Former MMD Spokesperson Dora Siliya has dismissed assertions that the alienated MMD faction which has been advocating for an extra-ordinary convention is in the process of forming a breakaway political party.
MMD National Secretary Muhabi Lungu recently disclosed that he has information suggesting that Ms. Siliya is among people spearheading the formation of a breakaway political party.
Ms. Siliya told Qfm News in a telephone interview that as far as she is concerned the current issue is whether the current MMD leadership of Dr. Nevers Mumba is able to inspire confidence not only to party members but also the general public.
She said the results of the just ended by-elections especially local government elections where the MMD only managed to win one ward out of the 20 vacant seats is a true reflection of the diminishing returns of the former ruling party.
Ms Siliya added that the MMD’s performance in the Mangango Parliamentary by-election further speaks for itself.
She said this is why she has always maintained that there is total failure in current leadership to transform the former ruling party into a viable opposition party.
Ms Siliya stated that the MMD will continue losing elections until the leadership issue is addressed.
She has a good point. MMD is dead meat.
When the MMD loses election then its DEAD,but when they win its something else
MMD was destroyed by the likes of RB and Dora Siliya.Ask any MMD Secretariat employee how many times RB visited MMD offices in Lusaka or anywhere else just to motivate them!!!
President Nervous Mumba and the current NEC should not shoulder the whole blame for MMD’S diminishing fortunes.Moreover the majority of the persons who were in the top hierarchy of the party including Kachingwe DURING THE 2011 GENERAL ELECTIONS were just there to EAT.
I recommend that MMD members should be burying their differences whenever an election takes place instead of leaving Nervous Mumba to campaign alone.
@Fackson: Fackson, that is a good excuse you are making. It was Benjamin Franklin who said: “He who is good at making excuses is good for nothing else.” Much as RB destroyed MMD, a point to which I do agree, Nevers Mumba cannot use that as the reason MMD is in the state it is today. Truth be told, Nevers Mumba inherited a far much more vibrant MMD than the one he is now presiding over.
As a leader, Nevers Mumba has committed his own sins in MMD. Remember Major Kachingwe, Catherine Namugala and more recently Dora Siliya, Michael Kaingu, Brian Chituwo and Lucky Mulusa? What does all this tell you about Nevers Mumba’s leadership quality? As far as I am concerned, MMD has a tough decision they must make. Mumba must go or else the party is doomed.
Mei Matungu,perhaps you should explain how MMD SLIPPED FROM A RULING PARTY TO A DISMAL oppostion party.What vibrant MMD DID RB and Richard Kachingwe leave.You surely were here in September 2011 when Zambia went to the polls.Despite huge electoral resources RB poured into the campaign, did it get MMD back into power? What went wrong or was it Nervous Mumba and Muhabi Lungu who caused it?? Let Dora Siliya be truthful.
@Fackson: Fackson, in politics you are never a winner if you resort to leaking your own wounds. There’s no question that RB was a political snob. During his tenure, Western province, which historically had been an MMD stronghold, fell to the Opposition. But RB has long been gone and MMD has not continued to deploy police and the army to kill people indiscriminately in Mongu. If anything, it is PF who are bearing the blunt of those skirmishes. But why then is MMD’s presence in the province continuing to deteriorate?
I will tell you why? MMD’s problem is internal, not external. And if you buy into this, who then must we blame, if not Nevers Mumba? Don’t you see evidence of how many cracks he has caused within MMD since he ascended the throne?
Meant: “licking” and not “leaking” above. A typo.
@Fackson: Had RB been a political genius, he would never have lost that election in 2011. Notwithstanding, the MMD Nevers Mumba inherited from RB could still be resuscitated. Nevers Mumba is failing to do just that. It doesn’t always follow that if you are good in the pulpit then you must be a good politician. That is a fallacy.
Dora you talk too much crap, you are quick to criticise, what good or contribution are making to Mmd? Try to get married, people might start taking you a little seriously .
Perhaps she has a point. The only problem is the the dirty linen was exposed to the public which bruised some egos. MMD should reflect seriously on these observations.
The issue is she is happy MMD lost badly. She should learn from German football players who were left out of the world cup squad, but celebrated when German won
Dora you are all divided as MMD and how do you expect to win any election.In PF and upnd there are leadership wrangles but when there go to a by election there go with one voice.Dora you have just finished yourself,I doubt it if Zambians can see any sense in what you just said.
