By SANFROSSA MBERI
GOVERNMENT must ban all regional groupings to preserve national unity, Kanchibiya Member of Parliament Sunday Chanda has advised.
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Mr Chanda said anything that threatens the “One Zambia, One Nation” motto must not be allowed to exist.
He said it was important that the media and political players preach the “death of tribalism.”
Mr Chanda also appealed to the Church and other religious leaders to condemn tribalism, including any semblance of it thereof.
“Let us remind ourselves that in Rwanda the Hutu tribalism against Tutsis which led to the genocide was schemed, promoted and funded by politicians and other elites, but executed by common people, young boys with pangas.
“When the country exploded, the same politicians and elites were the first ones to flee the country leaving behind hundreds of thousands of common Hutus to be arrested and paraded in traditional courts and prisons. The few politicians and elites held accountable were arrested under pseudo names in Belgium, France, Cape Town but some will never be arrested. Meanwhile one million people lay dead,” he said.
Mr Chanda said Zambia had never experienced the ghastly consequences of tribalism and must therefore constantly be reminded of the single most important cause of civil wars, secessions, genocide – tribalism and regionalism.
He said political parties in Zambia should mobilise as nationalists and not regionalists.
He also disclosed that this was what ZANC/UNIP did against colonialists and ANC in the late 50s and 60s, and that is what MMD did against UNIP in 1991.
He said politicians and political parties must realise that the answer to any alleged tribalism was not more tribalism and regionalism, just like the answer to racism is not more racism.
Mr Chanda urged Zambians to come together and make tribalists as insignificant as possible.
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