Veteran politician Vernon Mwaanga has described the recent developments in the opposition MMD as sad and depressing.
In a statement, Dr Mwaanga said as a founder member, it is hard for him to understand how the leadership of Dr Nevers Mumba has failed to hold the party together.
He said the party under Dr Mumba lost its way and vision and is now a shell of its old self.
“Recent developments in the MMD make very sad and depressing reading. As one of the founder members of the MMD in 1990 who was also responsible for managing and winning four MMD general election campaign, it is hard to fathom how the leadership of Dr Nevers Mumba we left in charge fails to hold the party together,” Dr Mwaanga said.
He said the MMD last held its regular convention in April 2011 to elect all members of the National Executive Committee which means that the mandate of the current NEC expires next month.
“After former President Rupiah Banda stepped down as President of MMD in 2012, it became necessary to hold an extraordinary convention to replace him and to approve some amendments to the MMD convention.
The MMD constitution allows the NEC to make all other decisions concerning the running of the party including electing members of NEC to fill casual vacancies right up to the Vice President except for the election of the President of the Party and amendments to the Party constitution, powers only reserved for the convention.”
He said it was never intended that the President of MMD elected to fill a vacancy should service for 5 years in the same way as Republican Presidents elected to fill a vacancy in that office do not serve for 5 years as happened with Rupiah Banda in 2008 and Edgar Lungu in 2015.
“Their office tenures are tied to the life of the National Assembly just like the tenure of office of the MMD President elected to fill a casual vacancy is tied to the life of the National Executive Committee. If the argument is that the MMD cannot hold a convention because there is no money, that would be something understandable,” he said.
“In the last few years, MMD has become a one man show and even the current composition of the NEC is full of personal appointees of Dr Nevers Mumba, who profess personal loyalty to him at all costs. When we formed the MMD in 1990, it was meant to be a democratic party, where decisions were to be made collectively and democratically,” he lamented.
“The same cannot be said today. The state of the MMD and internal wrangles in 2014 and 2015 led to many prominent members of the MMD including myself deciding to support presidential candidates of other parties.”
Dr Mwaanga said the result of this development was that the MMD presidential candidate came a poor 4th behind having obtained nationally, a paltry 14,609 votes to the FDD’s Edith Nawakwi’s 15,321 votes for the first time in the history of the MMD.
He added, “In 2011, MMD had 55 elected Members of Parliament and due to various reasons, the party under Dr Mumba lost its way and vision and is now a shell of its old self. The recent resignations of many of its experienced Members of Parliament is a hammer blow to the MMD and statements like “it’s not a factor,” are self-deceiving and do not reflect the true picture on the ground.”
He said internal democracy and intolerance of diverse views are being sighted as major issues in the party which has seen endless suspensions and expulsions.
Dr Mwaanga warned that until and unless these issues are seriously addressed, there will be no way back MMD will be remembered as the party of yesterday.
“This is hardly the place in history for the party which is the mother and father of democracy in Zambia.”
This is the same MMD that some PF leader in his drunken stupor desperately needed an alliance with in orderly defeat HH
….in order to defeat HH
This is the same MMD which has exported failed and thieves to UPND who have now become angels in UPND. Leave Mumba alone. what have u VJ contributed to ensure MMD remain united? you are the same person who has been working with HH to entice and steal Southern and N/ W Mps from MMD and now u want to pretend? Your tribalism will haunt.
Ably, fairly interpreted and summarised the MMD constitutional articles VJ. Nevers should not be casual about these issues.
Has there been any convention in UPND which VJ supported in last yrs election ever since HH took over? VJ is one of the people who has greatly contributed to the downfall of MMD by not supporting the leadership of Mumba even though he was legitimately elected at a convention. VJ is a tired, and finished politician.
Chi VJ chipuba. This idi0T contributed to the downfall of MMD through inaction. Where was he when the party was slapped with a K400m bill by Andeleki? Did he even contribute one Kwacha? Why hasn’t he been man enough and resign from MMD instead of talking trash like this? Fusek!!!
But this Old tortoise,! He has already crossed to UPND and is stil talking about the party he has never supported since 2011 when he and his fellow Crocodile Rupiah made the mmd loose power to pf? He doesn’t know that mmd is shedding off the Old skin of thieves.
