Fri, 19 May 2017 10:32:39 +0000
By BENNIE MUNDANDO
I LEFT the UPND because I was openly told that no Bemba will be allowed to take over the party under any circumstances because it was a preserve for a specific tribe and I have never regretted that decision, former spokesperson to Hakainde Hichilema, Edward Mumbi has disclosed.
Recounting his encounters with senior UPND leaders who pushed him out of the party, Mr. Mumbi said his ending with the UPND was not rosy as he was blatantly told that Bembas who were allegedly muscling themselves for senior party positions would be prevented from doing so because they were aliens.
He said the current leadership crisis in the UPND where there was no one bold enough to take the mantle after the incarceration of Mr. Hichilema was testimony that there was a small clique of people propagating tribal politics which made decisions on behalf of the party.
“One senior member for the party who is still serving as an MP said it openly that that those Bembas who thought they could take over the UPND needed to be blocked because the party did not belong to them. This is a well-known story among UPND confidants and I challenge them to dispute this fact so that I can even reveal that MP who said this in my presence.
“I have practiced politics of principle which is why I have left political parties which did not espouse my aspirations for now, I am going to wait until I come across a political party that does not thrive on tribal politics according to my principles. I left the UPND when I realised that I could not hold on to an organisation which had made it clear that it placed tribe above everything else,” Mr. Mumbi said.
He said he had never regretted leaving the UPND and maintained that it was the best decision he made given the prevailing circumstances at the time, saying things changed in the party when it became apparent that the party was headed for victory prior to the 2016 elections.
“It was almost clear that we were going to win the 2016 elections and as a result, certain things started going wrong in the party as some people started preparing to take over the leadership of the country by side-lining others.
“Personally, I have never regretted leaving the UPND at the time that I did because that was the best thing I could do.
“I was taken aback that there were senior people in the party who were so inclined to their tribes at the expense of party interest without realising that they were destroying the party. We had served together for a long time and to hear such sentiments disappointed me,” he said.
