MMD circus

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 14:52:27 +0000

The greatest losers in the ongoing MMD circus are Zambian people.

They are witnessing a futile and totally mindless tussle whose ending is predictable.

Much as Major Kachingwe may claim popularity and leadership in the party he must contend with the legal, traditional and branding realities that confront his group.

Nevers Mumba is not the MMD and has never been MMD, he is a unit of the MMD. The party MMD is a legally registered party with a constitution and structure that supports the organisation. The party has had many Presidents and has survived. It exists over and beyond any individual.

MMD is very different from the Patriotic Front which is virtually a one man party. Without President Michael Sata the PF would find it very difficult to marshall any semblance of following hence the current leadership wrangle.

In the same vein with KK. Our erstwhile UNIP is floundering hence the requirement to have a Kaunda at the helm to keep the party afloat.

MMD is different it has gone through  three party Presidents, the last being  President Rupiah Banda whose children have no pretensions to party leadership, but we know that the PF is in the process of ensuring paternal identity.

It therefore means that fighting Nevers Mumba is not the same thing as fighting the Party. Nevers can be removed at any time by popular will. All it needs is for a majority of members to call for an extraordinary meeting, which will then pass a legally recognised vote of impeachment or otherwise and Nevers will be no more.

Such  VOTE HOWEVER MUST BE MADE BY THE Party as legally registered by law.

In short therefore fighting Nevers is not the same thing as fighting the party. The MMD has a life of its own distinct from the leadership that it has at any point in time. The MMD has remained under FJT, Levy and more recently under RB.

Major Kachingwe must fight from within and not without.

Firstly the legal necessities make it impossible for the group to use the same name, logo or indeed brand. The law stipulates that every party must have a very clear definable identity. It is untenable to use the MMD symbol,  that belongs to the Nevers Mumba group, the legally registered group.

The suggestion that Nevers is not party President on account of his membership of the Reform Party is neither substantial nor legally tenable. If the MMD membership chose to elect Nevers, warts and all, that is not a matter for the Registrar of Societies. The party has a choice which must be respected by all.

Secondly the MMD is a legally instituted entity which has members of Parliament who have previously indicated THEIR INTENTION TO WITHDAW CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE Party if Major Kachingwe remained in control of the party.

This block should not be written off because it serves as the basis from the de jure recognition of the Nevers Mumba group. It will take a complete turn around of the MPs to endorse the suspension and subsequent removal of Nevers for the Kachingwe group to secure the legal recognition it desires.

The position therefore is that there is only one MMD, unless something happens legally to subvert the party. Whether or not Nevers is in charge is inconsequential.

That is why the strategy for change must address the existing structures rather than operate from exogenorous  circumstances which operate in parallel to the existing structures. Major and his colleagues must find a point of intersection that puts them in the mainstream.

It is from the mainstream that the party can be challenged.

The current confusion unfortunately only serves to give credence to disunity and at worst gives party enemies the ammunition to destroy this one credible and united party.

Unless this happens the splinter group will slowly but most certainly sink into oblivion.