Accept junior status, Nawakwi urges UPND
By Patson Chilemba
Sun 03 Oct. 2010, 04:01 CAT
FDD president Edith Nawakwi yesterday advised the UPND to calmly accept their status as a junior partner in the PF/UPND pact. Commenting on the popularity arguments involving the PF and UPND, Nawakwi said UPND did the same to FDD in 2006 when they asked them to accept that UPND was bigger than all the parties which were in the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
“I hope that the UPND will accept that they are the junior partner. I hope that my colleagues in UPND calmly take the statement that they have fewer seats, they are younger because that is how we felt. I hope that they are not feeling as bad as we felt when we were being told we had 12 seats in the House and that we didn’t have enough money,” Nawakwi said.
“They should take their status calmly and accept it just as they expected us to accept it because we were being told that we couldn’t provide helicopters and we only had 12 seats. It is the same language which is being played on them that they played on us.”
Nawakwi said the UPND had now felt how the FDD felt at that time.
“Knowing that we had a lot to contribute, all the experience that we had having worked in government, knowing that really our CVs are unbeatable and then we were being told, ‘no, you don’t have helicopters’,” she said.
Nawakwi said an alliance could not work where there was deceit, dishonesty and selfishness. She said there could only be one leader at any given time.
“You see in UDA, while we had the late Anderson Mazoka we had our own problems but there was a lot of respect towards each other at the time, until the demise of late Anderson Mazoka. That is when the ugly head of selfishness and self-conceitedness came into the politics of UDA,” Nawakwi said.
“It is not possible that some leaders feel that they are the best for this country. I think leadership is something that is given by the people. You can’t impose your leadership on a nation, people, family, community.”
Nawakwi said those who felt they were leaders should first look within themselves if they were humble because leadership was about humility.
“UDA failed because some people within UDA thought they were richer than others. I had colleagues from UPND asking me, ‘do you have a helicopter? Do you have billions because some of your colleagues can even put K10 billion on the table for the campaigns? If someone else is elected we will have everything’?” Nawakwi said.
“My dear when things were done, that statement only came to pass. I never saw the choppers nor the billions of kwacha for the campaigns. So we need to be truthful. I think that this country has come a long way in 45 years.”
Nawakwi said the independence liberation struggles such as Cha Cha Cha were not fought with helicopters but with bare hands.
“So those who have money must realise that money will not buy them the road to State House. If you follow the leadership of seniority and experience and the most capable leader, and the fact that we were going to have Anderson Mazoka as leader and myself as vice, it followed then that in the absence of the elder brother I should have followed to be the next candidate,” Nawakwi said.
“And if you heard the New Africa magazine 2006, July they actually were looking at the possibility that ‘if Nawakwi is chosen as a candidate of the alliance, Mwanawasa is going to have a run for his money’.
But here at home I was being told ‘you are only a woman, you worked with Chiluba, you don’t have a helicopter and indeed you don’t come from a tribe which is larger in the house’. So since my late brother was from my province in Southern Province, I was told it follows that the successor to be president needed to come from the province.”
Nawakwi said she expected that either herself or Sakwiba Sikota would be the presidential candidate after Mazoka died. She said people would not have minded if either herself of Sikota were picked as candidate.
“They people took great exception to having a new person and I think that was the demise. I think that is critically the reason why the alliance did not succeed,” Nawakwi said.
She said having worked with the UPND, she was not surprised at the turn of events in the PF-UPND pact.
Nawakwi said people should have taken time to ask about her experience in UDA.
“For me what I thought was that 2006 was an era passed and was really praying and looking forward that people have matured, they have changed, they have learnt from their mistakes. That is what I was praying for that for once I trusted and hoped that Zambia will be given something different than what we had in 2006,” Nawakwi said.
“I think we are still at an era before 2006. Habits experienced with UDA are still manifest today. We agreed that each of the parties in the alliance was going to get 50 seats. We experienced a situation where our colleagues decided that even for seats such as Chasefu and Sinda, they wanted to take them away from us. I think you recall that FDD only ended up with two seats. It is the same selfishness I am talking about.”
Nawakwi said the same selfishness was experienced in Munali, where she was a sitting member of parliament.
