Maravi

Chirwa sees no future in UPND

COMMENT - These guys are completely irrelevant to the political debate. They are playing the victim card for the international press. This shows the emptyness of both the UPND and MMD, and neoliberal ideology. They have nothing to fall back on when they are out of power, other than to get back into power. They have no message for the nation.

Chirwa sees no future in UPND
By Kombe Chimpinde and Henry Sinyangwe
Tue 28 Aug. 2012, 10:50 CAT

PROFESSOR Clive Chirwa says he sees no future in the UPND with Hakainde Hichilema at the helm because of his defective analysis of politics.

"The opportunity has been lost. I have been speaking to a number of people who were in the party and most of whom have left the party after the elections and they are saying 'the party is going nowhere'. What they (members) need to do is recapitalise by looking in a different direction," said the US-based automotive and aerospace engineer.

Prof Chirwa said President Michael Sata's victory had vindicated him because he had warned an adamant Hichilema to swallow his pride and work with President Sata by accepting to be his vice-president in the failed pact.
Professor Chirwa said he was shocked to even hear of a planned alliance between MMD and UPND, because it would never work.

He explained that Hichilema's animosity towards President Sata was as a result of his refusal to work with President Sata in the PF-UPND pact.

He said Hichilema was regretting for moving out of the pact prior to last year's elections and was therefore not surprised at the animosity and anger the UPND leader was unleashing on the President lately.

"I don't get surprised at HHs animosity. I have had some dealings with HH during those negotiations which we used to have. We would try to agree and after some time, the position (Hichilema's) changes. It was a little bit difficult," he recalled.
Prof Chirwa said attacks by Hichilema on the President Sata were derived from bitterness and envy as they could not be substantiated.

"Which is a terrible mistake to me. He (Hichilema) made a terrible mistake of not listening to me. He listened to other people who were giving him stories which made him think he was popular in the country. If he had listened, he would have been vice-president or whatever. He made a mistake and he regrets it," he said.

"If you remember even the data and calculations I made concerning the differences in popularities between the two parties, I could see that PF could win on their own. This is why I advised His Excellency President Sata, to say 'you can go it alone now because I can see that this alliance can never work'."

Prof Chirwa said it was unfortunate and undemocratic to have leaders who always waited for other leaders to fail so that they could take up their positions at the expense of national development.

"It's very unfortunate, like any society if you had enemies before elections and you could not work together, after the elections, you must come up again and start working together. What we are seeing from reading in the newspapers of the vow which is coming out from HH is not constructive," Prof Chirwa said.

"He (Hichilema) should stop it. What we need is to make this country develop. If you feel something is wrong, perhaps you should say that we should suggest what should be done, rather than start putting bricks in front of the wheels so that you stop that machine working."

Prof Chirwa said he was however ready to contribute to national development by advising the current government to ensure the nation benefited from its natural resources.

Prof Chirwa said he was ready to lead the country when an opportunity presents itself in future.

In the future sometime, not now it can be the time that I feel I am ready now to come full time in Zambia then I will look at that. But at the moment I do not want to put myself in that position. I know I can help Zambia in many ways, not just becoming the president but I can help Zambia build good things and add value to our natural resources as an engineer, said Prof Chirwa.

Labels: CLIVE CHIRWA, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, UPND

posted by MrK @ 2:35 PM