Maravi

Tilyenji has failed, replace him

Tilyenji has failed, replace him
By Editor
Saturday May 19, 2007 [04:00]

There is no doubt things are not as they should be in UNIP. Both the leadership and the membership of the party are in disarray. As we have stated before UNIP is an incredible case of a political organisation destroying itself. Unquestionably, the leaders, the ones who have been running that party since Dr Kenneth Kaunda left the scene are responsible for its destruction. Some attempted to destroy it wittingly; others, unwittingly.

Everything they did led to the destruction of this party; all the phenomenon and all the tendencies that were unleashed in and on this party led to its destruction. We saw this right from the beginning - or soon after the beginning - when a series of phenomena of that kind began to appear.

UNIP's current leadership under Tilyenji Kaunda doesn't seem to have a clear, precise idea of its role, and of all those factors that can help stimulate and encourage people to stay in, or join, this political party. There doesn't seem to be any link between what the leadership of this party is doing or what it is ready to do, on the one hand, and the future, on the other hand.

UNIP seems to have lost all its values and ideological orientation. If one starts a process in which all of a political party's values begin to be destroyed, that process is very negative. It's a matter not of the analysis of criticism of problems, but of the destruction and negation of all of the values, merits and history of UNIP.

The leadership of this party has made enormous mistakes by failing to foresee the consequences of what they were doing and by not doing the right thing to enable them to return to power or play a meaningful opposition role to reach the goals and purposes they proclaimed - which, of course, were necessary and legitimate.

Many of the strategic and tactical mistakes that were made were viewed as the correct way of doing things. Then, when all those negative tendencies were unleashed, opportunistic elements were also introduced, including all of the elements that wittingly acted to destroy UNIP and what it stood for. Naturally, the MMD and its government, especially under Frederick Chiluba, helped to destroy UNIP, urging on vultures in that party.

However, there's no way the MMD and Chiluba could have destroyed UNIP if this party's leadership and members hadn't destroyed it first, if those in leadership hadn't already destroyed their party, which is what happened. The death of UNIP is not a natural one - it has been assassinated.

The names of those who worked wittingly with MMD and Chiluba as a fifth column to destroy UNIP, are not yet known but will be known someday, as will the names of those who worked wittingly in complicity to destroy UNIP. They will be known someday; that information always comes out. It may take years but someday they will be known.

This doesn't mean things ended there. Right now, there's so much uncertainty, problems and splits that are painful to see.

But it's pleasing to see some UNIP leaders like Col Panji Kaunda trying to reassert some old values; trying to struggle for what is right. There is no doubt UNIP is a very difficult party for anyone to lead right now. But there's also no doubt that Tilyenji Kaunda has been a disaster as the supreme leader of this party. Tilyenji came into the leadership of this party without anything discernible to offer other than his name, the fact that he was Dr Kaunda's son and a brother of one of the outstanding leaders of that party, Major Wezi Kaunda, who had just been assassinated.

This is what got Tilyenji the leadership of this party and very little of anything else, if any, really mattered. But the last six years or so have proved that Tilyenji's family connections were not enough for him to be an effective and efficient leader of this party. There is nothing Tilyenji has displayed as the leader of UNIP to convince anyone that there was still hope for a reversal of fortunes in this party. And it’s good his own brother, Col Panji is the one pointing out all these things; is the one telling the nation that Tilyenji is a useless leader running the party from a bedroom at his father's house.

Truly, Tilyenji has cost UNIP a lot; his poor leadership drove away even some of the most committed party members with no hope of him ever being able to bring them back. There is urgent need for UNIP to reorganise itself and draw back to its principles. With sufficient commitment, UNIP can be rebuilt and made to make a meaningful contribution to the politics and leadership of our country.

Losing an election or elections is not the end of things - it is part and parcel of a multiparty political dispensation. If a political party's bearings are correct, it will always come back to power no matter how long it takes. And even if it doesn't come back to power immediately, it can still contribute to the politics and governance of the country through effective and efficient opposition.

The Sandinistas of Nicaragua were out of power for a much longer period than UNIP but they kept their faith and organisation and are back in power. No revolution ever comes to an end and all revolutionaries have the duty to keep its ideas, principles and goals alive. Even if UNIP tried to close off prospects for future progress, it wouldn't be able to do so. Nobody controls the future.

We think UNIP did some great work in our country, effecting great changes and engaging in important social projects that will last. Nobody can wipe them out or suppress them. Therefore, regarding prospects for the future, we think they exist because our people have no alternative to meet the future, they have no hope but the changes, advances and improvements that the future may bring.

Above all, UNIP still has some structures albeit very weak and disorganised, a small but courageous membership that has endured the difficult years of the Chiluba regime struggling in disadvantageous conditions and to recover from setbacks. But if UNIP is to harbour any hope for a reversal of fortunes, it has to start working seriously at its organisation and leadership.

The Tilyenji type of leadership cannot do given the conditions UNIP finds itself in today; even with the most advanced technology, UNIP cannot successfully be run from a bedroom as Tilyenji would like everyone to believe. The best thing for Tilyenji if he has any sense of dignity and honesty in him is to step down and help this party find a more suitable and competent comrade to take over the leadership.

Otherwise his will be just a job to enable him earn a living and not political leadership. Col Panji deserves credit for pointing out the deficiencies in his brother's leadership of the party. This is the way things should be because UNIP should be bigger than a family, the Kaunda family. We should be able to criticise even our own family members if the situation or circumstances call for that.

There's no need for another protracted leadership struggle within UNIP because there's none at the moment; Tilyenji has decimated the party and should graciously hand over to a more capable member of UNIP. This will be in the interest of UNIP and the country. For our multiparty political system to operate efficiently, we need well organised political parties that are efficiently and effectively managed.

Labels: EDITORIAL, TILYENJI KAUNDA, UNIP

posted by MrK @ 4:14 AM