Following President Lungu’s nomination of opposition MMD national Secretary Rapheal Nakacinda as Member of Parliament, the opposition party in Eastern province has welcomed the move.
President Lungu has with immediate effect nominated Mr Nakachinda as MP barely a month after he ( Mr. Lungu ) revoked the nomination of MMD leader Felix Mutati as nominated MP and has since relieved him of duties as minister of Works and Supply.
Speaking at a media briefing in Chipata today, MMD vice president for politics Reuben Mtolo Phiri said his party is greatly indebted to President Edgar Lungu for nominating Mr Nakachinda.
Mr Phiri said his party will offer guidance to Mr Nakachinda during his stay in parliament adding that nominating a member of parliament is the prerogative of the President adding that the appointment shows that President Lungu appreciates his party’s support during the 2016 general elections which resulted in the Patriotic Front (PF) forming government.
The opposition party’s Vice president for politics said the working relationship with the PF is still valid because his party wants to participate in the governance of the country as it puts people’s interest first.
He was quick to add that Mr. Mutati , as the party president, is not bitter that Mr Lungu decided to replace him with his National Secretary.
Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda who announced the nomination to journalists yesterday said the move is in the spirit of sustaining the “ very , very important alliance between the Patriotic Front and The MMD.”
Mr. Chanda said President Lungu was elated by Mr . Nakachinda’s magnanimity, diginity and committement to serve Zambia.
Meanwhile Mr Phiri has announced that his party will soon go for a policy conference to discuss the future of the former ruling party.
He said the participation in by elections will be one of the issues to be discussed at the conference.
The MMD vice president said his party has not been participating in by elections in the past because it wants to channel resources towards
mobilization of the party in the country.
MMD get your house in order & stand on your own feet. You can’t see that PF is using you & dumping you when it suits them. Yes, you helped pf Lungu get in office but we can all see that this government is about personal pockets through Chinese loans. Time to stop soiling your fingers otherwise you will fail to disassociate yourselves in the eyes of Zambians.
The best the so called MMD can do is for Mutati and Mumba to swallow their pride, sit together and each one to accept to be either number one or two as they go to the convention. Then start reorganising the party in preparation for 2021. Let them part away from being MMD in PF to stand on their feet. The Secretary Generals to work to gether. The appointed MP to leave or work as opposition in parliament with other MMD MPs. By doing so we shall then have a second strong opposition to UPND. Other parties seem to be like street vendors