“Before we woke up, we found that people were printing certificates away from the secretariat of UDA to give to their members to file. You cannot sit on the table, transact one thing, go off the table transact another thing. It can’t work. Alliances must be based on understanding, respect and following a very, very high degree of honesty. Your objective must be the future,” she said.
Nawakwi said even after the 2006 elections, she was still being told that she was a woman by people who were not experienced.
“I look at these people, they will tell you they are experienced but they have no experience. They have never rescheduled a single debt, never met a single head of state outside the borders of this country. They have never negotiated any strike with the labour union in this country and they tell you ‘you are a woman’,” Nawakwi said.
“One day the Zambian people will realise that women are better leaders than men. I think that Zambians are now looking for alternatives and the alternative is the leadership of women, credible, alternative leadership.”
Nawakwi said she was abused together with her members in 2006. She said FDD members were asked to get materials for campaigns from her when they went to the UDA secretariat, saying the abuse was from top to bottom.
“The country is in limbo because I think that a lot of hope was pinned on this pact but as far as I am concerned I knew from day one that it will end the way it has ended, insincerity and self-conceited behaviour. ‘I am the best’. When they are choosing a captain in the class, do you install it upon yourself?” Nawakwi asked.
“Mazoka never said to me, ‘Edith you can’t be a leader’. Late Mazoka was so gracious. There were moments and days when late Mazoka would come to my house and ‘my sister can we make a decision on this matter’? He had the courtesy and the respect. Insincerity only crept into the UDA after he died.”
Nawakwi said UPND members told her that they had to take the leadership to themselves after the demise of Mazoka.
“They had to even bring outsiders who are less experienced than me. If you talk to my brother Sakwiba Sikota, he will probably have the same views. I mean they had to leave because they couldn’t stand the entrance of new people who had no experience. I put the interest of the country first,” said Nawakwi.
“I said well if I have to leave the UDA, Zambians will say ‘look at Edith she wants to be president at all cost. Let me give this thing a chance’. I had to step aside and I am waiting. I think Zambians will say, ‘one day it is my turn’. I think it is in 2011.”
Labels: EDITH NAWAKWI, PF-UPND, UDA, UPND
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Crumbling of UDA worries KK
By Noel Sichalwe
Saturday August 04, 2007 [04:00]
DR Kenneth Kaunda yesterday expressed concern at the crumbling of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA). In an interview, Dr Kaunda wondered what had happened to the alliance that was meant to unite three opposition political parties. "I want to discuss this matter with the people who were involved," Dr Kaunda said. "I will be talking to them and understand exactly what was the problem. I want to understand what has caused this development."
FDD general secretary Newton Nguni last Sunday said the UDA was a dead issue. And UNIP vice-president Njekwa Anamela has said UDA has outlived its usefulness after the 2006 tripartite elections. Anamela said UDA was meant for the 2006 elections and that the party had now concentrated on strengthening its structures to prepare for the 2011 elections.
He said after conducting a post-mortem for the 2006 elections, the performance of the alliance and the challenges ahead, UNIP had decided to concentrate on strengthening its structure rather than concentrating on UDA. Anamela said UNIP was now ready to participate in any elections as a party whenever they would arise. He said his party had made a deliberate political position to distance itself from the alliance. He said it was good that UPND had also made its position clear on the matter.
This followed an earlier statement by UPND president Hakainde Hichilema announcing the pulling out of UDA. And Hichilema said UPND would have done better in the last elections if it participated as a single party. He urged his members to campaign for UPND ahead of the 2011 general elections.
The National Assembly has since said UDA members of parliament that have been elected to Parliament would not be affected by the crumbling of the alliance.
Media liaison officer Chikomeni Banda said members of parliament under UDA were elected on their individual political parties.
He said the fact that the parties that formed UDA - UNIP, Forum for Development and Democracy (FDD) and United Party for National Development (UPND) - did not dissolve prior to the 2006 tripartite elections meant that their individual members of parliament would continue occupying their seats in the House.
Labels: KENNETH KAUNDA, NEWTON NG'UNI, UDA
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I won without bribery - Magande
By Inonge Noyoo
Tuesday July 31, 2007 [04:00]
FINANCE minister Ng’an-du Magande yesterday boasted that he won the Chilanga seat without bribery or corruption. And losing UDA candidate Captain Cosmas Moono said he did not rule out a long wrong judgement. Addressing jubilant MMD cadres after Lusaka High Court judge Marvin Mwanamwambwa dismissed the petition of UDA’s Capt Moono and Patriotic Front’s Priscilla Kamanga against him, Magande - who could not hide his joy at the judgment - said as the High Court had stated, he won the elections without cheating anybody.
