MMD warns detractors, readies for 2021

Tue, 20 Dec 2016 13:19:45 +0000

By SANDRA MACHIMA

THE opposition MMD has advised its members to start reorganizing the party in readiness for the 2021 general elections but has warned that it will not allow anyone to destabilize the party in its effort to restore its lost glory.

Raphael Nakacinda the MMD national secretary said there was no disputed that MMD was the largest opposition party because its ‘skeleton’ structures were still in existence and intact in all the ten-provinces.

He cautioned that members who had intentions to disturb the party to stop and give chance to its current leadership under Finance Minister Felix Mutati to revive the former ruling party.

Mr Nakacinda said despite MMD having faced various challenges since 2011, the party was still going strong and promised that come 2021 election, the party would be able to participate.

“We want to warn all those members who are aimed at bringing confusion in the party to stop and leave us who want to work and contribute to the country’s development,” Mr Nakacinda said.

He said those who were causing confusion in the party should leave if they were tired of the MMD leadership, saying it was disappointing that the people who were supposed to face-lift the party were the ones creating confusion.

Mr Nakacinda said MMD was a pioneer of democracy and to allow the party to be destroyed by some individuals was unacceptable, stating that the party should undergo serious postmortem as soon as possible in preparation for the next general elections.

He said the party had started its preparations for 2021 general elections and that it would hold its convention at an appropriate time after rebuilding its structures across the country.

“The MMD is lucky that its party President Mr Felix Mutati is Finance Minister in the ruling PF, which showed the sign that the party was contributing to governance.

The Zambian people must agree with us that the 2016 was a dramatic year for the opposition MMD looking at what the party was subjected by people with personal agendas to save their interest and we promise that 2017 and onwards will never be the same,” he said.

He said the party had started working on their weaknesses that were perceived to be a drawback, to restore people’s confidence in the democratic party, adding that there would intra-party elections to realign the party structures.