TREADING IN MURKY WATERS AS THE STATE KEPT THE MISINFORMATION MACHINE

THE MMD NATIONAL SECRETARY DR KATELE KALUMBA HAS REFUTED STORIES CIRCULATING IN MEDIA CIRCLES THAT THERE ARE DEEP DIVISIONS IN THE PARTY SPURNED BY SOME MMD SENIOR LEADERS WHO ARE SAID TO HAVE BELONGED TO OTHER OPPOSITION PARTIES. KATELE SAID SUCH REPORTS ABOUT “DIVISIONS ARE PART OF THE MYRIAD STRATEGIES MEANT TO WEAKEN THE UNITY OF MMD THAT PRESIDENT MWANAWASA AND THE SECRETARIAT HAVE WORKED SO HARD TO MAINTAIN”. HE CATEGORICALLY SAID, “ I DO NOT BELIEVE THERE ARE LEADERS WHO THINK AND BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE LEADING ANY FDD, UPND OR UNIP FACTIONS IN MMD, BECAUSE THERE ARE NO SUCH FACTIONS. MMD IS SIMPLY MMD FULLSTOP. THERE IS NO HYPHENATED MMD. YOU ARE EITHER MMD OR YOU ARE NOT.” SHOWN A COPY OF A REPORT OF A NEW BULLETIN THAT HAS EMERGED RECENTLY ANALYSING POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUES ON THE INTERNET, KATELE SAID, “SUCH ANALYSES ARE PART OF THE MANY WAYS SPONSORS OF SUCH MEDIA CHANNELS SEEK TO INFLUENCE POPULAR CHOICES BY SPECULATION AND INNUENDOS MEANT TO CAST DOUBT ON THE POSSIBILITIES OF SOME LEADERS TO LEAD WHILE BUILDING THE IMAGES OF OTHERS.”  HE SAID THESE ARE “PRE-MATURE ANALYSES FORCING ONTO THE ZAMBIAN PEOPLE HIDDEN AGENDAS OF SOME CORPORATE PLAYERS. ZAMBIANS WILL SEE THROUGH THESE TYPES OF POLITICAL LOBBY JOURNALISM AND MMD IN PARTICULAR WON’T FALL VICTIM TO THEIR MACHINATIONS”. ASKED ABOUT THE SUGGESTION BEING MADE IN THESE REPORTS THAT MMD WON’T HAVE THE CAPACITY NOR THE POLITICAL WILL TO CHOOSE A SUCCESSOR TO PRESIDENT MWANAWASA FOR 2011 ELECTIONS THROUGH A CONVENTION, KATELE SAID “ THAT IS AN EXAMPLE OF A PRE-MATURE QUESTION BY THESE AGENTS MASQUERADING AS INDEPENDENT INTELLIGENCE ANALSYSTS SEEKING TO INFILTRATE AN ISSUE ONTO THE POLITICAL AGENDA OF MMD THAT THE PARTY HAS SAID IS A NON-ISSUE. WHY SHOULD MMD FORGO THE CONVENTION WHEN THE PARTY IS BUSY ORGANIZING PARTY CONFERENCES RIGHT NOW TO ENSURE NEW LEADERS AND POSSIBLE DELEGATES ARE ELECTED WHO WILL GO TO THE NATIONAL PARTY CONVENTION WHEN TIME COMES?”. HE ADDED, “A CONVENTION IS A CONSTITUTIONAL IMPERATIVE IN MMD AND THEREFORE IT IS A NON-ISSUE RIGHT NOW” . HE SAID “IF THERE ARE POLITICAL DOOMSDAY ADVOCATES FOR MMD, THEY ARE MISTAKEN. THE PARTY IS INTACT AND THE SECRETRIAT IS KEEPING ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE ON THE ACTIVITIES OF ALL THE ORGANS”. ASKED TO COMMENT ON THE REPORTS THAT DELEGATES WHO RECENTLY CAME TO LUSAKA TO ATTEND THE MMD/ZCID CONFERENCE ON WOMEN AND YOUTH HAD BEEN RETAINED AND WERE BEING FEASTED BY PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANTS, KATELE  SAID,HE HOPED THAT WAS NOT TRUE, ADDING, “ THE WOMEN AND YOUTH WHO ATTENDED THAT CONFERENCE WERE ENLIGHTENED POLITICAL PLAYERS. I HAVE GREAT CONFIDENCE THAT THOSE DELEGATES UNDERSTOOD THE MESSAGE OF THE CONFERENCE THAT EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AND YOUTH IN MMD COMES NOT FROM A BOTTLE OF BEER OR K10,000 POLITICAL BRIBE BUT FROM PRINCIPLES AND HARD WORK. THEY WILL NOT SELL THEIR SOULS TO ANY MONEY THROWING LEADER BECAUSE THEY TOO, ARE LEADERS WHO CAN SEE THROUGH SUCH SCHEMES. THEY WILL GO BACK HOME AND REFLECT ON THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE PARTY REGARDLESS OF THE INTENTIONS OF THOSE WHO MAY BE SPONSORING POLITICAL GRAFT.” ASKED TO COMMENT ON PRESIDENT MWANAWASA’S HEALTH, HE SAID. “GOVERNMENT IS DOING A GREAT JOB INFORMING ZAMBIANS THROUGH THE STATE HOUSE WEBSITE. I DO NOT HAVE ANY MORE PRIVILEGED INFORMATION THAN ANY OTHER ZAMBIAN. WE KNOW AS INFORMED THAT THE PRESIDENT IS MAKING REMARKABLE PROGRESS OF RECOVERY AND AS ZAMBIANS WE SHOULD JUST CONTINUE PRAYING FOR HIM AND THE FIRST FAMILY.”