THE opposition UPND has warned of more expulsions of its Members of Parliament (MPs) that accept Cabinet positions in Government, party deputy spokesperson Cornelious Mweetwa has said.
The UPND stamped their authority when it expelled their first appointee, Itezhi Tezhi MP, Greyford Monde last week for accepting a Cabinet post.
Mr Mweetwa said his party would not allow what it termed as back-door appointments of its members.
In an interview in Lusaka yesterday, he said any MP that would be appointed to a ministerial position would have to face the consequences of their actions.
He was speaking in reference to revelations by Vice President Guy Scott over the weekend that more UPND MPs planned to ditch the opposition party to join the PF.
He said no single MP of the UPND went to Parliament without the backing of the party and it was only proper that MPs obeyed the rules and regulations of the party.
He said for as long as the PF continued appointing MPs without consulting the party leadership, any appointed MP would face immediate expulsion.
“We are not going to allow MPs to be appointed using the back door, if they want our MPs, let them consult us ,if they do that we will have no problems,” Mr Mweetwa said.
He was not aware of any MPs that planned to accept any more appointments but dared those that were entertaining such ideas to do so and face the party’s wrath.
“In case these MPs exist, let them go ahead. We will not stand in their way because that is a personal choice,” he said.
Mr Mweetwa said expelled MP, Mr Monde, should not cry foul when he snubbed a displinary hearing where he had an opportunity to exculpate himself adding that Mr Monde acted with impunity when he decided not to attend the disciplinary meeting, stating that the his expulsion was final.
“When an opportunity was given to him to exculpate himself he decided to elect impunity so what I can say is that his expulsion is final,” he said.
And party spokesperson Charles Kakoma has said MPs intending to join the PF administration were weakening the opposition in Zambia.
He said in an interview yesterday that opposition MPs from the party should be cleared by the National Management Committee (NMC) before accepting ministerial appointments to serve in the PF Government.
Mr Kakoma urged the UPND MPs intending to serve in the PF administration to consult the leadership of their party before deciding to cross to the ruling party.
He said the NMC had resolved that no UPND MP would be allowed to take up a ministerial position in Government without consulting the Committee.
He said failure by any MP to consult the Committee would result in disciplinary action.
“The resolution by the National Management Committee is final and that no MP should take up any position in Government unless it has been approved by the UPND. If the member acts emminical to the party, the MP will be disciplined,” he said.
He urged UPND MPs to desist from accepting ministerial appointments as this was not adding value to the democratic dispensation.
He said the PF had several MPs occupying back bench in Parliament and wondered why the ruling party was appointing MPs from the opposition.
“The scheme weakens the opposition political parties and should not be allowed,” he said.
Vice President Guy Scott said when he addressed political rallies in Masaiti and Mpongwe districts at the weekend that three UPND MPs were intending to join the PF Government as deputy ministers
Ok so UPND doesnt have a problem with its MPs accepting positions in Government…let me understand this, what if you turn down their requests whats happens then..? I for one do not see the logic behind this…
“The Rise Of Cobra”- Using Democratic weapons to screw your opponents! Sata is one damn planner!
UPND is slowly disintegrating at the benefit of the PF wining ground in Parliament.
LMFAO, It seems that you *****s can see beyond ur cox! Well it seems the PF is on a mission.
Its high time a true opposition party stood up. Elias get the wheel!!!!
PF planning for 500 deputy ministers as a strategy to bring development to all in Zambia. More money in the pockets remember?
You dont see the logic because you are illogical yourself. the party wants to know the terms under which they will serve. Are they going to vote with UPND in parliament or not. If they are going to serve with PF, then they might as well join PF. Why have members who cant add value to your agenda?
MMD is is done deal..Finished!!!!!! Our focus is now on UPND.Watchout…Signs are showing now.Your Mps realise now that HH is not taking them anywhere..
