By SIMON MUNTEMBA
THE UPND leadership should tread with caution in admitting defectors into the party, more especially those that have suddenly dumped the former ruling Patriotic Front because most of them are traitors, Governance Expert, Wesley Miyanda has warned.
Mr Miyanda cautioned the UPND leadership to be careful with political opportunists who were rejoining the ruling party for selfish motives.
He told the Daily Nation in an interview that some politicians who have no shame of jumping from a losing ruling party to the new governing party must not be tolerated if the political system and democracy was to mature.
Mr Miyanda said for stronger opposition and democracy, instead of ditching losing political parties, genuine leaders must stick around to rebuild their parties.
“The call to Zambians is to discard this primitive and prostituting behaviour of our politicians because if we continue tolerating this bad political tradition, our political system will never mature.
“We need leaders who are stable, predictable and trustworthy as well as leaders who should anchor their political support in philosophies and ideologies,” he said.
He also said ditching a former ruling political party days, weeks or few months after losing power was morally wrong and shameful.
“After losing power to UPND, many retrogressive PF and other politicians have since ditched their parties, publicly or privately announcing their resignations. This is political childishness; it is immoral and must be condemned by all well-meaning citizens and patriots,” he said.
Mr Miyanda also said that accommodation of defectors by the UPND should be balanced to cater for the interest of all party members, lest some members be alienated.
Allowing opportunists in UPND, he said, will be unfair to the voters because they wanted change of leaders. Zambia cannot and must not be held at ransom by the same rejected leadership getting back into ruling parties. Why can’t they reunite and become a formidable opposition party?
Mr Miyanda charged that some defectors that were received into the ruling party on the Copperbelt Province have questionable behaviors.
He urged the UPND leadership to maintain the people who suffered with the party when it was in opposition and empower them through job and business opportunities.
Let the Church, he said, Civil Society and all citizens rise against this ugly tendency or else the country’s democracy will be a mockery to the electorate.
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