Suspended MMD national Spokesperson Raphael Nakacinda says all members of NEC members who will be claiming to still be holding on to their positions after 11th April 2016 will just be masquerading as their tenure of office ends on that day.
And governance expert McDonald Chipenzi says the blood being spilt due to political violence is on the heads of President Edgar Lungu and Police Inspector General Kakoma Kankanja as they are the only people with the powers to stop the scourge.
Speaking when the duo featured on a discussion program on Joy FM radio Mr Nakacinda said the only person with an outside chance to protest against holding of the convention is the party President Dr Nevers Mumba who was elected at an extra ordinary convention in 2012.
He explained that all the other NEC members including those who have been appointed to replace the various members who either were expelled or left the party will not have the mandate to hold on to any position in the party.
He further noted that even the position of the president is up for elections because the constitution of the party dictates that the party shall go to a convention every five years and that all positions are electable at the convention.
He also said the decision to try and defer the convention by NEC is illegal as it is only given powers to make decisions in between conventions which does not include deferring the convention adding that they are certain decisions which are a preserve of the convention and not NEC.
Mr Nakacinda who was a staunch supporter of Dr Mumba explained that he tried to advise the Politburo, an executive body within the party that MMD is not like others parties because the founders left a strong constitution which has to be followed but that there are some members who have been adamant and that proceeding in the way the party is going will only end up destroying the same values which the party was founded on.
Asked if he agrees with members who fought Dr Mumba such as Dora Siliya and others who have been expelled from the party, Mr Nakacinda said that his support for Dr Mumba was based on the constitutional backing that he was the elected President of the party with the mandate to run it up to the end of his term.
On accusations that he has been bought by the other faction headed by Lunte MP Felix Mutati, Mr Nakacinda said he is above being bought and that he does not want to be on the wrong side of the constitution, precedence or be among the people who will be responsible of mutilating the party’s values and principles.
He said he would rather be alone than in group of people advancing an agenda he does not believe in for political expedience and personal gains.
He said if party leaders can try to advance their personal interests when they are outside government how far would they go in protecting the interests if they were giving the mandate to run the country adding that if the party does not adhere to its own rules then they have no moral rights to offer themselves for service to the nation.
And speaking on the same platform governance expert who is also former FODEP Executive Director McDonald Chipenzi said there are two people with the powers to stop political violence in the country.
He said President Lungu has only been issuing rhetorics but that he has not put his foot down saying every time the President issues a statement condemning political violence the opposite happens as members of his party will be reported to have committed the same crimes.
Mr Chipenzi said the other person who is in a position to stop the scourge is the Inspector General of police who he said is in charge of the Zambia Police.
He said the blood being spilt due to political violence is on the heads of the two leaders as they have failed to control the scourge.
He called on the civil society not to relent in their call for peaceful campaigns and elections saying their job will only become harder as the election date approaches.
He also called on the media to avoid falling into what he called Kambwili phobia by ensuring that they help the public with accurate information.
In fact any members who are still calling themselves members of the MMD are masquerading as such since the MMD died and was buried a long time ago!
MACDONALD CHIPENZI, YOU ARE THE SAME CHAPS IN THE UPND WHO ALWAYS BLAME THE POLICE AND THE PRESIDENT EVERY TIME THE POLICE MOVES INTO ACTION WHEN THE ARREST HH, AND GBM’S THUGS WHENEVER THEY ARE INVOLVED IN A CRIME, YOU CALL IG, AND PRESIDENT NAMES. PLEASE KINDLY DISCIPLINE YOUR CRIMINAL CADRES FROM YOUR UPND RANKS.
LT what is Politburo
POLITBURO in communist countries is the chief committee that decides on government policy and makes decisions
Lungaman K you are absolutely correct in saying that the POLITBURO is a term used in Communist countries. Either Mr Chipenzi was telling us that MMD has communist tendencies or he does not know what POLITBURO is. Then again MMD is run on dictatorial/communist lines by Nevers Mumba.