By OLIVER SAMBOKO
A war of tribal intonations has erupted between Batuke Imenda, the UPND secretary general and Chishimba Kambwili, the Patriotic Front (PF) presidential candidate, with the two accusing each other of brazen tribalism.
Mr Kambwil has denied ever being a tribalist only that he has been cautioning Zambians, including the UPND leadership against practicing politics of ethnicity.
While Mr Imenda has branded Mr Kambwili a tribal twit, the latter has charged that the UPND chief executive officer is but an irrational ethnic hare brained zealot who should be arrested for promoting regionalism.
Mr Kambwili is calling for the arrest of Mr Imenda for allegedly championing tribal sentiments against him (Kambwili) in the same way Economic and Equity Party (EEP) leader Chilufya Tayali has been detained by police
Yesterday, Mr Imenda chastised Mr Kambwili and Hary Kalaba, the Citizens Fierst Party president for allegedly propagating tribal hegemony but Mr Kambwili has come out guns blazing, accusing the UPND secretary general of being maliciously nihilistic. Mr Kambwili said Mr Imenda should be charged four criminal liable against him the same way they charged National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader Saboi Imboela for the offence of libel and Hate Speech against Clayson Hamasaka, the State House media director.
He said those in leadership should not fight tribalism by saying something against other leaders, stating that political leaders should always desist from championing politics of regionalism.
Mr Kambwili said it was unfair for Mr imenda, to call him names when he (Kambwili) is on record condemning tribalism and regional politics and voting.
He said the only time he was accused of tribalism was when his statement was misinterpreted after he advised the people of Southern Province against voting on tribal and regional lines.
Meanwhile Mr Kambwili has challenged Home Affairs Minister Jack Mwiimbu to explain the ongoing mobile national registration exercise being carried out in some two provinces. He said the national has not been informed about the exercise and only came to know it through the media when a chief in the area was thanking government for the programme.
