The Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) says the resignation of Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Mpongwe Member of Parliament (MP) and Chairperson for Elections, Gabriel Namulambe is total betrayal to the people of Mpongwe who voted for him in the 2011 polls.
FODEP Executive Director Mcdonald Chpenzi says it is clear that Mr Namulambe wants to ‘fatten his pocket’ and not the interests of the Mpongwe electorates.
Mr Chipenzi said MPs should be accountable to their people without wasting their time by causing un-necessary by-elections which are costly to the nation.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today, Mr Chipenzi said Mr Namulambe has selfish interests because up-to date, Mpongwe constituency is not yet developed.
“MPs should not go into politics for personnel gain at the expense of the electorates because causing un-necessary by-elections is costly to the nation. Mr Namulambe has betrayed the trust of people of Mpongwe. We need schools, health posts, good roads in this country and we cannot be wasting resources in this manner,” he said.
The FODEP ED urged the people of Mpongwe district to reflect on Namulambe’s move which he condemned in strongest terms.
He further advised MMD MPs not to feel like they are destitute but to wait for the right time in 2016 when the parliament will be dissolved and fresh polls held.
Bearly 24 hours, former Minister and Permanent Secretary Jazzman Chikwakwa and founder member Christopher Ngoma have defected to PF in the presence of First Republican President Kenneth Kaunda.
The duo’s move comes barely a week after MMD’s Lusaka District Chairperson Donald Chilufya resigned from the party last week.
Mr Chikwakwa and Mr Ngoma announced their defection at the residence of Dr Kaunda in Lusaka’s State Lodge area yesterday.
Mr Namulambe today quit the MMD to join the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) because he has realised that the PF was a progressive party that was committed to bringing development to the people of Zambia.
The former Minister of Works and Supply in the previous MMD government becomes the first MP to defect to PF after Mufumbwe MP Stephen Masumba was booted out of the party for disciplinary charges.
Mr Namulambe announced his defection to the PF together with MMD Copperbelt District Chairperson Silas Ngowane, Copperbelt MMD District Secretary Christopher Chilangwa and former Mpongwe District Commissioner Rasford Bulaya during a press briefing held at the PF Secretariat.
He said he was not seeking for a ministerial or any other position in the government of the day but just wants to be part of a working government.
He told PF Secretary General Winter Kabimba who welcomed him that he would not want to remain in a party that was sinking and embroiled in serious internal wrangles.
Meanwhile, Former Anti Voter Apathy (AVAP) Project Executive Director Bonny Tembo has said that the defection of MMD chairman for election should serve as a lesson to the MMD on the need to urgently resolve its internal conflicts.
Mr. Tembo, who is now Patriotic Front member, has since commended Mr. Namulambe for taking a bold decision of announcing his defection to the PF.
Speaking to QFM news, Mr. Tembo said the MMD needed to realize that internal dialogue is key for the growth of any organisation.
Mr. Tembo said that although by-elections are a cost to the nation, they are also a way of keeping the Electoral Commission of Zambia and political parties in the country active.
He has also relinquished his parliamentary position.
ZANIS
buluya! sha!
He wants his cases to be over..It benefits him more by being in the ruling party where investigators need permission to do their job from the President than being the opposition where you can be locked up by visiting your chiefdom or constituency.
MMD has caused this. MMD triggered a self-destructive. MMD is a sinking ship where more people will jump out. Sad indeed!
Shut up ba fodep.Lekeni tubombeko bane.
Ndelolesha fye!!!!!!! Lets see what will happen to the bicycles case!
Namulambe, Politician without priciples. Mwanawasa resigned as Vice President but never left the Party. He remained an ordinary MP. Such are the men of Principles. But when you have politicians who are in Politics for personal gains, for their own bellies, such are thje results.
Namulambe seems not to be happy with what he has done. the body language can te;;
Plastic smiles, camera smiles, nonsense nonsense nonsense
Imwe mwebantu Gabby has always been PF, these are the boys SATA used to get information from within. Gabby became PF when Rupiah fired him together with the late Chibombamilimo, but together with SATA they stratergized to have him back in the core center of where it was all happening so that he could give feedback to the PF and capitalize on the loose side of the puzzle
The only way to stop this circus is to adopt the clause in the draft constitution which states that ministers should be appointed from outside parliament as is the case in America and Nigeria. That way, MPs can concentrate on just being MPs. Then there would be no ministerial jobs for MPs and therefore no incentives to defect. Unfortunately, the draft constitution will remain just that, until Zambians take to the streets like the Egyptians are doing.
