Thu, 08 Dec 2016 11:28:16 +0000
By Wallen Simwaka
THERE is a clique of hard core tribalists in the UPND that is funning trouble in Zambia by perpetrating politics of regionalism, Edward Mumbi has charged.
Mr Mumbi, who is former UPND presidential spokesperson, said the UPND was allegedly holding Zambians from Southern, Western, North-Western and parts of Central provinces to ransom on the understanding that the people from the four regions could only belong to the opposition party.
Mr Mumbi said the UPND was exhibiting the worst kind of primitive politics by suggesting that in Africa, the governing party and those in the opposition were sworn enemies and could never agree on anything that was of national importance.
Mr Mumbi stated that the tribal inclined UPND leadership was holding the people of Southern, Western, North-Western and part of Central province to ransom by creating a wrong impression that they should not be part of the governance of the country.
He said to suggest that African politics was about ever attacking the leadership of the country and promoting regionalism was not only uncouth but an act meant to divide the country on the basis of ethnicity.
Mr Mumbi said Zambians were a united family and have never worried themselves about tribalism and have always accepted any President that had been elected.
“There is a clique of hard core tribalists in the leadership of the UPND who believe they own the people of Southern, Western, North-Western and part of Central Province because of the votes they got from the three regions in the last general elections. These hard core tribalists are holding the people from the three region at ransom so that they do not become part of the governance of the country until the leader of the UPND, Hakainde Hichilema, becomes President of the country,” Mr Mumbi said.
He said although the voting pattern in the last general elections revealed that most of the people voted for the UPND in Southern, Western and North-Western provinces, the UPND leadership should never use the voting pattern to divide the country on regional grounds.
Mr Mumbi said UPND secretary general Stephen Katuka was being politically naïve to decree that his Members of Parliament should not attend or participate in State and developmental programmes.
He explained that when the republican President was visiting any constituency in the country it was the responsibility of the MP in that area to join the Head of State.
“The people of Southern, North-Western, Western and part of Central province have never been tribal. It is the UPND which is using the tribal sentiments to hoodwink the people in the three regions so that they should believe that to be UPND one should be associated with a particular tribe or region. Zambians from all the regions should be free to participate in resolving the country’s economic imbalances and issuing decrees only shows the UPND wants the country divided,’’ said Mr Mumbi.
He said Mr Katuka should be astute enough and apologise to Zambians for creating an impression that the people from the three regions voted for the UPND on the basis that its leadership was predominantly Tonga.