“Let me take this opportunity to thank all of you who made time to come up to the High Court to hear the judgment on the petition raised on your decision that you made on 28th September. We have come out of the High Court, one of the highest legal institutions in the land, and it has been declared that your decision, your action on the 28th of September was indeed without bribery, without corruption and that you chose me to be your member of parliament,” he said.
Magande assured the cadres that he would continue doing the job that President Mwanawasa gave him.
“I promised to help you once you elected me. I want to assure you that even while the High Court case was going on, I have been in the constituency working. So now that this is over, I want to go back to the job that President Mwanawasa gave me. My job is to make sure that I bring development to Zambia. All that I want to ask of all MMD members is that we must now work hard so that even those who wasted our time coming to the High Court and wanted us to be their enemies, we show them that they need us and we can look after them,” he said.
Magande said he intended to ask President Mwanawasa to start touring and seeing the projects in the various parts of the country where money had been released.
“I want you to work with me and work with President Mwanawasa so that the next four years we bring development,” he said.
But Capt Moono said he expected the judgment to come out the way it did because it had taken too long.
“I foresaw the ruling. A child is born after nine months but in this case it has taken too long. I did not rule out a long wrong judgement,” he said.
Asked if he would appeal, Capt Moono said he would have to consult with other stakeholders; the lawyers, the party and fellow petitioners. The other petitioner, Kamanga could not be reached for comment as she had left the court while the judgment was being delivered.
And judge Mwanamwambwa warned journalists against inaccurate quotations of his judgment.
Delivering the four-hour judgment, judge Mwanamwambwa said he had found that there was no bribery and corruption as defined by the electoral Act.
He said he had found and held that the proven non-compliances with the Act did not warrant nullifying the election result.
“In my view, Honourable Magande won the parliamentary election because the opposition split the votes among themselves. He did not win the election because of alleged rampant bribery and corruption and anomalies at the polling stations. Evidence on record shows that out of 17,883 valid votes cast, Honourable Magande got 6,478 votes.
This is less than 50 per cent of the total valid votes cast. The opposition candidates shared among themselves 11,405 votes,” he said. “In effect the majority of voters in the constituency voted against him. I think he would have lost if the opposition had not split votes. I hold that the petitioners have not proved their case to the required standard.”
Judge Mwanamwambwa ordered the petitioners to pay costs of the proceedings that would be taxed in default of agreement.
“I wish to add that had this petition succeeded on account of improper or malafide breach of Act by the electoral officers, I would have ordered such officers to pay costs of the proceedings. I would have made such order under section 105(2) of the Act,” he said.
Judge Mwanamwambwa dismissed all the 62 allegations against Magande and said too many allegations were pleaded. He also dismissed allegations that there were excess ballot papers not accounted for and that there were excess ballot papers.
“On a proper consideration of the law and evidence, not all that was pleaded and said ought to have been pleaded. Some of the allegations that were pleaded were not petitionable grounds under the law,” he said.
Judge Mwanamwambwa said some of the allegations made the election petition unnecessarily voluminous.
Capt Moono and Kamanga had petitioned the election of Magande as duly elected member of parliament for Chilanga Constituency. The duo alleged that prior to the elections, Magande engaged in corrupt activities contrary to section 78 and 81 of the electoral Act number 12 of 2001 in a bid to procure an election for himself. The two asked the court to declare Magande’s election null and void and conduct fresh elections for the area in full compliance of the law in an environment devoid of corruption. The candidates who contested the parliamentary elections for the area were John Ziba (Reform Party), Henry Muyoba (independent), Kamanga, Capt Moono and Magande.
Labels: CADRES, COSMAS MOONO, COURTS, MAGANDE, UDA
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The death of UDA
By Editor
Sunday July 29, 2007 [04:00]
GOING by the acrimony that immediately followed its birth, especially the differences over the question of its presidential candidate in last year’s elections, it was clear that the survival of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) was threatened.
