Give young people a chance - VJ

Give young people a chance - VJ
By Ernest Chanda
Monday August 04, 2008 [04:00]

VETERAN politician Vernon Mwaanga has said people should accept generational changes and give young people a chance to rule Zambia. Mwaanga, in an interview last Friday, said the current political leaders should remember that they have a lifespan and thereafter, another generation should take over.

"I think that my generation should have confidence in the younger men and women of Zambia, the young people of Zambia. I have confidence in the young people of Zambia that they are capable of taking this country forward and ensuring that the mistakes which my generation had made are not only corrected but that they are not repeated so that we can continue to advance our country and take it to greater heights," Mwaanga said.

He said he had always been a major believer in generational changes.

"As we leave the country better than we found it, we must also accept generational changes; that there are generational changes which occur in every society.

And I believe that as we move on, we must give the younger people an opportunity to take over leadership because that is what generational changes are all about," he said.

Mwaanga also declared his hatred for tribalism.
He said people should not be judged on their tribal inclinations but on their ability to deliver.

"We must uphold the philosophy of 'One Zambia One Nation', which made Dr Kenneth Kaunda unite this country for 27 years. I am glad that there are more inter-tribal marriages now than ever before in the history of this country. This is good for the unity of the country, Mwaanga noted."

And Mwaanga said he had finished writing a book, in which he would chronicle his political experiences both locally and internationally.
The book, titled The Long Sunset, is still being printed in South Africa and is expected to be launched on August 25 this year.

He said he had also included a chapter "To Katanga and Back" in which he talked about his trip to Katanga Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which later put him in trouble with the current government and subsequently cost him his job.

Mwaanga had served in various portfolios in all the three administrations, with the last position as Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services in April last year before he was relieved of his duties.