MMD president Nevers Mumba and the party’s chairman for legal affairs Bradford Machila have differed over disciplinary action instituted against members of Parliament (MPs) supporting other candidates in the January 20 presidential election.
Dr Mumba and MMD national secretary Mwansa Mbulakulima said in Lusaka that the process of expelling MPs and national executive committee (NEC) members who have aligned themselves with other political parties has started.
But Mr Machila said Dr Mumba has no authority to write to Speaker of the National Assembly to ask him to declare seats vacant without a disciplinary process instituted by NEC.
Dr Mumba said during a public forum on Monday that the MPs should resign because they cannot “serve two masters at the same time”.
Dr Mumba, who also regretted former President Rupiah Banda’s support for PF candidate Edgar Lungu, said he has been praying for a rebranded MMD and what is happening is God’s answer to his prayers.
“What has happened is a fantastic expression of the nature of politics we are currently experiencing in the country,” Dr Mumba said.
He said there is need for politicians to be principled and stick to what they believe in.
“Those endorsing other candidates are just job-seekers,” said Dr Mumba, who once served as republican Vice-President.
He said Mr Banda’s decision to endorse Mr Lungu is unfortunate. He said the former president should have stayed away from politics.
“The most hurt is not me but the MMD party,” Dr Mumba said.
The party has since written to five MPs and seven NEC members, asking them to exculpate themselves within 10 days.
Mr Mbulakulima said the affected members of the party have been asked to state why they are campaigning for other presidential candidates, failure to which they will face expulsion from the MMD.
Mr Mbulakulima said at a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday that it is sad that some MPs and NEC members are campaigning for other presidential candidates when the MMD is not in an alliance with any political party.
“Letters have been written to each one of them to exculpate themselves within 10 days, further to which they face expulsion from the party,” he said.
Mr Mbulakulima named the MPs as Kabinga Pande (Kasempa), Situmbeko Musokotwane (Liuwa), Felix Mutati (Lunte), Kapembwa Simbao (Senga Hill), Kenneth Chipungu (Rufunsa), Levy Ngoma (Sinda) and Annie Chungu (Lufwanyama) as some of the MPs that have been asked to exculpate themselves.
Mr Pande is MMD chairperson while others hold various positions in the party.
NEC members that face expulsion include Faustina Sinyangwe, Mathew Jere, Oliver Pelete, Soul Mwansa, Lozi Kamalonga, Esther Malisawa, Mary Ngoma and Idah Ngoma.
But Machila said in a statement yesterday that according to the party constitution, Dr Mumba has no powers to ask the Speaker to declare the seats vacant “and as such this is an empty threat”.
“In my position as MMD chairperson for legal affairs, I can confirm that according to the MMD constitution, he has no such power and as such this is an empty threat.
“As things stand, Dr Mumba does not have sufficient support of party NEC members to convene a meeting and take disciplinary action. In fact, his numbers do not even come close,” he said.
Mr Machila has since urged the MPs to continue with campaigns for their preferred presidential candidates.
“We should not be afraid of cross-party support where we agree on certain values and proposals,” he said.
The MMD has split into three. One group is supporting Dr Mumba, another is backing Mr Lungu and the third is for United Party for National Development president Hakainde Hichilema.
I think MMD has a problem and that problem is Dr Mumba. It seems he wants to do things on his own without including the top members. He is a “Mr Know it All.” He is doing things without consultation I suspect.
I felt bad for you when your MPs left you but Dr Mumba you yourself have killed MMD. Here you are again not listening to your legal person.
Remember there is a difference between running a church and a political party.
If you want to be revered go back to the church.
It is quite sad to realise after 3 years that Kachingwe was right. It seems this is what he foresaw and took drastic measures, but we all ridiculed him and labelled him PF.
Interestingly enough after the embarrassment these same NEC members that failed to support Kachingwe are now on the chopping block watching out for Bowman
PF, UPND and MMD shall fire all those MPs who are supporting other parties. They won on their respective parties’ tickets and mandate given by the voters was to the party and through the parties to MPs. If they do not believe in their party’s constitution, manifesto and future, let them go where they belong to. They cannot enjoy the benefits while working for other parties. They are shameless Thieves, taking money by false pretense.
MMD is history!it will never return into power.plus Nevers Mumba do things minus other like Guy Scott tried in PF till he failed!IFINTU NI LUNGU!
But this Nevers, the parliamentary by elections that he is courting are too expensive for this country. A sheer waste of money too for the country at large and the MMD itself, since MMD will not retain a single one of those seats going by their recent performances in by elections even in their perceived strongholds.
It was not too long ago that Nevers condemned the PF was causing unnecessary by elections, and he used the phrase “costly for this country”.
And these rants coming at this particular point in time when everybody has concentrated on the presidential by election! What are you doing in Lusaka hotels when you are supposed to be in the field campaigning anyway? Imwe ba Nevers naba Mbulakulima benu, tamutontonkanya atini?
Or maybe they know that they have lost it?
Get rid of all those supporting HH and EL. Anybody supporting another party while holding party card of the party, is practically saying he does not believe in that party’s values, its leadership and constitution. He in fact automatically disqualifies himself. Same goes for PF and UPND. All MPs supporting other parties shall be fired. No indiscipline and getting paid by treasury. They shall face electorates on their new parties’ tickets and it is up to the electorates to decide.
It is quite sad to realise after 3 years that Kachingwe was right. It seems this is what he foresaw and took drastic measures, but we all ridiculed him and labelled him PF.
Interestingly enough after the embarrassment these same NEC members that failed to support Kachingwe are now on the chopping block watching out for Bowman
NEVERS MUMBA is wrong person to lead MMD because he is a dictator who believes in himself and a clique of his bootlikers like MBULAKULIMA who is a known traitor from the time he was at ZAMBIA STATE INSURANCE when he sold out his boss who was fired on tribal lines just because he was a TONGA. Can UPND tell us in MMD why they chased WINNIE ZALOUMIS when she was UPND Women Treasurer. It is sad that this MACHILA he was quiet all this time letting NEVERS do wrong things and impose himself as Presidential candidate without endorsement of NEC, even the Returning Officer Chibesakunda should be answerable by allowing NEVERS to file and declare him without valid papers from MMD bcoz that certificate he used is illegal was signed by Mbulakulima who is illegally put there by NEVERS
If you ask me, Nevers Mumba is right in seeking to expel those erring MPs. Our democracy is at risk of being a big joke because of lack of policy-based parties. Each and every party now wants to present the policies seen to likely dupe the electorate. MPs have found it extremely easy to hop from party to party without consequences. It should cost them for misleading party members and the voters. When one crosses the floor, they should be considered to have resigned from their party. This position should be taken by the judiciary in order to save our country from anarchy. It does not matter whether Nevers Mumba is good enough to be president of Zambia or not. He was rightly elected to be MMD president. Political prostitution by MPs should be curtailed at all cost.
Well said. Political prostitution shall end. All MPs who were elected on PF, MMD and UPND tickets but campaigning for other parties shall be fired without exception. Let them all go back to streets. Electorates shall not vote them back. In fact law shall change that any MP who crosses over party shall not be eligible to stand in the same constituency for at least till the term of parliament is over or for a specified period of time. Mutati, GBM, Kabinga, Machila etc. are PROSTITUTES.
I support your view. If adults like Machila and others can be so indisciplined by failing to stick to the rules and regulations of their parties, where does this leave young people? These adults are an embarrassment to this country. It does not matter whether they are supporting HH or EL. They are a foolish lot. There is need for decency even in politics!