Mbulakulima is being mischievous-MMD

Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) Acting Party Spokesperson Reverend Reuben Sambo has advised suspended MMD National Secretary to be better organized and structured in the manner he is making statements on important party issues to avoid misleading the public. He said Mr. Mbulakulima has been an experienced and very senior member of the party and could have found a better way of finding out the information he wanted rather than choose a Mansa hotel, far away from Lusaka where the information is, to announce that he had written a letter to National Treasurer Elizabeth Chitika demanding her to account for all party monies allegedly because there has been reckless and extravagant expenditure by some senior officers.

Responding to a statement issued by Mr. Mbulakulima and carried in the Daily nation Newspaper of 4th April, 2016, Reverend Sambo said the impression created in the statement was mischievous because the letter in question, dated 25th January, 2016, was a regular and normal internal memo to the National Treasurer for her to give a report after the two Copperbelt and one Eastern Province mobilization tours. On such occasions funds are in the care of the National Treasurer for safe keeping and accountability.

In the particular case referred to, Mr Mbulakulima had not travelled to the Copperbelt and Eastern Province and we believed he was merely seeking clarification and not make it an agenda item at a dubious ‘mobilization tour’ at a hotel in Mansa. We believe Mr. Mbulakulima may have some anxieties about his Luapula Milenge seat and therefore deliberately chose Mansa as the venue for the strange speech.

Reconciliation and accounting of party funds after any party program is a regular undertaking by Mrs Chitika as part of her duties as clearly stated in the Party Constitution. These include inter alia, receipting and immediate banking of all party funds received, disbursements and reconciliation of all monies used on party programs, keeping and maintaining books of accounts, vouchers, financial documents, the power to inspect the Party bank accounts and books and report findings thereof to the National Executive Committee not to the National Secretary as Mr. Mbulakulima was.

The party is therefore very concerned by the impression created in the article attributed to Mr. Mbulakulima suggesting that he was asking her to account for all party monies received by the party which is misleading and deliberately intended to create an impression that there was questionable use of funds in the MMD generally.

The party is very disappointed that Mr. Mbulakulima who was National Treasurer before he became National Secretary and knew exactly how stringent handling of party funds is in the MMD, could issue such an irresponsible, malicious and deliberately misleading statement. Mr. Mbulakulima is well aware that in the MMD the National Treasurer does not generate any party programs and is simply a custodian of party funds and facilitator of party programs mooted by the National Secretary in consultation with the party president and the NEC.

It may be of interest to those who may wish to know that in the entire life of the MMD there has never been a period when funds have been handled as transparently and as prudently as is the case since Dr. Nevers Mumba took office. It is worth noting that this has been an issue with many members who have left the party who had been used to reckless access to party funds anyhow for flimsy reasons.

Reverend Sambo said the hallmark of Dr. Mumba’s leadership has been transparency in the handling of party funds and hands over any money he raises for the party immediately upon return. He said anyone could challenge him if there were any former National Secretaries in MMD who had any opportunity to know how funds were raised, used, how cars, party regalia etc were bought. This was always a tightly kept secret.

Reverend Sambo has asked all those questioning Dr. Mumba’s integrity in handling funds why nobody in MMD raised a finger to assist in paying the K400 million (un-rebased) penalty to the Registrar of Societies when the party was slapped with imminent de-registration in 2013 and yet Dr. Mumba managed to settle this money personally within days of the deadline and has never asked for a refund from the party. He said Dr. Mumba does not receive any allowance or salary from the MMD but instead is the chief funder of the party.

He personally funds all his foreign trips to source for funds for the party and has never asked for assistance from the party whatsoever.

The party has drawn the conclusion that this group of Mutati, Mbulakulima and others have reached a dead-end in trying to find fault with Dr. Mumba’s leadership and are now bent on being malicious to alienate Dr. Mumba from his supporters and funders.

As a party, we would like to challenge Mr. Mbulakulima to instead disclose the source and expenditure of party funds they are using on their alleged ‘MMD nation-wide mobilization’ with expelled former Lunte MP Felix Mutati. Why are they using former president Mr. Rupiah Banda’s regalia? Is it fair to conclude that perhaps he is the founder of their programs? Can we conclude that he is in fact the funder of the destabilization in the MMD?

If so, Mr. Mbulakulima and his colleagues need to offer a reasonable and plausible explanation since they are going in the name of the MMD and supposedly using MMD funds. If mishandled, this has potential to result in serious implications on Mr. Banda in light of the Supreme Court ruling of 18 November 2014.