THIS UPND PARTY IS A DANGER TO THIS COUNTRY ALREADY THEY HAVE KILLED ANOTHER PERSON IN LIVINGSTONE. IS THERE NO PROVISION IN THE CONSTITUTION OF BANNING POLITICAL PARTIES THAT HAVE PROVED TO BE VIOLENT LIKE UPND.
surely mwebantu
Really? The PF thug might have died from beer poisoning. These transplanted thugs should take this as a lesson. When you go out to maim or kill people the opposing reaction might be catastrophic on you. If the reports are true that the PF thugs went to burn down the UPND camp then the guy deserves what happened to him. People should have the right to self defence. This is just a dyonko! When you unleash violence on others; you should also expect to die! Sata as President should calm his thugs. We know his violent past and he should be very careful with fanning violence. Stop using poor and desperate youths to fight your violent battles. The ICC will soon be very busy……looking at the way things are unfolding in Zambia.
You mean banning Satanist parties like UPND???
yes continue poaching our MPS….and many more deaths still coming..the next will be ukwa…..vivaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa upnd..
What did you expect them to do under such provocation? you truly a USEFUL *****!
This is childish. Surely an MP from opposition serving in government would useful for checks and balances on PF policies. UPND needs to grow up there should be no need to waste people’s time and money on such straight forward issues.
I do not see anything childish about the decision of the UPND. The roblem is the deceitful mind of the cobra; once you join, then the expectation is for you to defect to PF. Look at the case of that MP in NWP who was dismissed because he was discouraging his councilors to defect as canvased by Masumba. Honestly, how can he tolerate such nonsense, unless he was a willing party at the time of his appointment? The whole idea of working with the rulling party is misunderstood by those in authority. In its purest form, I think it was a briliant idea, but not in our conditions of abject poverty!
Well if you can’t see anything childish of UPND’s conduct maybe its because you are childish yourself!
Very soon PF will have all the MP’s that they need to control parliament, you are the same stup!d chaps that will crying out loud and saying that there is no democracy in Zambia. In case you haven’t noticed, cobra is using the same ‘democracy’ to scr£w you!!!
Unit despite your political diversity so as to ensure National development! One Zambia One Nation.
Panicking in the PF camp. You have a hoard of dagga smoking back benchers why cant you appoint them. We know your motive and it is an evil one. Those who plan evil will perish. If it was an opposition cadre who had died, they would not have made this noise, unfortunately it is one of them again. Violence breeds violence, and sata knows that he is no longer popular and the only option is the zimbabwe one. “violence”
I have never stopped praying for UPND to discern one day and put one of us settlers in Southern Province as MP candidate, like PF did for Hon.Simusa in Nchanga, Chingola. L/stone could easily win UPND using a settler (non-Tonga) candidate, to prove the Party non-tribal in elections. Mr. Chibwe SG for UPND who comes from the same village with me LP, has never contested any MP elections before anywhere. Are UPND MP candidates supposed to be indigenous Southerners only?
Nchanga Chingola is an urban constituency . It has never been a Bemba tribal area. Most constituencies on the Copperbelt are urban and cosmopolitan. Mpongwe, Masaiti, Lufwanyama, kafulafuta are the rural constituencies and only local Lambas win elections in these areas. Remind us about what GBM said to Mugala in the Kasama by-election not so long ago! Kabiye kumwenu!
Who told you? What about the now expelled Monde? Tell me which non Bemba is an MP for PF In Luapula, Northern, or Muchinga? Dont heap your tribalism on others. Let Mr. Chibwe stand wherever he wants. If the people of that Area love him he will win. Why did the people of Kitwe fail to vote for Chisanga. please dont be a hardcore tribalist and then shift the blame to others.
Be warned. Innocent Chimfutumba is a charlatan and a planted mole called Zimbwi. Like a deranged vulture he uses other aliases to prey on people’s character. He is all over the Internet sniffing out stories and writing gibberish about people and issues he hardly understands. Google his name and you’ll see what I mean. I have compiled his texts in both the “LT and ZWD. At times he wears the hat of a skunk, spraying his terrible malodorous smell. He claims to be learned. Read all his comments (How I wish I could display them). He’s a moron who writes in colloquial English—semi-literate style. Learned bloggers write well even in haste. His writing is best described by one blogger: “so many words with no sense.” His punctuation is terrible and typos aplenty.
