HH irks MMD Die-hard youths

THE MMD youth wing has accused United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema of exhibiting an opportunistic tendency by suggesting that opposition parties should unite around his party.
During a rally in Lusaka’s Mandevu Township on October 6, Mr Hichilema called on opposition parties to unite around the UPND for what he said would liberate the Zambian people.
But MMD Die Hard youth national coordinator Bowman Lusambo said in a statement yesterday that his party took Mr Hichilema’s call with great interest because it concerned the future and relevance of the opposition in Zambian politics.
“We should categorically state that opposition unity around issues of concern is paramount for the furtherance of Zambia’s democracy.
“We, however, take great exception to the manner in which Mr Hichilema made the call for the opposition to unite,” Mr Lusambo said.
He said Mr Hichilema’s call lacked the basic requirements of etiquette and sincerity on a matter of such great importance.
Mr Lusambo said Mr Hichilema should have found appropriate communication channels to extend such an invitation to his opposition colleagues.
He said he found it difficult to understand the criteria used by Mr Hichilema to suggest that the opposition should unite around the UPND.
Zambia, as a multi-party democracy, has a number of vibrant and well-meaning political parties and it was, therefore, a pure act of selfishness and self-centeredness for Mr Hichilema to anoint himself and his party for the opposition alliance, Mr Lusambo said.
He said there were several well-proven politicians serving in the opposition who were of a better pedigree in public service than Mr Hichilema.
Mr Lusambo said the opposition was full of men and women who had served the nation at the highest levels and presented better options for national leadership than Mr Hichilema.
He said opposition leaders such as Nevers Mumba, Ng’andu Magande, Godfrey Miyanda, Mike Mulongoti, Edith Nawakwi and others had well-documented records in public service and should be considered for any genuine alliance.
Any call for the opposition to unite should be genuine with the sole purpose of serving Zambia, he said.
Mr Lusambo said Mr Hichilema’s call did not surprise the MMD because he had been known to exhibit opportunistic tendencies in his desire to serve his personal ego.
“We should make it clear that the MMD is a national party with the largest footprint in Zambia and if any genuine opposition alliance is to be created, the MMD should naturally be allowed to play a central role,” he said.
Mr Lusambo urged opposition leaders such as Mr Hichilema to put the interests of the nation first.
He advised Mr Hichilema and his campaign team to stick to real issues instead of maligning fellow opposition parties because that took away from what should be a good address on national issues