Magande puzzles MMD
By YANDE KAPEYA and JERRY MUNTHALI.MMD spokesperson Dora Siliya says it is unfortunate that MMD chairman for Economics and Finance Ng’andu Magande is against former President Frederick Chiluba’s support of President Banda
And MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba says if it was wrong to withhold former President Kenneth Kaunda’s retirement benefits, it will not be logical now to deprive Dr Chiluba of his entitlements for supporting President Banda.
Ms Siliya said Dr Chiluba is free to associate with the MMD and support President Banda’s candidature, as he is a long-standing member of the ruling party.
She said this in an interview in Lusaka yesterday in reaction to Mr Magande who was quoted in The Post newspapers saying that Dr Chiluba is breaking the law by engaging in active campaigns for President Banda.
Mr Magande, who is former Minister of Finance and National Planning, also said Dr Chiluba risks having his Presidential benefits stripped.
But Ms Siliya said she finds it strange for Mr Magande to condemn Dr Chiluba’s support for MMD.
She said the ruling party has a policy to attract new membership and sympathisers and Mr Magande and other members of the MMD should be happy with Dr Chiluba’s support.
“I find Mr Magande’s statement really strange because why would he be against support to his own party.
“As MMD, we have always advocated new membership and we do welcome sympathisers and so I really do no understand why some of our members are so against Dr Chiluba’s support for our party,” she said
Ms Siliya said the MMD is happy with the former President’s support for the party, as he is free to associate with any political party.
She said it is sad that Dr Chiluba’s support for President Banda is been politicised by some MMD members and some sections of the public.
Ms Siliya said the fact that Dr Chiluba has publicly announced his support for President Banda does not imply he is campaigning.
“What position is Dr Chiluba campaigning for because we do not have elections this year and, besides, if he has chosen to support MMD, it does not mean he is campaigning.
“As a party we are happy with his stance to support our party and so people should not misunderstand this matter,” Ms Siliya said.
And Dr Kalumba said: “My colleagues should be a little measured in their reaction to things they observe as curious. In the same way Mr Magande was criticising Dr Chiluba for threatening to withdraw the benefits of Dr Kaunda, he should also criticise the stripping of benefits for Dr Chiluba. We should not repeat the same mistakes.
“Let’s be a bit logical. If Mr Magande wants to counsel Dr Chiluba to be less obvious in his politics, he has every right to do so but to talk of stripping the benefits, he is engaging in an error he is trying to criticise,” Dr Kalumba said
He called on the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) to help interpret the law on whether former heads of state cease to have any political allegiance when they retire.
Parliamentary Chief Whip Vernon Mwaanga said Dr Chiluba has a constitutional right to support a presidential candidate of his choice and has advised politicians to respect the former head of state’s decision.
Mr Mwaanga was speaking in an interview yesterday in reaction to Mr Magande’s sentiments that Dr Chiluba is breaking the law by engaging in active campaigns for President Banda and that he risks having his presidential benefits stripped.
“I am surprised that there should be such loud calls for the withdrawal of terminal benefits under the former Presidents Act simply because Dr Chiluba is supporting President Banda. Unless there are other reasons, I find it difficult to understand,” Mr Mwaanga said.
He said it should be understood that when Dr Chiluba supported Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata’s candidature for the 2006 presidential elections and campaigned for him, no one threatened to withdraw his terminal benefits.
Mr Mwaanga also said when Dr Kaunda supported the former ruling party, UNIP, and United Party for National Development candidate under the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), the MMD never threatened to withdraw his terminal benefits.
He said it does not mean that when heads of state retire, they cannot express their political opinions and support candidates of their choice.
“Former Presidents are political animals, they have a constitutional
right to choose a candidate of their Presidential choice.
We must respect their constitutional right and that is a matter which needs to
be understood by all of us in leadership,” Mr Mwaanga said
He advised politicians to move away from the notion that personal
attacks are what wins elections because Zambian voters have over the years matured and are only interested in issue-based politics.
And the MMD on the Copperbelt says Dr Chiluba did not campaign when he visited the province but merely exercised his freedom of movement.
MMD Copperbelt provincial chairman, Joseph Chilambwe said he has not complained that Dr Chiluba was campaigning for the MMD and wondered why Mr Magande is aggrieved.
He advised Mr Magande to concentrate on mobilising funds for the ruling party.
On Sunday, Dr Chiluba said he has every right to back President Banda and that this cannot disqualify him from receiving his pension and benefits.
Dr Chiluba’s spokesperson Emmanuel Mwamba said Mr Magande should know that Dr Chiluba has not broken any provisions of the law to lose his benefits.
Mr Mwamba said Dr Chiluba and other former presidents who wish to comment on matters of public affairs and support candidates and political parties of their choice do not in any way break the law.
He said the former President would only lose his benefits on grounds of wilful violation of the constitution.
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