UPND doomed – Canisius

Sat, 15 Oct 2016 11:09:00 +0000

HAKAINDE Hichilema does not have the very basis, foundation or premise to claim victory, he is merely shooting in the dark, says former United Party for National Development (UPND) vice-president for politics Dr Canisius Banda. Meanwhile, Dr Banda said the UPND in its current state was doomed, weak and had a projection of ethnic pride.

And Dr Banda has advised Mr Hichilema to desist from calling himself Republican President because a declaration was not only delusional, but had the danger of befuddling his vision and outlook on life, but it was also illegal. Dr Banda said neither himself nor the UPND had constitutional authority for such a declaration.

In a statement issued to the Daily Nation, Dr Banda said Mr Hichilema’s declaration was an insult to the, adding that it threatened the very framework of the State and nation. Dr Banda said the UPND must not now resort to illegality to settle a grievance which was now a legal precedent […dismissal of petition]. He said the dismissal might not be in their interest, might even be morally wrong, but it was legal nonetheless.

“For the record, and for the umpteenth time, let it be stated that UPND does NOT have evidence that it won the August 11 presidential election,” Dr Banda said. He said the deficiencies of judgement and project execution on the part of the UPND explained the calamitous state of affairs. “For instance, the UPND was able to procure expensive satellite phones, whose value per handset can feed a family of five for over a month, but was unable to provide the statutory Form 12, a form worth only 50 ngwee, to all its polling agents. “Truth be told, the UPND’s own Parallel Vote Tabulation [PVT], which ought to give it authority to make sane and substantive electoral statements, is NOT complete,” he said.

Dr Banda said on the other hand, what the UPND had was evidence of electoral malpractice, that’s all. “Note that having evidence of electoral malpractice is NOT the same as having evidence of victory. “On the basis of electoral malpractice alone, had the Constitutional Court been of sound mental disposition and had heard the petition, the Justice Esau Chulu declaration of President Lungu would have been nulled and voided. This then would have triggered a re-run.

This was the hope of the UPND,” he said. Meanwhile, Dr Banda said the loss of both the 2015 and 2016 elections by the UPND was entirely the UPND’s fault especially at the presidential level, and the earlier objective audit by the UPND reveals this, the better.

He said Mr Hichilema himself, with his dismissive, non-consultative and totalitarian leadership style was to blame; and many members of UPND that were still with him know this. Dr Banda said the UPND must not pass blame, adding that the flaw was within them. “To label President Edgar Lungu as illegitimate when his legitimacy was conferred upon him by a process you were party to is not only conceited and disrespectful but it is also unconstitutional, anarchical and illegal. “Let the UPND tell its members the truth. The reason UPND is not in power today is within UPND itself,” he said. Dr Banda added that the journey to the ICC was only chasing after the wind, adding that as a ruse for keeping the morale of its members high, it had its value. Dr Banda said the UPND must stop its cult-like behaviour, become a truly membership-based public entity for its fortunes to change for the better.