In fact, no sooner had the UDA been born than it turned itself into a white elephant. It is indeed sad that the quest for political dialogue and unity among our political parties and their leaders continues to be elusive at a time when political alliances should be one way of making sure that our democratic culture is improved and generally that our democracy becomes more useful and meaningful.
First it was the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) which indicated that its position in the UDA was becoming untenable. The final straw to the alliance could not have been better demonstrated than through what we saw in the last by-election in Kapoche where one alliance partner, UNIP, decided to field its own candidate against Charles Banda who had received the UDA stamp. By this decision, UNIP had made it categorical that it was done with UDA.
So it is less surprising that Hakainde Hichilema, the leader of another alliance partner – the UPND – has decided to come out in the open that UDA is no more. What a painful death to what should have been an example that political parties can put aside their narrow or sectional interests and come together in national interest.
But as we had stated even as we welcomed the formation of UDA as a positive development in the political history of our country, our type of politics still remains opportunistic, largely based on expediency. There are no principles involved in the political alliances that we see in our politics. Little wonder we can have politicians parading themselves as new members of the MMD when only the other day they were standing on an anthill, mercilessly pounding the ruling party and its politicians. This is how cheap we have made our politics; there are no principles involved in our politics.
We do appreciate that political alliances may not necessarily require adherence to principles, because by nature they are based on expediencies such as contesting elections as a single entity in order to increase chances of winning and therefore forming government. However, we think that no value will be added to our democracy as long as our politicians continue to be driven by selfish interests.
In the case of UDA, for instance, we know that a lot of selfishness was exhibited by some leaders of the alliance and this actually explains why one leader of this alliance was nowhere near the presidential campaigns even when the heat of that moment required that all the leaders of the alliance go full-throttle in the electoral battle zone.
But there are many reasons why our politicians should start looking at political alliances not on the basis of short-term expediencies such as elections. We need to start seeing formation of political alliances that focus their attention to greater goals and objectives that add value to our democracy and that offer an opportunity for political sanity in our otherwise confused setup where political party formation is as good as a hobby – anyone can wake up, gather members of their family and register a political party and possibly stand as a presidential candidate.
The developments in the UDA should offer us an opportunity to reflect on what we think ought to be the purpose of political alliances. We need to start asking ourselves why and if we really need political alliances. As we have stated already, political alliances can be based on a number of considerations and they do not necessarily have to be correct or right.
First, political alliances can either be formed for political convenience or based on ideology, philosophy or shared values and expectations. Also, for an alliance to be effective and efficient there must be common grounds, interests and goals that alliance members should be pursuing. Finally, alliances may be permanent or temporary and may be forged for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons may be positive while others may be opportunistic and survivalist.
And looking at the UDA today, we see that some of these elements or characteristics are very true about this political alliance whose demise can to a great extent be explained by these same tendencies. We can actually state confidently that there were no concrete common grounds by the parties involved because if that were the case, we should not have witnessed the kind of acrimony we saw over the choice for their presidential candidate.
And we can also safely say that there was a lot of opportunism as some alliance leaders were not willing to give up on certain things or demands just to ensure that their opportunistic agenda was not lost. We can also say that some of the members of the UDA were on a survivalist agenda because left alone, without having to hide within the shell of UDA, they could have long died and they were not even going to be a factor in last year’s elections.
But there are many reasons why politicians should start taking political alliances seriously. We think that if political alliances are formed around certain principles or ideologies and centred on agreeable or agreed upon common grounds, they have a better chance of survival. And the survival of political alliances has a positive corollary effect in terms of their ability to help overcome the political fragmentation we see in the country and therefore help increase participation of society in politics.
We think this is the best way to go, given the fact that most of our political parties today lack a national character as they are based on regional or tribal formations. Political alliances could help correct this anomaly in our politics because we need to shift from sectional politics so that citizens start making their political choices not on the basis of regional or tribal inclinations of political parties but on the basis of which political formation has the capacity to implement policies and programmes that would be materially beneficial to themselves.
That said, the death of UDA - although it has always been expected - is regrettable because it has negative consequences for political parties in terms of their cohesiveness and effectiveness.
