UPND-ALLIANCE RILES MUSENGE
…I want to know NDC’s involvement in the alliance
By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone
THE UPND-Alliance secretariat is uncomfortable to accept my appointment as president of the NDC, says Mwenya Musenge.
He has observed that some parties on the UPND-Alliance are one-man political entities just interested in their personal interests and not that of the Alliance members.
Musenge told The Mast that the Alliance secretarial led by Movement for Change and Equality Party Kaluba Simuyemba only acknowledged receipt of a letter written over two months ago to introduce him as NDC president after Josephs Akafumba was appointed home affairs permanent secretary – administration by President Hakainde Hichilema.
“As president of NDC I want to register my displeasure in the way the UPND-Alliance secretariat is handling matters of serious interest, especially matters affecting my party the NDC, as president. I have on behalf of the party tried to engage the secretary of the UPND-Alliance who happens to be president Simuyemba to try to discuss two pertinent issues and one is to do with the letter we wrote to our colleagues introducing myself as president of the NDC taking over from Mr Akafumba who is now a civil servant and to be recognised and be included in the council of the UPND-Alliance presidents,” he said.
“Attempts to speak to them have been futile which indirectly tells me as leader of the NDC that they are uncomfortable to accept me as president of the NDC. But unfortunately there is nothing they can do because they cannot interfere in the decisions of our party. I have decided to come out openly to express my concern at the rate the UPND-Alliance secretariat is taking to attend to very important issues because it cannot take over two months to respond to a simple letter or to make a decision.” Musenge added that the NDC wants to know the UPND-Alliance secretariat’s decision so that the party can know the way forward over its “involvement in the alliance.”
“We have shown our commitment. We have supported our colleagues (UPND) wherever they stood. We were there Kabwata, in Luapula campaigning. We have spoken firmly and supported the alliance. We have supported His Excellency the President (Hakainde Hichilema). We don’t know what to do to be recognised that we are part and parcel of the alliance despite the changes in the party,” he said.
Asked if he would advocate changes at the UPND-Alliance secretariat, Musenge said that this would be too soon to call but urged the alliance to proactive.
“Because can you imagine I call president Simuyemba, he picks up my call and I explain the issues I have but he tells me he is with people and that he will call the next day at 08:00 hours. I wait for the call the next day, no call until late in the afternoon I call him but what I get is my call being cut, cut, cut to date. What do you do? The NDC is big and has a huge membership and I listen to their concerns and cries. So when I speak it is not me, it is them,” said Musenge.
“I have noticed that some secretariat members are globetrotting from one ministry to another seeking the attention of the President (Hichilema) so that probably he could consider them for this or that.”