FORMER MMD president Enock Kavindele has called for the disbandment of the former ruling party saying it has lost its relevance to the governance of the country.
Mr Kavindele said while the opposition was important in any democracy, it was clear that the MMD was not adding any value to the governance issues because of the persistent squabbles.
The former ruling party is currently locked in leadership crisis with its leader Nevers Mumba facing a strong rebellion from party bigwigs who want him out.
The confusion which emerged prior to the last month’s elections has persisted with pro and against Dr Mumba supporters clashing over the weekend at the party secretariat.
“The MMD will not be the first to disband; the ACC (African National Congress) did the same thing and its members joined UNIP after facing similar problems,” Mr Kavindele said in an interview.
“There is no way the biggest opposition party can get just 15,000 votes in a presidential election.
Mr Kavindele also advised Patriotic Front (PF) leader Edgar Lungu not to tolerate any advances by the MMD for a merger because the party would not add any value to the ruling party.
“There is nothing to merge with the PF, they know that the party has lost value and they want to ride on the PF; so let them disband and then members can join the ruling party.
“Surely Frederick Chiluba must be turning in the grave to know what is happening in MMD, the party which was very strong,” he said.
The former vice president also urged Lusaka Central Member of Parliament (MP) Guy Scott to continue supporting the party despite being dropped as republic vice president.
Mr Kavindele noted that it was inevitable for President Lungu to get rid of Dr Scott and others after the confusion that characterised the ruling party after the death of Mr Sata.
“Scott is not the first vice president to be relegated to the bank bench; we had people like Simon Kapwepwe, (Godfrey) Miyanda and myself who were removed and became back benchers,” he said.
“So there is nothing sinister about him being removed and I hope he
will continue supporting the after being removed as vice president,”
he said.
Dr Scott was removed as vice president before President Lungu appointed Nalolo MP Inonge Wina to become the first ever vice president of Zambia.
Agreed. The orchestra MMD is no longer playing in unison; it has confused the dancers and needs to disband. Let the band leaders go solo, they may produce better music.
The pathetic performance of the Nevers Mumba led MMD faction in the January 2015 by-election just 3 years after PF victory is an indictment on failed leadership. How and where on earth can a former ruling party 3 years from ruling the country end up with 15, 000 votes out of the million + that voted? Where is the moral justification to force himself on the party? The MMD’s electoral defeat in the by-election demonstrates the complexity Nevers is facing now looking increasing impossible to unlock. Arguably, these Zambian elections are fought on different planks and local issues all alien to him. We can go on to attribute the party’s humiliating loss to a catalog of issues about his leadership besides being true that Nevers with his polarizing campaign is out-of-touch.
The coming of RB was the demise of MMD. Recently, however, Mumba fought vehemently to wrest the party from the same RB. Let him (Mumba) now prove his mettle by reviving the party. Otherwise, he is the imposter and the one ultimately responsible for the party’s demise.
Its about time.
it will be very unfair to acuse Dr Mumba of bringing the MMD down. infact MMD lost it erelavance during Rupiahs tenure due to his masive corrupt activities.
@2 seniormostman,
Yours is a flawed political opinion without dots to connect in the world of rational actors. How come RB managed to pull massively far beyond the 15, 000 for ECL resulting in No. 6 reigning with a mandate in the same election your Mr. purity Nevers viciously but aimlessly campaigned against?
How come he failed to turn the tables against ECL who was being supported by RB a man you say is unpopular? Besides that, you had launched a vicious campaign of attrition against ECL but in vanity.
How do you morally justify this kind of a historic humiliation of a former ruling party even at the hand of Mama Nawakwi with a catalog of issues to her name? You really believe Nevers has the mojo to redeem MMD? You must be on an overdose.
@ 2 Seniormostman
Nevers Mumba has no excuse. He is the slayer of MMD. Let him rise to the occasion and prove to us all that he is truly a BORN-AGAIN POLITICIAN by bringing MMD back to life. Otherwise, he is only a gold digger, an opportunist.
“Dr Scott was removed as vice president before President Lungu appointed Nalolo MP Inonge Wina to become the first ever vice president of Zambia.”
No n sense. What type of reporting is this?
Of course they mean “woman to be Vice President in Zambia”.
What about you REAL MAN, is it “No n sense” or “nonsense”?
The dismemberment of ANC was not necessarily the best option available. In MMD there is room for further negotiations. The MMD is an alliance of different political ideologies. That is why some MMD members find it easy to move to different political parties. One option to build political blocks, including MMD-PF, NAREP-PF, UNIP-PF, etc.
@Kasonde, you are already showing traints of biaseness, why didnt you say UPND-MMD. You people are the people bringing in confusion in the country. If you are going to be that negative in your thinking even if you show a bit of education in you, then we all wonder what education was therefore meant for you. Education should assist you have a higher calibre of looking and analysing issues. You will just finish yourselves thinking that UPND will die, to the contrally, it is you to die, the club continues to exist. YOU WILL GROW THIN PLANNING ON HOW TO FINISH UPND, just relax and think like a normal intelligent human being.
Well expressed Mr. Kavindele. You even have examples of yourself and others who have been sidelined and yet still remained loyal to your party. BIG UPS OLD MAN!! very wise advice.
Shame on Nevers Mumba. MMD is not UNIP and should not end the way of UNIP. It’s Mumba’s style of leadership that accounts for the untimely demise of this once powerful party.
MMD is well past debate…..its finished….Lets focus on upnd,pf,AND RAINBALL PARTY….
Good advice Kavi. Even UNIP should just disband. @Mei matungu you are wrong. mwanawasa destroyed MMD. For him, every relative of his was automatically MMD. You had a government loaded with Mwanawasa’s relatives. Their allegiance was with mwanawasa and family not with MMD. When he died the whole mwanawasa family-government revolted against Rupiah. Rupiah did not understand the problem he thought he could work with them until they decampaigned him in 2011. That was the end of MMD.
@ 9 Basila
I see your theory of how RB lost that close election in 2011. When you talk about RB, however, please remember that you are talking about an experienced politician. He ought to have read his script well during the three years he was in office. He didn’t. MMD’s strongholds got heavily eroded, not during Mwanawasa’s time, but during Rupiah Banda’s time.
During his brief tenure, RB seemed to be as confused as he was corrupt. For instance, how on earth did he think it wise for him to go to Western Province, an MMD stronghold at the time, and tell those people, not in Spanish, but in English: “I never asked you people to vote for me”? He later sent soldiers to Mongu, who shot and killed peaceful demonstrators. They made him pay heftily for it in 2011.
IT’S TRUE THE OLD MMD IS DEAD. BUT THE NEW HOPE MMD IS JUST BEING BORN WITH THE LAST IMPOSTOR, KA MUHABI, OUT OF THE WAY.
VERY SOON PF WILL JOIN MMD IN THE RUBBISH PIT BY THE WAY MR KAVINDELE WHERE ARE YOU FROM OHH I SEE YOU ARE BACK BECAUSE OF THE RAIL LINE FROM CHINGOLA TO ANGOLA WELCOME BACK TO THE ANIMAL FARM. I KNOW LUNGU WILL GIVE YOU THAT CONTRACT SINCE HE IS A BLIND MAN.
Tripoli… Gaddafi…. You want the contact to be given to your father. Tell your father to bid against Kavindele kaili.