CADRES ARE DANGEROUS: Find ways of empowering the cadres because they could be a source of trouble – Kachingwe

PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema should not listen to cadres begging to run markets and bus station because this was a recipe for disaster, which landed the previous administration in problems, former MMD Secretary-General, Richard Kachingwe has said.Major Kachingwe said the MMD introduced and entertained caderism in bus stations and markets under late President Levy Mwanawasa but soon realised that this was a problem.In an interview, Maj Kachingwe revealed that the MMD Government realised the mistake of caderism.“I want to admit that as MMD we introduced it but we saw the problem under Dr Mwanawasa so there was a serious firm decision because people were complaining and Dr Mwanawasa tasked three ministers, then Local Government, Sylvia Masebo, Betts Namuyamba, Transport and Ronnie Shikapwasha, Home Affairs to look at the best way to safeguard the interest of markets and travelling public,” he said.Reacting to the UPND cadres’ appeal to their leadership to take over the operation of bus stations and markets, Maj Kachingwe warned that if the cadres insisted on controlling bus stations and markets, they would be detached from the people and that could be disastrous to the party.Maj Kachingwe urged the UPND to find genuine ways of raising money to empower the cadres because they could be a source of trouble if they are not empowered and the story of taking over markets and bus stops would not end.He said markets and bus stations were the source of trouble in this country because that is where difficult people find it to compromise.Maj Kachingwe said President Hakainde Hichilema should stand firm as he embarks on bringing sanity in bus stations and markets as the decision-making is a double-aged sword because despite being good it would meet resistance from his own cadres.“So the answer for UPND is for them to look for ways and means to keep the cadres busy, away from markets and bus stops and empowering them, as a ruling party they have a lot of avenues to raise funds,” he said.