Thursday December 4, 2014 (Editorial Comment) DESPERATION Desperate people do very desperate things. It was a truly desperate effort by Dr. Guy Scott and his secretary general Bridget Atanga to arrange a parallel general conference which the High Court has now declared illegal and therefore null and void. The court’s findings are ably supported by revelations from the two returning officers who revealed that Dr. Scott intentionally and willfully abdicated his responsibility by ignoring a duly constituted Conference that he had convened and later organized another one which did not have quorum. Not only that, Dr. Scott was made aware of an injunction that has been issued by the Lusaka High Court and yet he proceeded with the Conference. The secretary general, they revealed, had also disappeared avoiding receiving the injunction from the Lusaka High Court. The returning officer was not impressed by these antics and accordingly expressed his opinion to Dr. Scott, the PF election chairperson Sylvia Masebo and the meeting at large. The reality is that the Conference that elected Edgar Lungu was in order while that which elected Miles Sampa was illegal. A few contentious issues have been raised, but the reality is that the PF constitution is clear about a number of things namely ; That the National chairman Mrs. Inonge Wina was in order to preside over the conference as provided for in Article 55. ARTICLE 55 NATIONAL CHAIRMAN FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES (b) In the absence of the President and Vice President, the National Chairman shall perform all the duties and functions of the President or Vice President as the case may be; Mrs Wina presided over the elective functions of the National Council which states: ARTlCLE49 MEETINGS OF NATIONAL COUNCIL (2) It shall be within the competence of the National Council: (d) To approve candidates for the office of the President of the Party or Member of the Central Committee; ARTICLE 46 GENERAL CONFERENCE (5) The General Conference shall have the following functions: (a) To elect the President of the Party and Members of the Central Committee; ARTICLE 52 ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE PARTY (9) Where only one candidate has filed nomination papers at the close of nomination, such a candidate shall be declared duly elected President of the Party without conducting a poll. ARTlCLE47 DECISIONS OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE The decisions of the General Conference shall be valid and obligatory for the Party and may only be revoked or altered by the General Conference. This is what the constitution of the PF says. While some people, such as Dr Scott wanted things to happen differently, members of the club are supposed and are expected to follow the set rules and the rules are as above.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 10:25:12 +0000
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