. Mumba

By POTIPHER TEMBO –
THE former ruling party, MMD, should take a leaf from the other former ruling party – the United National Independence party (UNIP).
UNIP was Zwambia’s most vibrant party from the time the country attained independence in 1964.
The party, led by the first Republican President, Kenneth Kaunda, enjoyed its supremacy for a good 27 years because it did not face any formidable opposition until in the 1980s.
This was after a newly formed MMD headed by the late second Republican President, Fredrick Chiluba and the United Party for National Democracy (UPND) headed by the late Anderson Mazoka came into being.
MMD took over the reigns of running government from UNIP after a landslide electoral victory in 1991.
MMD enjoyed support from all corners of the country.
The elections which came after 1991 saw MMD retaining most of the seats in parliament and its president, Dr Chiluba, successfully completed two terms in office.
However, the number of opposition parties had mushroomed with Patriotic Front (PF), led by Michael Sata, being the strongest opposition.
The MMD saw itself run the affairs of the country under three presidents – Dr Chiluba, the third Republican President, the late Levy Mwanawasa and Rupiah Banda who was the fourth Republican President after the demise of Mr Mwanawasa.
The PF participated in two general elections and scooped the elections in 2011 shelving the MMD into the opposition party after being in power for 20 years.
SQUABBLES
After succumbing to PF, the MMD seems to be heading its way into extinction not only because of its waning popularity, but because of the in-fights the party has been experiencing since its exit from power.
For sometime, the MMD has been faced with leadership squabbles.
The past few days have seen the center of the party failing to hold with things falling apart.
The apparent disintegration of the MMD seems to be caused by its leaders rather than the common membership.
The MMD leadership has been at each other’s throats for some time now beginning with expelled National Secretary, Richard Kachingwe, who two years ago blamed the crumbling of the party on its president, Nevers Mumba.
Major Kachingwe accused Dr Mumba of not being an MMD member and that from the time he took over the presidency of the party, the MMD had lost many members because he had sidelined the party structures and neglected genuine cadres in preference to a group of Members of Parliament (MPs) that campaigned for his presidency.
On the other hand, Dr Mumba attributed the cracking of the party to people like Major Kachingwe and this was the reason he wanted to rebrand the MMD if it was to win the 2016 elections.
As the wrangles between Major Kachingwe and Dr Mumba intensified, the National Executive Committee (NEC) endorsed the expulsion of Major Kachingwe.
Two years after Major Kachingwe’s expulsion, squabbles in the MMD have continued.
CONVENTION
Recently, the MMD top brass unanimously passed a vote of no confidence in Dr Mumba.
The leaders have called for dissolution of the NEC to allow the party to hold an extra-ordinary convention to elect new office bearers to
revitalise the sinking party.
Problems in the MMD have reached alarming proportions forcing the top party members led by the two vice presidents – Brian Chituwo, who is in charge of administration and Michael Kaingu, who is in charge of politics – to convene a meeting and chart a way forward to save the party.
The leaders who were previously reluctant to say anything on the on-goings in the party, this time spoke openly against the leadership of Dr Mumba who took over the leadership of the party from Mr Banda in 2011.
Dr Chituwo and Dr Kaingu led other members who included Kapembwa Simbao, Eustarkio Kazonga, Dora Siliya and Lucky Mulusa at a press briefing to announce the radical measures required to salvage the party from total collapse.
“Failure to admit that our party is dying a slow and painful death will be gross injustice to many Zambians who regard the MMD as their only political home to participate in the governance of our nation.
“We deny any links to State House and we wish to state in no uncertain terms that ours is a noble call of duty to take leadership on numerous
calls from our members for an extra-ordinary convention to put in place a leadership that will be inspiring to our members, a leadership that will achieve relevance to our party,” said Dr Chituwo.
Dr Chituwo was echoed by Ms Siliya, who said Dr Mumba had failed and that the party would die if no action was taken.
Ms Silya said she would not be afraid to tell any leader if she felt there was poor performance as that would be a disservice to the people and the party leadership.
On the accusations, Dr Mumba said he would not be deterred from his mandate to prepare to lead the party in 2016 general elections.
