an opportunity for rebranding..
@italian bunga bunga (original), if perestroika had not happened and Kaunda’s friend Ceauscescu shot dead and the entire Eastern Block swallowed up by the whirlwind, Kaunda would be president today through his late son. He had grandiose plans for a Kaundanasty (ka dynastic arrangement). Nobody, and mean nobody would have questioned him. His word was law. Thank GOD the world is full of dynamism and perestroika through Gorbashev happened and the rest as they say is history. Actually this is similar to the Arab Spring which will eventually swallow up Assad, although he is trying to somehow prevent the inevitable.
Oh, to add to my last comment, VJ had read the world situation and was trying to advise the old man on the wind of change and the need for him to accordingly adjust, but the old man could not listen.
Mr Mwanga should be listened to and thanked by die hard, sad to say this but VJ and his sort should be retired statesmen by now, let bygones be bye gones. You don,t see leaders from 1964 still clinging to power in the west, let us try and do the same
VJ’s advice is timely. That’s the right thing to do.
good advice from a useless drug trafficker.
vj you just need a job. this is politics we all know, thats how you start
#19 Tell It Like It Is
I like your comment.You sound to be well informed. However, what is perestroika?Could it mean reconstruction something in those lines?