MMD on the brink

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 07:17:02 +0000

Serious divisions have emerged in the MMD while embattled party President Nevers Mumba is reported to have regretted the roughing up of his National Secretary Major Richard Kachingwe by party cadres at the weekend.

But some MMD members inKitwehave supported the hounding out of Maj Kachingwe whom they accused of being hired by the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) government to destabilise the opposition.

MMD officials who attended an urgent meeting held at Dr. Mumba’s house on Saturday evening revealed to the Daily Nation that the MMD president felt sad and depressed after watching on television the way the youths treated Maj. Kachingwe at the secretariat.

The officials said that Dr. Mumba was shaken and shocked over the manner the youths harangued Maj. Kachingwe, saying he did not anticipate that the youths would treat the national secretary like that.

Maj. Kachingwe was on Saturday hounded out of his office by youths suspected to have been sent by party president Dr. Mumba and allegedly led by die-hard MMD coordinator Bowman Lusambo.

However some senior MMD members have expressed disappointment over the manner in which Dr. Mumba has been handling the affairs of the former ruling party, accusing him of creating confusion and divisions in the party.

The members blamed Dr Mumba over the action against the Maj Kachingwe.

The members said that even if Dr. Mumba showed remorse over the conduct of the cadres, the act of hounding out Maj. Kachingwe in the manner it happened was illegal and barbaric.

The officials said that the action against Maj. Kachingwe had negatively affected Dr. Mumba’s name in the party.

And MMD members on the Copperbelt andLuapulaProvincehave differed over the Major Kachingwe’s expulsion with some supporting the move while others are warning the party leadership to exhibit decency in the manner they were handling critical party issues.

The officials, who have organised for a demonstration against party president Dr. Mumba’s decision to unleash cadres on their party National Secretary Maj. Kachingwe, said that they would not allow the party to be turned into prison.

Other officials led byKitwedistrict youth Chairman James Phiri accused Maj. Kachingwe of destabilising the party.