“I am currently going round the country to prepare for the 2016 general elections and would not be distracted from this mandate to organise the party,” said Dr Mumba.
Last year in May, Dr Kaingu said the MMD would not hold an extra-ordinary convention as demanded by some party organs.
Dr Kaingu contended then that the party constitution stipulated that the party president reserved the right to call for a convention and also mandated him to stay in office for a period of five years and hinted that calls for a convention were misplaced.
Are they placed now?
In March last year, Mafinga Member of Parliament, Cathrine Namugala, charged that unless Dr Mumba stopped masquerading as MMD president, more MPs would leave the former ruling party.
Ms Namugala said the MMD was dying under the leadership of Dr Mumba and called on real members of the party to stand up and save it from going into oblivion.
She said real MMD members were worried with the fast pace at which the party was sinking due to the alleged poor leadership of Dr Mumba.
“Our MPs have reduced to less than 40 from 55 in September 2011 and unless Dr Mumba stops masquerading as the MMD leader, we will see more defections. Not all defections are due to members being attracted to PF because of the power they hold, most are due to a visionless leadership in MMD,” said Ms Namugala.
She complained that it was hard to believe that the MMD could come third in the Mpongwe by-elections where it had won with a landslide victory in 2011 polls.
MMD Lusaka Province members joined Ms Namugala in calling for the removal of Dr Mumba.
They demanded that an urgent national convention be held to save the party from collapse.
MMD Lusaka province secretary, George Malaika blamed Dr Mumba for the unpopularity of the party which has led to mass defections of members to other parties while MMD Luapula provincial executive treasurer, Godfrey Mwenya, said Dr Mumba had failed to run the former ruling party.
In May last year, MMD in Luapula Province accused Dr Mumba of threatening leaders with expulsions for petitioning the party’s NEC to hold an extra-ordinary national convention.
The province’s executive committee chairperson, Mulenga Chilukuta said the party in the province had endeavored to follow the party’s constitution as regards sorting out contentious issues but it was shocked with the negative reception from the NEC.
“However, we would like to warn Dr Mumba and his minows that they must not take our respect for them and the party institution for granted as
we have already passed the stage of retreat or surrender and no amount of intimidation or threats shall deter us,” said Mr Chilukuta.
In March last year, Dr Mumba dissolved the Luapula Province NEC of the party – the move which was seen as a way to silence party organs pressing for an extra-ordinary convention.
Dr Mumba has also been accused of being responsible for the defections that have rocked the party in the recent past.
Luapula, Northern, and Muchinga provinces have criticised Dr Mumba’s leadership accusing him of plunging the former ruling party into turmoil but have in the turn of events refused to let the intended convention take place.
DEFECTIONS
Last year in March, Education Deputy Minister Patrick Ngoma defected from MMD to PF. He defected along with 1,200 members, citing lack of leadership in MMD.
In May, Kafulafuta  MP, James Chishiba defected from MMD to PF while the same month, MMD suffered another setback with former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Mutale Nalumango defecting to UPND, saying she wanted to work with a vibrant opposition political party and MMD Mkushi Central MP Musonda Mutale with other MMD members defected to PF.
In December 2012, MMD Mpongwe MP, Gabriel Namulambe crossed from the former ruling party to join the PF citing lack of vision in MMD as his reason for defecting.
ARCHIVES
According to some members of MMD, it may not be possible for the MMD to redeem itself and be able to bounce back into power in the same way UNIP failed after it lost power to MMD.
The members say it is public knowledge that in 1991, MMD had 125 elected MPs, yet this number has kept dwindling to where it is now well below 40.
However, it is prudent for leaders in the MMD to take pragmatic measures to stop deepening inter-party woes before the former ruling party is consigned to the archives.
It seems the party is losing grip in the political arena because the leadership had not been admitting failure to inspire the grassroots and the general membership.
The party has not, until now, been taking remedial steps while the gap between NEC and the lower organs of the party continues to widen.
Last year, Vice President Guy Scott said the failure by the MMD to field candidates in the Lukulu and Kapiri Mposhi by-elections was proof enough that the party was headed for extinction.
If the sour happenings in the MMD continue at the pace they are moving, the party will surely soon collapse into oblivion like the way its predecessor UNIP did – never to be resurrected.