Other SATA boys and girls are still there in MMD and UPND until pakafye. SATA is a proper political engineer, no one will ever catch him, he is way far from them all. POLITICS IS ABOUT NUMBERS bane
Ha ha ha… politics are sweet.I just love how people react when situations tilts in the direction of the opponents.It always brings out the animal in man.Comments on this site attests to that.My goodness !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s the buffoonery of Zambian politics transcends political affiliation; they (politicians) do it predominantly for personal ambition. It’s akin to turning tricks on.
Seleni tubombeko imwe.Bamwisho ba Gabby welcome
Sata fyaume
Personal edification,financial gain,political survival and all other opportunistic descriptions is all these toads care for.They’re not there to serve mother zambia but to feed their gluttony without any principles or or sense of obligation.Such personal gain is a cursed gain thats why you’ll never see a rich policeman despite all the free bribes they get.
why is this gabby looking so troubled and anxious,,,,, shouldn’t he be jubilant?
This is why they are called politics, its all about recruiting membership.
Keep on resigning we care less.The whole opposition might aswell do it.Democracy is not cheap no need to cry for by-elections cost.
Bla bla bla…we could care less about by-elections.whoever though that democracy is cheap deserves to win a nobel prize in irrationality.
Bla bla bla…we could care less about by-elections.whoever thought that democracy is cheap deserves to win a nobel prize in irrationality.
Zambians that’s why you die young. You have no priorities! Your life expectancy is 49 years! It is in the bottom 10 in the World. You beloved President should be spending his time and money sorting out the myriad of problems facing the country.
This permanent electioneering is just plain Stu.pid, ill-advised and wasteful. Lets consider for one moment that all opposition MPs joined PF; would this promote good governance, democracy and socio-economic development? I am reluctantly starting to believe what my Canadian lecturer told me 20 years! Commenting on Chiluba’s victory over KK; he told me that Zambia can have frequent competitive party elections but it will never be a democracy. Why , I asked? Because you Africans are not culturally conditioned to it!
In a democracy one can do anything they feel like, as long as they are not infringing on anyone’s rights. FODEP of all people should know this, otherwise they should remove the word democracy from their name.
Betrayed which people? Did the people vote for MMD or for Namulambe? Its like the playboy in Mufumbwe. If he had betrayed the electorate of Mufumbwe by leaving MMD, why did they vote for him again in the by-elections? Allow people to do what they want to do, whether it is to your taste or not. That is democracy. Otherwise, get parliament to change the laws.
Well said
thanks
well said man , these organisations are very partisan, let them die with envy. hon. namulambe is going back to parly and sit on the right hand of the speaker. lol
Namulambe surely looks lost in this picture.I am just wondering if this might be a sign of inferiority complex or the realization of “oh no this is where i have brought myself to”.Thumbs up brother Gabby.We respect your personal decision….it is your democratic right.It is not like you have broken the law or anything.Many before you have had done a similar thing before and people have always voted.
While the decision is his own, number 6 is right. The body language is that of a sad fearful person.
another playboy to teach nevers mumba a lessonn. its time go jog again
The reason he is not jubilant or excited is because of blackmail maybe. join us or rot in prison!!!!
Being a sell out does not pay, just look at his face.
More money in his pocket but less smiles.
Why the other women are not identified? Are they not as important at Sylvia & his ex-boy friend Wynter?
I won`t blame this guy, things don`t look promising in MMD. if they can reach to a point where they are mistreating other party members, then there should be something wrong.
Some people are cheap and will sell out for anything even their soul and principles…..oh wait,Namulambe had no principles to begin with.
I hope Faustina Sinyangwe is not thinking of defecting! we will not welcome you back mwamukolo! ha ha ha!!!!
Jazzman Chikwakwa those are hungry finished politicians dont give him a job pliz balya sana from UNIP.
am confused someone to explain to me,is FODEP a branch of MMD or shami?if chimpezi is a cadre for MMD let him resign with immediate effect.His tone clearly shows he is a goat wearing a skin of a sheep. who is he to say Namulambe never worked in Mpongwe?Don’t listen to this fox, well done Namulambe let chituwo and others follow suite..Never Mumba too will be given a ward to contest so that he first get experience at a councillorship level.
well articulated. this guy is a cadre
Dont blame Nalubambe, blame that flockless pastor called Nevous Mumba. I almost returned to MMD, but then I saw it was being led by a clown. I remain non committal for now.
