Maravi

Panji advises Tilyenji to heed parents' advice

Panji advises Tilyenji to heed parents' advice
By Christopher Miti in Chipata
Thursday August 21, 2008 [04:00]

COLONEL Panji Kaunda has advised his brother Tilyenji to heed their parents’ advice to pave way for another person to run United National Independence Party (UNIP). Supporting calls from Dr Kenneth Kaunda and Betty for Tilyenji to step down as UNIP president, Col Panji said people around Tilyenji had not been of much service to him.

“In as far as my young brother is concerned, I openly said he hasn’t given us good leadership as a party.

That’s not a secret I have said it in private to him in person, I have said it to other people and must talk to him because these are public offices. He is still my brother but when it comes to public offices, I must say what I feel is right and I don’t think my brother has done a good job in the party,” Col Panji said.

He said he supported The Post’s editorial comment of last Monday, which stated that people should be careful when choosing a person to run for president.

“I agree with what the paper said in the editorial. People have to be extremely careful on who they want to choose as party president. It must be somebody who has the knowledge of the party, love the party and love for Zambians. It is very easy to be president of the party but extremely difficult to run it,” he said.

Col Panji said it was good for a leader to get different views from people and not only those that support him.

“It’s very easy for those in leadership to only hear things that are nice from people that are around but you must also have people that oppose you in your cabinet so you have different views and compare but if you stick to those that say ‘yes sir’, ‘inde bwana sir’ so the end result you can’t make it.

And this is what has happened to my young brother. I think he hasn’t given himself chance to hear different views,” Col Panji said.

He said Tilyenji should subject himself to public vote through a convention.

“Let the people be able to say ‘yes he is our leader ‘and when they vote for you, you must work with them not only working for people that are agreeable to you as a person and I think as a leader he run his course because we haven’t gone for a congress for a very long, long time.

I was chairman for almost three four years there had never been a central committee meeting but how do you run a party without these meetings. I hope he hears what his parents have said, calls for congress, hands over nicely,” he said.

Col Panji noted that it would be very difficult for the opposition political parties to form government if they worked in isolation.

“... I differed slightly with my young brother when we had a by-election in Kapoche because I believe that unless the opposition worked together as a group, it is very difficult for them to form government.
So I have been agitating to all parties that I talk to that we differ in various policy matters but there are certain areas in which we are common so let us work together and form a coalition or alliance so that we can take Zambia as a better choice other than having so small parties and one big MMD. For me, it will be difficult for single party to unseat MMD,” said Col Panji.

Labels: PANJI KAUNDA, TILYENJI KAUNDA, UNIP

posted by MrK @ 5:54 AM