Labels: EDITORIAL, UDA
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UDA is a dead issue - Ng’uni
By Noel Sichalwe
Monday July 30, 2007 [04:02]
UNITED Democratic Alliance (UDA) is a dead issue, Forum for Development and Democracy (FDD) general secretary Newton Ng’uni said yesterday. And UNIP vice-president Njekwa Anamela has said UDA has outlived its usefulness after the 2006 tripartite elections.
Commenting on United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema's call to pull out of UDA, Ng'uni said his party had made a position on the matter.
"We have talked about this matter. As far as this issue is concerned, UDA is a dead issue," Ng'uni said.
Anamela said UDA was meant for the 2006 elections and that the party had now concentrated on strengthening its structures to prepare for the 2011 elections.
He said after conducting a post-mortem for the 2006 elections, the performance of the alliance and the challenges ahead, UNIP had decided to concentrate on strengthening its structure rather than concentrating on UDA.
Anamela said UNIP was now ready to participate in any elections as a party whenever they would arise.
He said his party had made a deliberate political position to distance itself from the alliance.
He said it was good that UPND had also made its position on the matter.
"The UDA arrangement was relevant to the 2006 elections and it has since come and gone," he said.
"We have made a deliberate position to strengthen the party structures and when elections come, UNIP will contest on itself."
Addressing a public gathering at Nkonje Community School in Chibombo district on Saturday, Hichilema said UPND would have done better in the last elections if it participated as a single party.
He urged his members to go flat out and campaign for the party and pleaded with them to forget about UDA. Hichilema said UDA was just an alliance and that it was no longer binding.
Hichilema said his party was now positioning itself for the 2011 elections and urged people to continue campaigning for the party. The UDA was formed early last year comprising UPND, FDD and UNIP. The alliance featured candidates from its individual political parties on its ticket.
Labels: FDD, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, NEWTON NG'UNI, NJEKWE ANAMELA, UDA, UNIP, UPND
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Panji resigns from UNIP
By Sandra Lombe
Thursday July 12, 2007 [04:01]
EASTERN Province UNIP chairperson Colonel Panji Kaunda has resigned from both his position and the party. Col Panji, who was also UDA Eastern Province chairperson, said in a telephone interview from Chadiza yesterday that his resignation was because UNIP lacked a vision and unity.
"I have resigned. Yes I resigned, I sent in my resignation letter on Saturday. I could not compromise that (unity)," he said.
Col Panji said he was not happy with the Kapoche by-election differences between UNIP and UDA.
"We had resolved to support Charles Banda but the leaders decided to go behind my back to discuss with my junior officers and put another person," he said. "My provincial secretary Christopher Phiri has also resigned. He resigned on Saturday after he got my message that I have resigned."
He said he could still support UDA and campaign for it as a freelancer. Col Panji said the people in the province had been disappointed with his move.
"I can still campaign for anybody as a freelancer. Joining another party will come later," he said. "UNIP is not going anywhere. It has lost vision. I can't follow when someone is going in the bush."
He said he would spend time consulting before he could get take the next step. Col Panji said he was of the view of finding a way of UNIP working together with others but that had not been recognised. He expressed pessimism that UNIP would do well in the next general elections.
"I am looking at today and tomorrow, I don't want to be pushed," he said.
However, Col Panji said he had nothing against his brother Tilyenji, who is UNIP president.
"As politicians we have nothing in common, but I will speak to him as a brother because I can't change that," Col Panji said.
"The Kapoche election issues came and made us go different ways. We had difficulties for that election. They went behind my back to discuss with junior officers, this shows I was irrelevant. We can't go back, I told them I won't support them."
Panji said UDA had brought unity in Eastern Province and the spirit of ‘One Zambia One Nation’.
When contacted for comment Tilyenji was reported to be in a meeting.
Tilyenji and Col Panji differed prior and during the Kapoche by-elections with the latter accusing his brother of running UNIP from his bedroom.
Former UNIP council chairperson Wilfred Chirwa said Col Panji's departure signalled the death of UNIP in Eastern Province. He said Tilyenji should not think he was building UNIP by antagonising Col Panji.
"A lot of people I have spoken to, including myself are going with Panji whether to hell or to heaven. I wish you could see my face, this is a serious issue that has annoyed me. I have taken a lot to help rebuild UNIP," said Chirwa who has been in UNIP since 1958. "I was imprisoned in Kabwe and it can't take Tilyenji a second to destroy the party. If Panji goes, there will be no UNIP in Eastern Province.