NA Ba Mwaanga bayamba ukulanda pali Mmd? Elo lwanya!, I FEEL SORRY FOR THE OLD STRAUNDED MAN. No one among these useless politicians of today can overpower Nevers Mumba ,sata and his fellow fools failed!
Point – this VJ is a snake. Few weeks ago he said no need for convention. VJ like everyone ran away from MMD because it was no longer in power and there was no money to share. There is no way Mumba will sustain the appetites of MMD thieves of the like of VJ. My advise to Mumba is look for grade 12 school leavers and let them contest against these colonial politicians. Some have been around since independence and they have done nothing.
The observation by VJ should be taken with a pinch of salt. First, he has never supported the leadership of Dr. Mumba. In the last elections, he supported UPND over the party he founded. It is clear that he has joined UPND and whatever, he is uttering is just to destroy the pending pact between PF and MMD. If VJ is honest about MMD going to the convention, he should first advise HH and his UPND to do the same.
well said!
Advise your HH to hold a convention before condeming MMD. Its a shame that old politicians who are supposed to be beacos in our Zambian politics are completely useless no wonder politics in Zambia will never mature. Which old Zambian politician can we look to for non partsan advise? NONE!!!! Shame.
Not news. Next
Am wondering where HH and UPND are in this article,Am I blind or some people just sleep and dream HH and UPND
the biggest blunder was to elect the cluless nevers mumba. i remember namugala seriously warning mmd that they will regret their dicision, because he will destroy the party and today here you are!
nevers did not destroy the party. all those people you mention have opposed him all along and the party has never settled to focus on real issues. I keep refering back to our dear Kebby Musokotwane and the story of UNIP. For all his competence, Kebby was opposed and fought by the UNIP old guard who wanted to maintain the Kaunda name at the helm. MMD might have taken a similar path…shall we wait and see?
SOME OF US LONG TOLD YOU THAT MMD IS DEAD WOOD. IN THE HISTORY OF ZAMBIAN POLITICS, ANY RULING PARTY THAT GETS DISLODGED IN AN ELECTION DOES NOT SURVIVE THERE AFTER. ALL FORMER RULING PARTIES DIE A NATURAL DEATH. FORGET ABOUT MMD JUST LIKE WE FORGOT ABOUT UNIP. THE GAME NOW IS BETWEEN UPND AND PF. WE ARE ALL WATCHING AND WE ARE SEEING PF GETTING WEAKER AND WEAKER EACH DAY. HOW CAN ZAMBIANS VOTE FOR PF GOVERNMENT WHICH DOES NOT RESPECT THE DIGNITY OF OUR WOMEN IN OUR COUNTRY? JUST IMAGINE PF STRIPPING A WOMAN NAKED! WHAT AN ABOMINATION! PF IS VIOLENT. PF IS SELF DESTRUCTION. KEEP AWAY FROM PF. I URGE ALL OUR WOMEN TO STAND UP AND FIGHT THIS GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE BY PF AGAINST WOMEN.
But you are a supporter of you tribes man now. If you the founder members had kept in MMD instead of endorsing another party may be just may be MMD would have had some life. Why complain when you have crossed to UPND. Is it not that you want HH to win instead of Mumba on whose party you claim to have founded contesting. I don’t see sense in your complaint.
he wants MMD to join UPND! The old man still want to eat from politics. How does he earn his living? is he a businessman? consultant? Go to sleep VJ.
Comment:R.I.P mmd.
habakala meet u in another life.
Mumba has failed to integrate his party which is currently facing factional turbulence. Its no secret both Mumba and his party members are sitting on a steep political cliff and once MMD’s glory as a party is heading towards it’s expiry date. The centre can no longer hold.