What do u expect from a news reader.
The biggest problem with this party is the PASTOR! and his henchman.(SG). He is the liability that needs to be removed now for the party to move forward. His past record tells it all. The beating and hounding KACHINGWE was not the solution. BOWMAN and AAROWS has not been helpful either.
MMD needs to cleanse itself of the terrible leadership now if they have to get a seat in parliament in 2016.
In 2011 Mangango:
MMD 3,136 votes
UPND 2,389
PF 77 votes
In 2014 Mangango
PF 3,109 votes
UPND 2,375 votes
MMD 136 votes
From 2011, UPND has lost 14 votes as follows: 2,389-2,375=14 while MMD has lost 3,000 votes as follows: 3,136-136=3000. Since UPND has not lost any support in Mangango, it follows that all the 3,000 votes which MMD has lost are now PF just because its the ruling party. Just like Saulosi, Mushota and other illiterates, people in rural areas worship the ruling party. For them, seeing a helicopter is development, arresting Shakas is development…
The above results should worry UPND because they show that the party has not improved from its 2011 performance 3 years down the line. 7,000 people cast their votes in 2011 out of 17,000 giving a voter turn out of 41%.This week during the bye election out of the 7,000 people who voted in 2011 about 97% of them or 6,500 cast their votes. These results show that there was a very high participation (97%) of voters i.e 6,500 out of 7,000 who participated in 2011.If after 3 years from 2011 UPND has not improved on its past performance how is it going to win the 2016 national elections which are just around the corner?
@Emmanuel Chende Local Govt Minister
Your calculations sucks. The voters turn out in the two elections wasnt the same so those statistics are irrelevant. The miracle worker here is PF jumping from 77 to 3000 plus. UPND and MMD are the biggest jokers.
The problem is you are analysing rigged results. Statistics of fake figures will never make sense
@Chitulika Villager: Your good excuses are not going to take you anywhere. The fact is UPND lost the by-election to an ailing ruling party by a narrow margin. If UPND still lacks the capacity to monitor elections in a single constituency; and cry foul that the ballot was rigged, then you are wasting your time supporting a party of such gaping ineptitude. Monitoring an election on a nationwide scale is simply going to overwhelm them.
As it is in boxing, so it is in politics. In order to win over a reigning champion, you need a clear knock-out punch and a killer instinct. UPND seems to lack both. PF went into that by-election limping and came out running, tossing a victory. UPND have themselves to blame for the loss since MMD is just as good as dead anyway.
If there is a party that needs re-organization then that party is UPND. In 2001 Anderson Mazoka amassed 79,000 votes in Lusaka yet 10 years later in 2011 with 1.2 million new voters o board HH only got 45,000 votes in the same province representing 43% drop in popularity for UPND in Lusaka.The other reality is that UPND is not as strong as it portrays itself in both Western and North Western provinces of Zambia. UPND only got 28% of total votes in Western Province and 35% total votes in North Western Province during the recent 2011 General Elections. There is no basis for UPND to claim that these 2 provinces are its strongholds because it doesn’t enjoy the minimum of 50% popularity threshold .The trajectory for UPND is that its general support is declining and 2016 wont change this…
In 2011, Lusaka people were promised heaven by the pf and they believed. Come 2016, they know who to vote for
@Chitulika Villager: Politics is not your field. Your logic is that since the rain season is good, then there is going to be a bumper harvest. You are wrong. As in farming so it is in politics. You first plough, then sow the seed, cultivate etc., besides the rain. UPND is hoping that on the basis that PF has fallen out of favor with the electorate, then UPND will become the party of choice. Hard luck.
@Robert: Robert I cannot agree more with the sentiments you have expressed above. The wrong thinking at UPND is that since PF, undoubtedly a tribal political party made it to win a national election, UPND should also be able to make it on the same basis. Please note that when PF won that 2011 election, MMD was stinking, at least in the minds of the people, much as it was with UNIP in 1991.
Secondly, people have already seen the folly of voting for a tribal political party through PF’s shameless institutionalization of that evil practice (tribalism). PF were probably luck to have won on that ticket. Now after seeing the scourge of tribalism in PF, I must think that Zambians will, next time, be less inclined to vote for another tribal party. A reason for UPND to reform.
