Banda is not serious in his call for unity, says Miyanda

Banda is not serious in his call for unity, says Miyanda
Written by Speedwell Mupuchi
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 3:27:44 AM

HERITAGE Party president Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda yesterday said President Rupiah Banda is not serious in his call for unity and peace. Commenting on President Banda's call for unity and peace at Mongu airport last weekend, Brig Gen Miyanda said all people who want to see progress and prosperity in Zambia must, however, support the call.

“The Heritage Party agrees with this message but we do not take it as a serious call by the President. We in the Heritage Party have since inception in 2001 been calling for change in the style of politics from that of angry citizens who had no other way of removing the colonial regime other than resorting to civil disobedience and stone-throwing,” he said. “We have passed that era. We as a party have incessantly called for discipline and respect for one another not only across parties but even within the fabric of the nation because we believe that indiscipline and name-calling have a huge impact on productivity and retard efforts directed at development.”

Brig Gen Miyanda wondered what the problem was in attaining peace and unity.

“I believe this is because of the tongue, which the Bible describes as a restless little evil full of poison. We are reminded that with the tongue we praise God, and with the same tongue we curse other people. In other words if we practice what we preach we shall help to bring peace and build unity,” Miyanda said. “Therefore, if President Banda desires unity he must practice unity in thought, word and deed. It is common knowledge that as soon as you insult someone, they will not be ready to listen to you or dialogue with you and consequently if there is no dialogue then other means of communication take centre stage.”

Brig Gen Miyanda said he believed that President Banda was not serious when he made the calls for unity and reconciliation because it was not dialogue to address other political leaders at partisan rallies and equally insult them and then call for unity and peace.

“If our President is serious about seeking unity with opposition politicians, I urge him not only to choose words that unite but also to use an appropriate forum or venue for such calls. To say of the opposition leaders repeatedly at public gatherings 'I am not like them: I don't want to become like them' may get him votes and public sympathy but is definitely a divisive pronouncement because that is a declaration that he does not want to have anything to do with those people,” Miyanda said.

“In fact, he is saying to Zambians who are listening to him 'look at me, I am better that those bad people, those unpatriotic Zambians, I am holier than them'. This message was prevalent in President Banda's campaign in the last by-election which he won. But he has continued to use it and did so as recently as last Saturday in Mongu during his visit for the Kuomboka ceremony…The peacemaker must never make divisive statements as President Banda is doing. So we in the Heritage Party will treat this as a campaign message unless he shows that he means it. Is it peace when MMD cadres beat up or harass President Banda's own ministers and he himself keeps quiet?”

And Brig Gen Miyanda advised all politicians to be serious when making pronouncements that convince voters to vote for them.

“Only when leaders in high places choose to say what they mean and mean what they say and follow up with action shall we see change in the conduct of our followers. This is because insults invite insults; violence begets violence as much as threats attract resistance,” he said. “If we are serious in our politics in Zambia, we must all set new standards and a new direction by honest and consistent leadership.”

And Brig Gen Miyanda said the complaint by President Banda that he has not been given enough time to settle down and perform was neither serious nor factual.

“We have come very far since independence. President Banda has been there since inception of our nation Zambia. Many problems that led our founding fathers to wage the independence struggle are still facing this nation. So we say that he does not need more than four months for reorientation,” he said.

“He should have been ready on day one to act on his promises which were made voluntarily and without coercion. I say this because President Banda has been vice-president since the year 2006 and claimed in his campaign message last October 2008 that in view of his tour of duty as vice-president, he understood the late Mwanawasa's programmes better than the three of us who were challenging him in the election and he declared he was ready to continue with Mwanawasa's legacy and the rest of us were spoilers who didn't know anything and we were not as experienced as he was.”