By Staff Reporter
The opposition Citizens First (CF) says the party has now started winning elections, towards their aim to liberate Zambia from rampant under development and tribalism.
CF deputy secretary general general Dr Kasese Bota, said CF had shown that they were capable of winning elections, after defeating the ruling UPND and other opposition parties in the Mufili ward elections in Lupososhi ward during yesterday’s by-elections.
“The streak of loses has ended, that’s why when people tell us we are mobilising and getting zeros, we are not just getting zeros we leave our presence,” Dr Bota said.
She thanked the people of Mufili who she said as having confidence in CF leader Harry Kalaba, stressing it was very difficult to win a ward by-election especially when contesting against a ruling party.
“We are now winning to deliver Zambians from rampant under development and the tribalism which is going unchecked. The evidence of tribalism is there and you fail to say anything even to censure the person involved,” Dr Bota said.
She challenged President Hakainde Hichilema to fire RATSA chief executive officer Amon Mweemba if he did not send him to focus on employing those from Southern Province over the internal job recruitment at the agency.
“We expect the leadership to fire the RATSA director if they did not instruct him to do what he did … to push one tribe over the others,” Dr Bota said. Leadership has no tribe, it has no region, it has only Zambia.
She further demanded for an audit of all the government institutions to establish and correct the levels of tribalism.
Dr Bota said it had never happened before where all the ambassadors in key diplomatic postings all hailed from the one region.
She said she remembers when she was serving as Ambassador other names such as Palan Mulonda from Central and Dr Ngosa Simbyakula, Southern, Wilbur Simuusa, Southern, Mutiti Ndiyoi Western, Winnie Chibesakunda (Southern) and Muyeba Chikonde from Luapula all served in key embassies.
“If there was tribalism in PF, it should be denounced, just as the UPND tribalism should be denounced. And one cannot use the tribalism in PF to justify the current tribalism when President HH had told us he was going to unite the country.. How do you unite the country when the CEO of RATSA is clearly discounting those from Chipata or Eastern Province and northern parts of Zambia in preference for someone from Southern Province, and you are a President and are quiet about it?” Dr Bota said. “The so called Bemba tribalism in PF, and the writing down of our names by some so called political analysts with little to analyze is unfortunate. Those Bemba names they put are covering at a minimum 7 provinces among provinces. You can’t say that just because one is from the Northern block then they are Bemba. No! You can’t say Nkandu who is Lamba is Bemba.”
She said when she served as Ambassador to the UN, there was never an occurrence of having ambassadors in the US from one province and in other key diplomatic postings.
“Today we have ambassador to the US and UN both from the same region. Let’s talk London, South Africa, Germany, China etc. Let’s have an audit of ambassadors and other key institutions and do the right thing. It is not too late for President HH to start uniting the country. Let him lead by example and show us that we are one,” said Dr Bota.