That’s so true VJ
Irrespective of where VJ is standing now, does it make sense what he is saying. Is it wrong to say the marriage of your neighbours is going through problems because they fighting every morning and evening, you dont need to be part of that marriage. Or should nt we say Somalia is failed state becoz we are Zambians? I dont know how deep these are MMD but there are signs that things are not well. VJ says “Pretending that all is well will not help”
VJ Mwaanga is just like one of those tongas who wished that Nevers Mumba should agree to take MMD to UPND!!WHY SHOULD THIS OLD AND BROKE TONGA MAN DEMAND FOR A CONVENTION IN MMD WHEN HIS FELLOW TONGA MAN HH HAS BEEN UPND’S PRESIDENT FOR 11 SOLID YEARS MINUS CALLING FOR A CONVENTION?SHOCKING!!!VJ Mwaanga you can cheat your bantustan followers and not us majority zambians who know your political tricks!!NEVERS MUMBA IS VERY CLEVER SO HE WILL NEVER AGREE TO AN ALLIANCE WITH YOUR TONGA PARTY UPND!!if he cannot work with humble Edgar Lungu,he will do it alone.upnd got 9 bantustan mmd mps and other mmd mps who are many have remained!!SO MOVE ON AND GROW YOUR UPND ELSEWHERE THAN HOPING DAILY THAT MMD WILL GIVE YOU NUMBERS TO ENABLE HH WIN-NEVER!!!PLUS “IFINTU NI LUNGU-2016!!”
The tragedy of MMD is that founding members allowed chancers (RB and then Mumba) to be in charge. The truth is MMD is gone and it will soon be like UNIP. I see a situation where Bemba and Nyanja-speaking members going to PF and the rest going to UPND. The 2016 elections will be the most divisive Zambia has ever experienced.
Sorry to mess-up your tribal-infested mind-set. I am not only a Nyanja ‘speaker’, but a Nyanja by ethnic derivation. I am not voting for PF. UPND looks pretty good right now and HH a much better prospect for beginning the long road back to sanity than this collection of … in the current PF
VJ IS NOT QUALIFIED TO TALK ABOUT MMD SINCE HE IS NOW A PETTY UPND CADRE. HE WAS SWAEYD BY THE ARGE UONDD CROWDS LAST YEEAR AND CROSSED OVER TO DANCE WITH MUNKOMBWE THUS GOT INTO POLTICS IN CHOMADESTROYING AN ILLUSTRIOUS POLITICAL CAREER SOANNING OVER 50 YEARS.
I WAS ONLY 10 YEARS OLDIN CHOMA WHEN I WATCHED THE HANDSOME YOUNG MAN LAUNCH HIS NON-TRIBAL POLITICAL CAREER.
HE CAN NO LONGER BE REGARDED AS AN INDEPENDENT FATHER FIGURE FOR THE MMD. WHAT A SHAME. HE HAS MAINTAINED A NON TRIBAL IMAGE FOR YEARS ONLY TO SUCCUMB TO HIS TONGA BLOOD IN THE AFTERNOON OF HIS LIFE.
WHAT A PITY.
You have yourselves to blame for putting a man of gold in charge
Ba VJ, please retire from politics because you are shell yourself. I cant understand these T0ngas, who has bewitched the kanshi? They just dont make any sense to anyone and you easily see that they have already planned how they will plunder the nation in the UNLIKELY EVENT that people by mistake mark on the Kachema’s ballot.
Just how do you have all you leadership, MPs and its following from one region and expect to entrusted with the national affairs? Its impossible, so just tell Hadolf Hitler that he WILL NEVER BE PRESIDENT OF ZAMBIA BECAUSE THE RISKS ARE JUST TOO MUCH FOR THE COUNTRY.
Who wants to be greeted back at Mulikabuto when one said how are you? NO, not in our mother zambia, NO, NO, please.
Dr VJ is right and any well meaning MMD member should open their eyes. MMD and PF will be dead for good come 11th August 2016 and beyond
Pity a country that will have Great Bag of Maize as it’s Vice President. If he could defy President Sata, how much more under 5 HH? HH will forever be looking behind his back as long as Great Bag of Maize is around. HH has never held a government political office. He will be in Sub A from day one while GBM will have graduated from University.
@cuito many patriots still have hope elections may not be that divisive afterall. this because we still have brilliant and unitaristic inclined young men such as masumba and kafwaya, much incomparable to the oppotunistic oldies aiming for relevance. one would expect more of the like of these young men emerge from both south and western provinces. no doubt ecl is a more unifying option
Ababwata bwata, tabakwata kwata…., Ba VJ, your time is up! Lesa tapela libili.
Zambians will see through you a cynical failed old man. Start talking about your new love, UPND, the party you joined after being sidelined by RB.