POLITICAL stakeholders in the country have expressed mixed feelings over the formation and launch of the political movement, National Movement for Progress (NMP), by former Minister of Finance and National Planning Ng’andu Magande.
United Party for National Development (UPND) spokesperson Charles Kakoma has described the formation of NMP as a pipedream and a serious misjudgment of the prevailing political scenario in the country.
Mr Kakoma said in an interview in Lusaka that Mr Magande must have considered combining forces with any of the major political forces in the country.
He said although the UPND respects Mr Magande’s democratic right to vie for any political office, history shows that political parties formed on the eve of general elections have never succeeded.
“There is no doubt that he is doing this out of frustration with the MMD. We respect his decision but history has shown us that forming a political party on the eve of elections does not work. How do you form a political party ‘two days’ before elections?” Mr Kakoma asked.
Mr Kakoma charged that Mr Magande, who was Chilanga Member of Parliament (MP) until he was expelled from the ruling MMD a couple of months ago, has no political base anywhere in the country.
He said that Mr Magande is allegedly trying to use the late UPND president Anderson Mazoka’s strategy of launching the political party in Solwezi.
Mr Kakoma said history will not repeat itself for Mr Magande.
“He (Mr Magande) is trying to repeat history. He wants to make North-Western Province his base but it will not work because he has no political base anywhere in this country,” Mr Kakoma said.
He said that Mr Magande’s NMP has joined a long list of ‘paper political parties’ that do not have a following.
“At the moment, the people of Zambia have settled for three major political parties – the MMD, PF and UPND – and these are the only parties with a following. The people of Zambia will only have a choice of their leaders from these three parties,” Mr Kakoma said.
MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga said Mr Magande is free to form a political party in accordance with Zambia’s rule of law and democratic tendencies.
Mr Mabenga said, however, that the formation of his political party is not a threat to the ruling MMD as the latter is a giant well poised among all political parties in the country to scoop the 2011 general election.
He said this in an interview from Western Province yesterday.
United National Independence Party (UNIP) vice-president Njekwa Anamela said the formation of NMP and Mr Magande’s intention to contest the 2011 elections are welcome in a democratic dispensation.
Mr Anamela said UNIP is, however, not threatened by the formation of NMP, saying its launch is a mere addition to Zambia’s competitive political environment.
He said, however, that although it is the nature of multi-partism to have many parties competing, it is ideal to have few formidable parties to enable the majority to make an effective choice.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