Labels: EASTERN PROVINCE, PANJI KAUNDA, UDA, UNIP
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l'll not remain alone in UDA - HH
By Chibaula Silwamba
Monday June 11, 2007 [04:00]
UPND president Hakainde Hichilema yesterday said he would not remain in the UDA alone. Commenting on United Democratic Alliance (UDA) partners, UNIP’s Tilyenji Kaunda and FDD’s Edith Nawakwi, who said the alliance was finished and that it was merely for purposes of the 2006 election, Hichilema said some people were free to leave the struggle.
“The issue of remaining alone does not arise. Some people go and many more come. I can’t be alone because there are about 12 million Zambians who can join me,” Hichilema said. “In a struggle like this people lose vision and fall out. People who are tired are entitled to fall by the wayside. But we will continue the struggle to emancipate Zambians from economic and social problems.”
Hichilema said even during the independence struggle some people abandoned the struggle and became agents of the colonialists but still those that remained managed to attain the country’s independence.
“We said it is necessary to work with other people but if some sections of these people fall away that does not mean that no sections will remain,” he said. “We need to join and put this country together because currently it’s so polarised.”
He said only the UDA national management committee could make a binding decision that the alliance agreement had finished. “People should be allowed to make decisions and say what they wish to say but we have structures that make binding decisions. Our national management committee is meeting and it makes decisions,” he said. “For us we are looking at building conscience and that conscience building process should be focused on doing things that are beneficial to people.”
A fortnight ago, Tilyenji who is former UDA chairman said the alliance had finished. “UDA niyazulo, niya 2006, inapita inatha, inasila. Chigwirizano chinatha. (The UDA was for last year 2006 and now UDA is finished, it’s over. The alliance ended),” said Tilyenji.
Nawakwi, who was Hichilema’s vice-president, said the UDA was just for the 2006 elections and now the three political parties – FDD, UPND and UNIP- should revert to their individual operations.
Nawakwi has since started mobilising new FDD membership with a view to contesting the 2011 presidential elections.
And Hichilema said he had been to seven provinces in the last three months and realised that the country was in a desperate situation.
“I travelled by road, meeting and talking to people, seeing how they live and what they eat and the situation is desperate. So we need collective efforts to move the country forward. We need to solve the paradox of a rich country yet its people are poor,” he said. “There is no time to waste; we need to harness all our resources to benefit our people. We need prudent and strong economic management.”
Hichilema urged his fellow politicians not to continue arguing on petty issues while ordinary people were suffering. “The day when Zambia will have good economic leadership that is when we shall give hope to all Zambians, for better and free education, free medical services, clean water and other services,” he said. “I can assure you that during the next election our agenda will be economic and social development.”
Labels: DEVELOPMENT, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, UDA, UPND
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UDA is finished - Tilyenji
By Chibaula Silwamba in Petauke
Thursday May 31, 2007 [04:00]
UDA is finished, opposition UNIP president Tilyenji Kaunda has declared. And UNIP Kapoche parliamentary candidate Levison Mumba said UPND president Hakainde Hichilema is not a democrat. Featuring on Radio Explorer on Tuesday evening, Tilyenji who is former UDA chairman said the alliance crumbled after the 2006 elections. He said the alliance was for purposes of the 2006 elections only.
“It’s true that last year 2006 there was an alliance among three political parties, UPND, FDD and UNIP. The alliance was for last year during the elections, now that elections are over the alliance ended, we have changed,” Tilyenji said. “UDA niyazulo, niya 2006, inapita, inatha, inasila.Chigwirizano chinatha. (The UDA was for last year 2006 and now UDA is finished, it’s over. The alliance ended).” He said during the Kapoche elections, UNIP fielded Mumba and all party members should vote for him. “As UNIP, we are on our own and our candidate is Levison Achitenji Mumba,” Tilyenji said. “If there is confusion, people should put it aside. UPND and FDD can also stand on their own, there is no confusion.”
When presenter Patrick Daka asked him about UNIP Eastern Province chairman Colonel Panji Kaunda’s move to campaign for FDD’s Charles Banda, Tilyenji responded, “If it’s true that Col Kaunda is campaigning for Charles Banda, then that is wrong. The rules of UNIP do not allow a UNIP member to campaign for another political party. We are waiting for a report from the provincial committee about Col Kaunda’s campaigning for Charles Banda, thereafter we will know what to do.”
