Mon, 05 Jun 2017 13:00:34 +0000
By AARON CHIYANZO
HAKAINDE Hichilema should use his time in incarceration to reflect on the purpose for which the opposition UPND was formed, says former UPND vice president for politics Canisius Banda.
And Dr. Banda has challenged the remaining members of the UPND to take up leadership of the party following the incarceration of their leader and the vice president Geoffrey Mwamba allegedly being in hiding.
He said in an interview with the Daily Nation that the UPND was a legal entity which was supposed to be run in tandem with the constitution and the will of the people.
Dr. Banda said that it was important for a country to have many political parties but that leaders should listen to the voice of the members and the general public.
He reiterated that the UPND should not be allowed to collapse just because a few individuals were missing in action.
Dr. Banda advised Mr Hichilema to use the time in prison to reflect on the value and purpose for which he was born.
“I would like to wish Hichilema a happy birthday, but he should use the time to reflect on the value and true purpose for which he was born, that’s my only plea. The UPND should not die because of an individual, it survived after the death of the founding father Anderson Mazoka. Multiple party dispensation is healthy in a democratic country and parties should be run according to the will of the people,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Banda said that the remaining members of the UPND should rise up and provide leadership to the members since Mr Mwamba was cowardly in hiding.
He warned that the members would lose focus if someone did not rise up to the occasion and provide leadership.
Dr. Banda called on UPND national chairperson Mutale Nalumango to ensure that members were kept in check to avoid any calamity from igniting.
He explained that the UPND members were in need of guidance now more than ever following the incarceration of Mr Hichilema.
Dr. Banda urged the UPND members to ensure that their leaders were running the party in cognitive of the Republican Constitution and according to their wishes.
