Opinion: M’membe Is Party to Zambia’s Disastrous Political Scene In his editorial of November 23, 2014, Fred M’membe writes; “Civilised organisations have a hierarchy and rules. And they conduct their affairs in an orderly manner. What we today see in the Patriotic Front is the law of the jungle.” This is the jungle M’membe was advised against pontificating as the best thing to happen to Zambian. M’membe and his cartel did not have Zambia at heart when they misled Zambians into this Patriotic Front confusion. It’s coming back to haunt not only them but even those that rejected this party. The happenings in the PF today have nothing to do with anyone but the late president Michael Sata. No single Zambians can deny that PF was Sata and Sata was PF. Therefore if Sata had curved a good succession plan when at least his health deteriorated, we would not be treated to this “jungle way of handling national affairs”. This is why even United Party for National Development, UPND, president Hakainde Hichilema should take extra caution with the overtures by M’membe who has nothing but his business interests to protect. M’membe was given so much control after rallying Sata into the 2011 victory. Today, the civil service and key constitutional offices as well as the judiciary are held by M’membe’s stooges. Director of Public Relations Mutembo Nchito, Speaker Patrick Matibini and Chief Justice Lombe Chibesakunda are all in M’membe’s cable owing to the key yet unofficial advisory role he played for president Sata. One thing M’membe didn’t envisage was Sata’s death. And that is why he didn’t effectively prepare Sata especially that his preferred candidate Wynter Kabimba was very unpopular within the PF structures. Now we have this confusion. The same M’membe wants to play smart heaping blame on PF when he is the architect of the confusion. M’membe says “The only way the Patriotic Front can resolve the leadership competition is by strictly following their party constitution. There is need to end this shameful power struggle that has left many Zambians dismayed and disheartened.” His friend Guy Scott, the Acting President, is not respecting the PF constitution. Who is he telling to respect the constitution? Yes, it’s a shameful power struggle but it’s hypocricy for M’membe to be dismayed. He helped create this monster and has failed to deal with it. M’membe in the same editorial adds, “This is simply the beginning of the end of the Patriotic Front, unless its leaders put aside their power ambitions and focus on the collective good of their party. They have disgraced themselves, decampaigned themselves to the Zambian people. “They now appear to be just a bunch of hooligans, thugs. The mob is in control of the Patriotic Front. Party constitutions and rules are made for a purpose – to help manage conflict in a peaceable manner. Whoever wins the Patriotic Front adoption will win nothing but problems that may lead to the total failure of the party.” No FRED. The PF has always been a bunch of hooligans and thugs even when you painted them angelic. They displayed pangas and you said nothing. They knifed each other to death and you turned your eyes and ears away. Who is M’membe fooling? Perhaps that brave and wonderful activists in the form of Laura Miti can pump some sense in M’membe and his cartel. Laura says; “The point we are refusing to face is that there was no such thing as a political party called PF. “All there was, was a bunch of hangers on (like M’membe) holding firm on to Michael Sata’s coat tail for their own self interest. “With him gone, there are no systems, no structures and no shared vision to hold them together. Even the party constitution has such contradictory provisions on critical issues monga banalemba ninshi bakolewa.” M’membe cared nothing about the structures of PF nor the welfare of Michael’s party. If he truly did and as an “A” class lawyer he prides in claiming, he should have helped them prepare a better constitution than the copy and paste piece of thrash they are flashing around as a set of their rules. Remember, M’membe friend – Wynter Kabimba – was custodian of this same useless PF constitution. It’s an apology of a document that lawyers like Anthony Kasolo and respected men in Dr Ngosa Simbyakula allowed as the basis on which they existed in the PF. Even when the country rallied for a new constitution as promised by Sata, M’membe clearly gave those calls a deaf ear. Today, M’membe thinks he can shape and jump on the United Party for National Development’s campaign so that he can continue serving his interest at the expense of the genuine Zambians he has thrown into this mess. It’s time Zambians saw beyond the deeds of a self centered individual posturing as their opinion leader. Another government with M’membe’s influence will be a worse disaster than what is obtaining under PF. Whatever is happening today has footprints of M’membe all over PF it. zambiareports/2014/11/24/opinion-mmembe-party-zambias-disastrous-political-scene/
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 07:12:32 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015