@Robert: Additionally, I wonder if UPND is ready to do the unthinkable? In order to retire that nagging and tribalistic idea that “a Tonga must take-over from Mazoka,” are the Tongas now ready to swallow their pride and bite the bullet? If so, let the Tonga man step down from the party’s helm. That what you do if you are truly repentant.
Besides, please note that in 2011, PF did not run purely on a tribal ticket. They had carefully and skillfully camouflaged their campaign with a trail of lies which stretched from heaven to hell, including the likes of “more money in your pockets in 90 days.” Well, the truth is, Zambians now, including those who live in Kanyama and Madevu, know better. Such lies are not likely to fly again. For UPND the odds for 2016 are ominous.
Muhabi concentrated on pushing UPND down, PhD syndrome, for the MMD to still appear popular instead of addressing the inadequacies within their leadership and legacy. MMD is in trouble and it is no issue that the UPND should be happy about totally as this has also rendered their potential ally against the PF in the next elections almost useless. As things stand now, the PF only has one threat- the UPND. The PF can even decide to give us a people driven constitution knowing that their main fear in the draft constitution, i.e. the 50%+1 clause is now no longer so much of a threat to them as they only have one opposition party with support base (the rest ni ntemba). This would provide satisfaction with the PF to a lot of people who are now sympathetic to the opposition due to the…
This would provide satisfaction with the PF to a lot of people who are now sympathetic to the opposition due to the constitution issue. UPND needs to also make changes at vice presidency level by either having Mutale Nalumango redeployed to this portfolio or look for another clean and influential northerner. The northern block needs adequate representation at top two UPND level.
Even if UPND created 73 Vice President positions it will continue to be unpopular. The major problem with UPND is not because they have a Tonga president but more because this Tonga President (HH) is simply not popular. Anderson Mazoka was Tonga but at least had 3 strongholds( southern, north-western & western) while HH only has I stronghold (southern province). HH is not an inclusive person and does not appeal to the masses especially the old and the poor. This is an individual who has consistently come out in public and bragged that he should be voted as president because he is rich and young. UPND could have performed a lot better in elections if it had fielded more appealing and inclusive individuals like Gary Nkombo as president.
Nox, the mistake you will make in 2016 is to go to the village and start talking about the constitution. I am glad you are eating 3 meals a day there in South Africa
Daka, you may have a point. I was told HH is very popular in some muchinga districts but the problem is he has never been there!
Mwebantu batila umupini ukulangile umwanakshi mabwelelo. Ba Dora balilandile kale ati Leadership tailibwino
At least $dora was alittle somber on ZNBC last night.She seems also to be unsure which direction to take, whether to quite MMD or join other parties.She still has some political force though, not in town but in rural Zambia( Eastern Province and Petauke in particular making her a mere Regional force)
….I wonder what her comments were when MMD scooped Mkaika and Chipata Central….I can not envisage Garry Nkombo or Masebo saying the same about their respective parties while they are still senior members of the same organisation. Men of substance like Cannissius Banda disembarked from what they perceived as a sinking MMD ship…..why can’t Dora just do the same..??
The greatest problem with MMD is not leadership but electorate mind set on MMD. Whether MMD rebrands itself with ‘new’ leadership, but as long as electorate mind set remains the same, Mangango results shall be the order of the day in most of the constituencies
Some of us feel with Dora and her frustration at failing to remove Nevers. This battle she hcannot win at all because peoplel know that she connived with Kachingwe who is now languishing and said he lvoed President Sata because he kept his children in the foreign service and sent his wife for treatment in SA.
There is no normal MMD member that would have wanted Kachingwe to stay.
Secondly whenDora was invited to State House she should have first told the MMD leadership the way Lusambo did. Immediately President Sata invited Lusambo to State House he FIRST informed the MMD leadeership. Upon coming back he briefed them that Mr. Sata had offered him a job. That is how a loyal member behaves. Not the way Kaingu, Dr Chituwo and Dr Canisius Banda behaved.
Dora people will soon see
@katongo nsambe: You seem to be living in your own dream world. MMD is hemorrhaging. The party needs to be sent to ICU, a point those of you day dreamers, are refusing to accept.