Innocent Chimfutumba claims to have been in class with me. It is not true. He might have been in the same 1973 stream and not 1972 as he claims in some of his comments. He’s so damn he does not know when he graduated. I never met him in 1967 because I went to Chingola Primary School in 1968. At Chikola I was not taught by Cheeseman. I associated with him in the Young Farmer’s Club. Yes, the late Patrick Chibwe was in my class, but not Lazarus Chota. In Form Five, I and Patrick were in “A” and Lazarus in “S.” Ask him what form he was in. He claims to have been with me in the same class for five years. There was no Innocent Chimfutumba in my class. If there was, he must have been one of those dumb students with nothing to offer. What was Innocent Chimfutumba famous for? Anyone?
Mr.Field Ruwe alias Wordsmith, play it cool. Why are you still mad at me? I simply patriotically wished to guide you to be polite whenever you write about Zambia and our Leaders from abroad. In 7.3, 7.4 above you seem to be holding a grudge against me,for slowing down your gossip trash about your adopted country and our leaders. Like before no hard feelings Bro from my heart. I was your House Prefect.
i will report upnd thugs to ICJ for the killings of innocent people .surely ku mfumbwe,mwalipaya ,chongwe mwa killer and now livingstone.you hungry hyenas why are so thirst with blood fi masons
The Tongas really supprise me. When SATA appoints a Bemba they say he is appointing his relatives. He appoints an Eastener they say he is appointing a relative to KK. Now he appoints a TONGA they expel their own son and despise him. What do you TONGAS an UP n Down Party want? If you think SATA is dying and you take over automatically you are dreaming because even if he did, GOD FORBID, you can never win a national election with three, two let alone one Province, NEVER.
Monde is not Tonga.
Upnd leadership is killing it’s own party due to poor understanding of modern politics of inclusion.They are making a similar mistake made by Unip in 2006 when they boycotted taking part in the general elections. Little did they realise their action spelled doom on their party. Since then Unip has been confined to the archives. Learn something from Unip’s experience. It won’t serve you anything by expelling all your mps that intend to serve under PF .
Are UPND boycotting elections? UNIP died in 1991 and not 2006! Ifyamba ba kaponya!
very good move..kick their butts out..they smell if they accept..
MAYBE, JUST MAYBE UPND IS AFTER ALL GOING TO RULE THIS COUNTRY ONE DAY. BUT PROBABLY NOT IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. THEY HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO. THEY HAVE TO MATURE AND LEARN TO CLIMB THE POLITICAL ROPES. LIKE A SMALL CHILD WHO HAS TO LEARN THAT FIRE BURNS, WATER DROWNS, CHILLI IS HOT ETC. THEY HAVE TO LEARN THAT POLITICS IS A GAME OF NUMBERS. YOU NEED NUMBERS AMONG THE VOTERS , YOU NEED NUMBERS IN PARLIAMENT. POLITICS IS NOT JUST TALKING CARELESSLY. IT IS ABOUT WINNING THE HEARTS OF ORDINARY, POOR ZAMBIANS. ITS ABOUT IDENTIFYING ONESELF WITH THE POOR. ITS NOT ABOUT RUSHING TO AU, CW, ICC OVER TRIVIAL THINGS. ITS NOT ABOUT SHOWING HOW EDUCATED ONE IS. YOU CAN EXPELL ALL YOUR MPS, BUT AS LONG AS YOU DONT GET TO STATE HOUSE, YOU ARE NOTHING.
Vi ba tonga na tribalism! That’s why ‘mugwila nkunku banyama’. You will see if ur HH will ever rule this country. Your tribalism is eating up bit by bit!!! There is no way a tribe can be this bitter against other tribes and u expect to win!!!!!
I love all the comments,but the truth is that come 2016, UPND is forming government.viva HHH and the UPND.
NEVER! HH has to embrace more than the Southern Province to have a chance at the elections. As it is now, there is no chance of him forming govt. come 2016.
The warning for expulsion was meant for the crooked Sinazongwe UPND MP, Richwell Siamunene.