NO WAMUYAYA, HH TOLD

Sat, 06 Jan 2018 11:29:57 +0000

By Chikumbi Katebe

UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema must not monopolise his position to a “wamuyayaya” kind of leadership and must allow for internal democracy to flourish in the party, says the Young African Leaders Initiative president Andrew Ntewewe.

Mr Ntewewe said this was in breach of the party constitution that demanded intra-party democracy unlike the current situation where Mr Hichilema has continued to hold the top office for over 10 years.

He said the UPND leadership ought to understand the requirements of Article 60 (2) for political parties to hold conventions and elect new leaders instead of avoiding to hold a convention as required.

“Mr. Hichilema must, as a matter of fact, stop hiding in a nonexistent election petition to run away from organising a convention where a new leader could be elected to prepare the party for 2021 elections.

“The UPND leadership ought to understand that it is now the requirement of Article 60 (2) for parties to hold conventions and elect leaders,” he said.

Mr Ntewewe argued that the party has continued to appoint office holders instead of subjecting them to party elections, and have turned to become bootlickers of their appointing authority and have used money to buy allegiance from them.

He said YALI was genuinely concerned with the so-called national management committees whivh amended the party constitution for the convenience of members of the national executive to remain in office beyond the term stipulated in their own constitution.

He has advised the party leadership to go for free and fair elections to allow all members regardless of tribes to contest the UPND presidency, especially with the poor record of the UPND.