Tue, 27 Jun 2017 14:16:46 +0000
By SANDRA MACHIMA
THE country is witnessing unprecedented levels of sabotage and arson aimed at destabilizing the nation all because of the detention of one person, a development that never happened when other leaders, including late president Michael Sata, was incarcerated.
New Congress Party leader Peter Chanda said when Michael Sata, then in opposition, was arrested and incarcerated, there were no criminal activities such as being witnessed today of sabotage and arson, a worrying development that the country should take seriously.
Mr Chanda has warned the Government to take the issue seriously because there were elements out there to sabotage the nation.
He warned that the more some people continued to engage in illegal activities as means of showing their grievances, the more they pushed away their chances of winning an election in this nation.
Mr Chanda said some opposition parties had failed to provide checks and balances because they had engaged themselves in violence, saying should they continue to do so, their presence in the political arena would be irrelevant.
He said politicians should emulate the late President Sata who accepted defeat and forged ahead.
“The late President Sata emerged as the leading opposition presidential contender and rival to President Levy Mwanawasa in the 2006 presidential election and was defeated, but he continued to provide thorough checks and balances to the government.
“The late President Sata shocked the nation when he showed political authority by taming his cadres to behave despite what he went through after he lost his election and that was the reason why he had lured a number of people who supported him and made him President,” he said.
He said lack of leadership in some parties would continue to deny them chances of winning, saying those cadres who were used to inflict pain on others would one day turn against them.
Mr Chanda has urged Zambians to support the Government and focus on development, saying UPND had continued to waste time complaining over the last election when other parties were busy preparing for the next one.