PLEASE DO NOT TELL LIES THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE COST OF THE BYE ELECTION. NAMULAMBE DOES NOT WANT TO BELONG TO MMD. DO NOT FORCE HIM TO BELONG TO MMD UNDER THE PRETEXT OF SAVING MONEY. LET HIM EXERCISE HIS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT. DEMOCRACY IS EXPENSIVE. BUT IF HE JOINED ANOTHER OPPOSITION HE WAS GOING TO BE PRAISED. THAT IS WHY YOU PEOPLE ARE BEING UNFAIR.
Namulambe boyi you are not getting my vote, Remember how you transferred, threatened civil servants in mpongwe and told the people of Mwaanga village that you have donated a cow to mpongwe mission hospital so if you want to eat some get sick and also said you will demolish our mwaanga compound , Ba Sata if Namulambe goes through then you are very lucky. UPND or MMD naku Narep please go flat out and get Mpongwe from Namulambe
A shameless scumbag is what Namulambe is! What happened to men of principle and integrity as representatives of the people?
The PF Maize field has been attacked by the MMD army worms.
All you bloggers against Namulambe are in favour of a Kangaroo replacement of Kachingwe.
The sad thing is that many Zambians think that politicians are there to make things/life better for them. When many people realise that politicians have no interest whatsoever in the citizens’ plight, Zambia will be a better place.
iye utumatobo ba kabimba
Let the man decide his destiny, he has a right. mr. chpenzi can also join PF if he so desires. who do you think you are to prevent others from excersing their constitutional right??? shame on you.
Namulambe is a greenhorn in politics, the little political “clout” he might have is due to LPM who was trying to build him politically. He has betrayed Mwanawasa by defecting to a tribal party. Zambian money is worthless so it does not matter even if billions of Kwacha are used on by-elections.
Lekeni nafwe ba PF tukwateko ba MP ba mupanga.MMD and UPND have MPs from the village tuma paty twapashi
where are my damn comments??????????
namulambe is right kanshi people you wanted mmd for life ala?
there is no justification behind namulambe’s resignation its just as stupid as thinking that a bye election is going to give namulambe a chance to deliver i hope people realise that more than 2billion is at stake for the bye election
Chipenzi ,u are just anoder Zambian with doublestandards. What do u stand 4? 2 day Namulambi is condemned 4 exercising his birth right yet u’re condemning de govt over Mumba’s law breaking. l have no respect 4 these NGOs . Dey’re worse dan p’tians
Democracy at work! 2day it is bad ? Chipenzi that is what u are impling. Unprincipled ngos,bamambala. Freedom ,freedom ! Let some more mps defect. Condemn the system not Namulamba. Already on Lubinda u are chanting democracy! Plastics!
Please LTstop blocking my reasonable comments instead of featuring those from lunatics who keep on insulting elderly pipo. ls this being democratic ?Namulambe, it is his democratic right okey! Chipenzi u are a hypocrity .
Bytheway n whose interest do u stand 4? Zedians u indeed have a short memory. Pf which is trying 2 mend de fragmentation mmd not 4 a long time left but he is de 1 u are condemning. ln whose interest u unpatriotic Zambians? let d’cracy ring everywhe
THESE ORGANISATIONS ARE CONTRADICTING THEMSELVES. THEY WANT PF TO UPHOLD OUR DEMOCRACY BUT AT THE SAME TIME CONDEMNING THE MPS DEFECTING TO PF FORGETTING THAT THESE MPS ARE ALSO EXERCISING THEIR DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS OF BELONGING TO THE PARTY OF THEIR CHOICE.
Namulamba does not look happy – everyone else is smiling except hom.
Bonnie Tembo you are a devil how can you today support costly by-elections when in for front of demonizing MMD when such by-election happened. You are just an ***** fool ka bonnie Tembo no wonder from an Executive Director of NGO to a popa who is now linking the stinking boots of KABIMBA
Look at their smiling faces; they are happy: why? Money in their pockets (not public service, as they claim). Yet the people they represent (or rather pretend to represent) have no jobs. Yet some people in the pictures hold more than 3 offices/positions. Is this democracy or democry?