But Col Kaunda said the UDA leaders had not told the grassroots that UDA had ceased hence his support for Banda. He said all the three parties in the alliance had initially endorsed Banda’s candidature under the UDA .
Recently, FDD president Edith Nawakwi said the UDA was just for the purpose of elections but did not state that the alliance had ended. Meanwhile, late UPND president Anderson Mazoka’s widow, Mutinta suggested that the UPND should pull out of the UDA because the alliance had not added anything to the party.
And Tilyenji said there were low levels of development in Kapoche Constituency. “There is a problem of transport in Kapoche because the roads are impassable and farmers are struggling. People of Kapoche have been neglected,” he said. “The MMD has mismanaged this country. We should change the government.”
And Mumba said he was surprised at Hichilema’s reaction to his resignation from UPND to join UNIP. “I thought that Hichilema was a democrat but I’m surprised that he reacted the way he was reported to have reacted. I shall resist any temptation to engage in a debate that will move us away from issues.” Mumba said he believed that politicians should move away from the behaviour of despising people in parties they abandoned. “When you are leaving a party you have to leave quietly and that is the gift I gave UPND, I didn’t call anyone names,” Mumba said. Asked what prompted him to leave the UPND, Mumba responded, “When the time comes, I will be available to the press.”
Labels: FDD, PANJI KAUNDA, TILYENJI KAUNDA, UDA, UNIP
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Mutinta Mazoka urges UPND to pull out of UDA
By Nomusa Michelo
Monday May 14, 2007 [04:00]
Anderson Mazoka’s widow Mutinta has advised the UPND to pull out of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) because it has done nothing for the party. In an interview, Mutinta observed the UPND was better off without UNIP and FDD in the alliance, saying the initiative was not working.
"It is not working. I don't see it working. If I had my own way, they should get out. The other parties didn't bring anything into the alliance at all," Mutinta said. "If you look at the results, there were three presidents in the alliance, one from Eastern Province, one from Northern Province and one from Southern Province, but Northern Province didn't get anything at all.
In Eastern Province you can count on one hand. The majority of seats came from the Southern Province. The alliance really didn't bring anything of substance to the UPND. If I was at the helm of the UPND I would get out of UDA."
Mutinta said she had no plans of going into politics at the moment but was still thinking about it. She said she had no desire to take over the leadership of the UPND after her husband's death last year as had been suggested, as she was still grieving her loss.
"I didn't have any desire to take over the helms of the party after my husband passed on last year, I was not ready. And getting involved in politics, I am still thinking about it, but right now I have no plans," she said.
Mutinta said she was confident that the leadership of UPND president Hakainde Hichilema would see the party's vision of 'Zambia Forward' brought to fruition. "I would like to see that his vision of 'Zambia Forward' is carried on by the party.
Mr Mazoka worked hard for the party and I hope and wish that those that are at the top leadership of the party now will carry on and I know they will. I have confidence in them," she said. "They (UPND) are doing fine. I haven't really followed closely what is going on in the party but from what I hear, they are doing fine."
Mutinta said Mazoka was a very hardworking and truthful man whose death robbed the country of a great president. "To me I really believe that the death of Mr Mazoka was a great loss to the Zambian people because he would have made a great president," Mutinta said. "I would like those at the top to emulate the way he led the party in order for his dream to be realised in future."
Mutinta also said the UPND performed well during last year's tripartite elections despite not having enough time to campaign and sell their new presidential candidate, Hichilema. "Given the circumstance that he had no time to campaign, he did very well. The party did well, they didn't have time to campaign but they did well even beating those who were on the field for much longer," she said.
And Mutinta said life had changed since the death of Mazoka. "Life has changed drastically, but by the grace of God we have managed to pull through. People have been gracious to us and in general we have been alright," said Mutinta. "You know when the head of the family dies, it is always devastating. My family life is good because my children are here with me now.
I have my little Kambela (her grandson) who makes noise all the time and knocking things down. My faith in God has brought me much consolation. Of course, I miss my husband terribly but life has to go on. I have to anchored my faith in God and that is how I have kept going."
Labels: MUTINTA MAZOKA, UDA, UPND
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