Dora, Your MMD started losing elections when Nevers Mumba was not president. Why are you in the opposition today? Did you, and your boyfriend RB, win the 2011 general elections? Your group finished MMD, not the current leadership. Maybe I am missing something here!
She even wanted to buy all good government schools at price set by her and RB on a hotel room bed. Also sell Finance bank like LPM sold Zanaco in order to cover his trails. On top of it sell Zamtel – today our communications would be through LIBYA !!!! Imagine. LPM even sold Zambia Railways and the system ground to a halt. When RB came in bugger was just nodding and feasting on everything – Doras’ skirt included. The Pastor was nowhere near. When people saw the rot, they voted MMD OUt. and today you want to say its the Pastor who sank the ship?? No wonder SATA is a fantastic leader by trying and correcting these mistakes.
I enjoyed Madam Siliya’s interview on ZNBC yesterday.She was very articulate and steady on almost all issues to a level where Franklin Tembo Jnr became a spectator. She may have her own faults but I was impressed with her oration and intelligence.We need a lot of women to emulate her.
Man this woman (or is it a man – she looks huge compared to Mulongoti, look at her hand, it’s like a dude’s hand), irritates the hell out of me. I really can’t stand her. By no means I’m a fun of Nevers Mumba but the fact this woman keeps blaming him publicly for the problems the MMD is going through shocks me.
First she was in govt and MMD was booted out by the people not long ago; what did she do better to save the demise of MMD. She was also in the executive of the MMD not long ago, what did she do better? And why does she keep announcing these things in public? Why can’t she resign and leave the party? I just feel like giving her a good mbama, a slap on those fat cheeks to keep her quiet.
Those strong hands and pouted lips can give u a blow job to remember (cause ecstatic explosions in your brain) not to mention the the soft bums and boobs she was advertising during the 2011 “erections”.
There is no question that MMD now belongs to the past. Historically, Mangango was an MMD stronghold. If any party has to feel bad for having lost the by-election, it is UPND. The party lacks the killer instinct and that notorious knock-out punch. It’s feeble jabs, too frail to inflict visible bruises on the face of the new champ, were less of a help. Unfortunately, this means more homework for UPND. The loss so narrow to an ailing ruling party should be seen as disparaging by UPND.
The claim by UPND that Western and North-Western Provinces are their strongholds is what made them lose the Mangango bye election. For UPND they already declared themselves winners on the basis that the Lozi people would vote for them on the basis of “Mbuya”(Tribal Cousins).Tribal politics are long gone and so UPND will be disappointed if it is banking on amassing votes through tribal cousinship. The only way out for the party is to make major reforms including replacing HH with a more popular candidate.
@ Zebron: Your observation well taken. On a lighter note, I would remind the Tongas that their POLITICAL COUSINS are the Bembas, not the Lozis. The Lozis are non-tribal. The Bembas and the Tongas are. Check their voting pattern.
ONE QUESTION FOR MADAM KNOW IT ALL. WHERE WAS NEVERS WHEN MMD LOST THE ELECTIONS? WHAT WAS YOU AND KA SAMPA’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE LOSS?
WHERE IS THE BILLIONS YOU WERE GIVEN FOR THE CAMPIAGN? MAYBE IF NEVERS WAS AROUND MMD COULD HAVE WON THE ELECTION. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
An interesting angle is UPND had everyhting going for them, money and a subservient party leadership ‘loyal’ to HH but still won.
MMD will form next government under Nevers. Everything points to it. They have an unrelenting ‘Jezebel’ agains their president, a hostile top leadership to Nevers but he is still in place. Something has to give.
Zambia had woman like Dora at some point. Her name was Lucy Sichone who harrassed FTJ for breakfast, lunch and dinner 24/7. Suddem;y she was no more. Dora hates Muhabi and Nevers with apassion and its so sad to see someone with so much negative energy. So sad.
Forget about MMD.this party is dead!even in Eastern MMD will lose some seats come 11/09/2014 by elections!while UPND has the most hated leader in HH!many voters(young and old) do like him due to his pride!honestly how can I vote for leader(HH) who thinks that he is the most wise and rich zambian?I,my family and friends would rather continue voting for PF a party which associates itself with the poor zambians!