.DR. SCOTT
By NAKUBIANA SHABONGO and CATHERINE NYIRENDA –
PATRIOTIC Front (PF) members of the Central Committee have petitioned party Secretary General Bridget Attanga to suspend Acting President Guy Scott for 60 days for gross misconduct.
The members have since asked party chairperson Inonge Wina to take over the party presidency during the period Dr Scott will be serving his suspension.
But Ms Attanga has dismissed the purported suspension of Dr Scott because the meeting convened by the 25 central committee members was not only illegal but null and void.
Ms Atanga said only the President of the party was mandated by the PF constitution to convene meetings of the central committee and not anyone else.
Dr Scott encouraged party members who gathered in his solidarity to remain calm as the party would follow the constitution on the election of the party president.
He was speaking at a Press briefing at Government House.
“You have the rights to be governed by the people you want. You must stand up for your rights and your rights are embedded in the Zambian Constitution and the PF constitution,” Dr Scott said. “We are going to follow the constitutional procedures. If anybody wants to make trouble outside, it’s at their own cost. And they will be the ones to answer.”
Roan Member of Parliament (MP) Chishimba Kambwili also condemned the action by some members of the Central Committee.
Mr Kambwili said the constitution did not provide for the Central Committee to charge the party president, describing such a move as gross misconduct.
“Only the president had the power under Article 56 to convene the central committee by directing the secretariat through the secretary general to send notices four days in advance to members,” Mr Kambwili said.
Mr Kambwili, who was flanked by Kasama MP Geoffrey Mwamba, Nchanga MP Wylbur Simuusa, party secretary general Bridget Atanga and her deputy Anthony Kasolo described the meeting as illegal, saying that only the president could suspend members of the Central Committee and no other people.
The letter signed by 25 members of the central committee said Dr Scott was suspended for usurping the powers of the Central Committee and Cabinet by cancelling the meetings and single-handedly making decisions regarding the funeral of late President Michael Sata.
The committee members argued that the cancellation was in total violation of Article 74, subsection 29 c and (p) which resulted into President Sata’s funeral being the worst-organised State funeral ever in the history of Zambia.
Other grounds were the dismissal of secretary general of the party Edgar Lungu without consulting the Central Committee as well as cancelling a legally-called extra-ordinary central committee meeting which was scheduled for November 13, 2014.
The members also accused Dr Scott of running the party by decree without any authority and that he manipulated the public media to publish his version of the PF constitution.
Dr Scott is also said to have unilaterally and without authority of the Central Committee called for an extra-ordinary general conference in Kabwe without regard to the party provisions.
“In line with the regulations, you cannot attend to or act on any party matters during the period of your suspension. You must also surrender to the office of the Central Committee any party property that maybe in your possession by virtue of your office,” the letter to Dr Scott signed by the 25 MCCs reads in part.
