. Chitala

BY DELPHINE ZULU and  MOFFAT CHAZINGWA –
MMD’s first deputy national secretary Mbita Chitala has said the current wrangles in the former ruling party is partly because it is being managed by non-founder members.
Mr Chitala said in an interview that some senior MMD officials did not understand  the party’s basic principles on which it was founded.
He said the only remedy to sustain the MMD was to call for an urgent national convention at which all those who hijacked the party could be removed.
He said the MMD risked being ‘swallowed’ by other opposition political parties and that electing new crop of leaders would settle the wrangles.
“The need to go for a national convention is ripe so that the party can get rid of non founding members of the party who did not understand the founding principles, the manifesto as well as the constitution. This is what has contributed to current squabbles,” Mr Chitala said.
Meanwhile, MMD acting national secretary Chembe Nyangu said in a separate interview that committed members are expected to remain loyal to the party amid the ongoing squabbles.
Mr Nyangu’s remarks come in the wake of the slow response to his March 17, 2014 circular in which he called for applications for the vacant position of party national secretary and seven other National Executive Committee (NEC) positions.
Mr Nyangu said so far, only MMD leader Nevers Mumba’s spokesperson Muhabi Lungu had applied for the position of national secretary.
Rose Banda is also the only one who has applied for one of the seven vacant positions as at yesterday.
Ms Banda applied for the Local Government, Housing and Environment Protection chairperson position.
Meanwhile, the MMD Copperbelt leadership has challenged those calling for an extraordinary convention to reconsider their position or leave the party.
The MMD top brass who included the two vice presidents, Michael Kaingu for political and his counterpart for administration Brian Chituwo together with party spokesperson Dora Siliya have demanded that an extraordinary convention be convened to put in place a new leadership.
But the Copperbelt MMD leadership said calls for an extraordinary convention were misplaced because Dr Mumba’s mandate runs up to 2015.
Briefing the press after a provincial meeting held in Kitwe on Saturday attended by representatives from all the districts on the Copperbelt, provincial party chairperson Joseph Zulu said those trying to hound Dr Mumba out should leave the party themselves.