Has MMD given up on Solwezi?
President Banda and veep Kunda
In less than 48 hours, the people of Solwezi will be voting for a Member of Parliament (MP), to replace late Benny Tetamashimba who was local government minister.
The battle is between the MMD and opposition UPND which is being backed by another opposition the PF under their electoral pact. There are also two candidates who are not reasonably expected to make any impact.
While the opposition is not taking any chances and has been campaigning vigorously to the extent that UPND president Hakainde Hichilema has camped in the area, the MMD appear to be demotivated.
It seems the ruling party just wants to give the impression that they are defending the seat but they know they have lost it already.
When one compares the spirited fight the MMD put up in the Kasama central bye-election with the lukewarm campaign in Solwezi, one can note that something is amiss.
The party and republican president Rupiah Banda for example, he only went there on a Thursday afternoon and addressed two rallies and spoke on a local radio station. The next day he was out of that place and the next thing Solwezi residents heard was that the president was having dinner with Muamar Gadaffi in Libya. Not very inspiring to cadres.
We do not yet know what exactly President Banda and Gaddafi discussed but there are strong rumors that Gaddafi is recruiting President Banda to champion his United States of Africa Agenda. Gaddafi’s idea is vehemently opposed by presidents from Southern and Eastern Africa especially by Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni. Museveni is the incoming chair of the African Union, a title now held by Gaddafi. But it boggles the mind why RB and Gaddafi were joined by ‘warlike’ Idriss Derbie of Chad in that meeting.
But that is another topic to be explored later. We are talking about Solwezi.
George Kunda, the acting president is only going back to Solwezi today to ‘fatten the cow on market day’.
Does the acting president hope to undo in two days what HH has done in almost a month? Does Kunda know the extent of anger the people of North Western province harbour in regard to jobs in the mines?
Why does he think that HH is not moving from Solwezi from the time campaigns started and does he know the impact of physical presence to electorates in a rural set up like Solwezi?
It seems the MMD is content to campaign in the public media by issuing statements and counter statements. But does anyone believe what is published in government media? Even journalists who work for these same media don’t believe what they produce, that is if they even read them.
The only thing one can believe in the government controlled media are adverts.
In Solwezi, it appears that the MMD candidate Albert Chifita has been left to campaign for himself. a few MPs who hail from that area occasionally join in the campaign. But when they do so, they start stoning opposition leaders.
The information being received from that area indicate that the MMD is failing to hold impressive public rallies. You only hear of complaints that the party is distributing salt, sugar etc…
Solwezi central having been held by the MMD, one would have thought that they would defend it to the last drop of blood.
But so far, the MMD campaign has been chaotic, lifeless, uncoordinated and self-defeating.
The result on Friday morning will surely not be surprising to anyone with a functioning brain…
22 Responses to Has MMD given up on Solwezi?
Go Social
MMD loses Solwezi…should mean MMD is gone in 2011
Bwalya - November 17, 2009
20:20
Joe king, you relatives are dull, they will be shocked come Thursday. you think VJ is playing he means business ka, You wait and see!!
Finished politician - November 17, 2009
17:34
I dont suport or trust any politicians. But the artical cot me off guard, being in lusaka i thot mmd were the clear favourite, but av just asked a relative based in solwezi , she says upnd is likely to get the seat and mmd people are violently scaring pipo to vote for them . Anyway we wu wait en c.
Joe king - November 17, 2009
15:27
I skim the Pact is going first.
nairb danda - November 17, 2009
15:08
what is important is that there is life for the mmd beyond kasama and solwezi.
sigidi - November 17, 2009
14:15
Let’s not speculate, celebrate or or cry just yet. Two days is not too far. We can patiently wait….
Smiley Face - November 17, 2009
12:55
Very confusing article. How can they give up when they have already won the seat.
hanwel - November 17, 2009
12:51
Like its predecessor UNIP, MMD is slowly drifting from oblivion to somnolence.
monalisasyndrome - November 17, 2009
12:51
Bloggers just go do whatever you do ku diaspora uko kwine, pantu teti tuvotela sata no way. Twalimumona HH na sata. We cant we will only vote for the pact if HH is the president, for now we will give our vote to MMD, because we want to see these mines implemented before 2011. For now forget takuli vote iyo, there is no need to worry for us, the election is for MMD, that is why the opposition is killing it self, ala natulila bane, ba UPND nabatufolesha tachiweme, tule liafye, naba nchende nabatulisha mo, iyo tulesekelela fye. We are enjoying!!!
Solwezi Residents - November 17, 2009
12:27
imwe, why kuzi shupa, upnd haz won, read between the lines, pipo, and they r in the majority, have had inuf of o the crap they bin subjected 2 unda mmd. az ftj wud say 2 journalists, cum on guys b reasonable.
The eye - November 17, 2009
11:30
Very good article. The MMD is indeed not campaigning. They are just lazing around then go to claim allowances. They are falling here. After losing in Kasama, they lost the pornograpgy case to chansda kabwela, a small girl, and now they are losing Solwezi. Too bad. The ruling in Memmbe’s contempt case is tomorrow. So they are losing again. After all the magistrates are intimidated by our editorials
John Ngandwe - November 17, 2009
11:26
this article too is biased, we want good reporting to know excatly what the opposition is doing. looks like the author is an opposition sympathizer. so we need a balanced report where we see MMD, coz these are in power and using govt machinery which we all know and then you say they have given up? show us pictures of rallies for each camp.
Mucheleng'anga - November 17, 2009
11:13
Fake Solwezi resident, you are a pure MMD cadre!
Chicago city - November 17, 2009
11:00
It is amazing to see how masses are misled, am a resident of Solwezi and am shocked to read the above article without an author. What am seeing daily are drunken opposition cadres mostly from the line of rail in the streets. Do you call this campaining? Am opposition, but am afraid we shall lose with abig margin if we dont control this. Our man is here but not effective.
SOLWEZI RESIDENT - November 17, 2009
10:39
let the pact get it..period..Gk and RB are hnugry and useless chaps!!
boboy - November 17, 2009
10:28
Am glad they have realised this iz the beggining of the end…
The eye - November 17, 2009
10:07
Ni Boma iwe, this is all in the strategy….am sure they know its probably in the bag already. They have other matters to worry about. This is politics at its best. Lets wait and see, dont worry author you will know in two days, do not bother worrying, the results will be out soon.
Petersen - November 17, 2009
09:54
His name starts with V
Chicago city - November 17, 2009
09:51
This article will cause BP to someone in USA. His nam starts with V.
Chicago city - November 17, 2009
09:50
I dont see anything wrong with this campaign strategy, MMD ni Boma and the so called pact are looking for Jobs. We are busy working , attending conferences etc for the betterment of Z. Our campaign team is intact and the same pipo u complain when all Govt. machinery goes for campaign u say when do they sit in offices to work.VIVA MMD, ABASH HAKASATA
Kanitundila - November 17, 2009
09:45
The only thing one can believe in the government controlled media are adverts.
Very interesting!!!
May be MMD Party think because Solwezi is their stronghold they don’t need to campaign vigorously! May the best Candidate win
RECYCLED SPOKESMAN - November 17, 2009
09:41
Good news, I wish Kunda had 4 legs, 2 in Monze, and 2 in Solwezi. Viva pacT!
Chicago city - November 17, 2009
09:40