By Isaac Zulu
Chief Makasa of the Bemba speaking people in Northern Province has charged that the Patriot Front top leadership is practicing Stone Age politics by shunning national events.
But NDC leader Saboi Imboela charged that the UPND administration did not invite opposition leaders, saying they think they can use government resources to line up all their cadres and eat what they failed to eat in opposition, all in one day.
In an interview, Chief Makasa has described the directive issued by the PF members of central to it party members to shun national events, including International Women’s Day and Youth Day, as backward thinking.
“If ba UPND used to shun such national events, the Patriot Front should not take the same route. What the PF top leadership is doing by telling party members to shun national events is backward thinking. Me I cannot support that. That is stone age politics being practiced by the current Patriot Front top leadership. They need to stop that stone age politics,” said Chief Makasa, who is Bwalya Nkula; who is also former Patriot Front Kapiri Mposhi district chairman.
Chief Makasa stated that if the Patriot Front leadership continue on this trajectory the former ruling party risks losing its relevance on the Zambian political scene.
“And I support Chishimba Kambwili when he says they will go in oblivion…he has leadership qualities and comes from the Michael Sata Political Academy. And I feel that the Patriot Front leadership continues on this trajectory of shunning national events, the PF will soon become irrelevant on the Zambian political scene,” Chief Makasa stated.
Meanwhile, Chief Makasa has backed President Hakainde Hichilema’s directives to the law enforcement officers to arrest and prosecute parents and guardians.
“The President is spot on. Child marriage is a vice that is depriving children the right to development, the right to education and the general welfare. So the President’s directive is timely and must be taken seriously by law enforcers,” said Chief Makasa.
The traditional leader disclosed that he has “waged a war against child marriage” in his chiefdom.
“I have personally taken it upon myself to take punitive action against all parents and guardians that are marrying off their children. I have waged a war against child marriage in my chiefdom. The challenge is that these children are being exposed to illicit sex at a tender age because of civilisation and modern technology,” said Chief Makasa
But Imboela stated that the UPND government deliberately ignored to invite leaders of opposition political parties to commemoration of this year’s International Women’s Day.
“To have a party in government that is so intolerant and clearly hates associating with other political parties is very retrogressive for the country. Governance is not about who you love or hate, but about the laid down procedures and processes that government workers have to follow in order to administer state affairs in an equitable and just manner,” Imboela stated.
Imboela continued:
“While we celebrated Women’s Day in different ways and had a great time as women from all walks of life yesterday, it was very sad to see that the UPND had gone all out to distort the government way of commemorating the day. The UPND was well known for staying away from all state functions during such days, and it looked like they decided to celebrate all the years they stayed away from the celebrations yesterday. Now they think that they can use government resources to line up all their cadres and eat what they failed to eat in opposition, all in one day.”
She said a number of opposition political party presidents have confirmed that they were not invited to this year’s International Women’s Day celebrations, which she said is unprecedented.
“It was so disappointing to see thousands upon thousands of UPND women clad in the red danger regalia at the exclusion of all other parties, except a handful they called to save face. A number of political party presidents have since confirmed that, just like the NDC, they too did not receive their Women’s Day invitation. Unprecedented. Cabinet Office has a list of all registered political parties, their leaders and their contact numbers. This is the same list that successive governments have all been using,” stated Imboela. “As a woman leader of my party, I feel extremely disappointed that the UPND and its leadership, that does not repect women, has appointed few women in their Cabinet and other positions, has scrapped off the ministry of gender, has finally gone ahead to distort our day as women by making it a UPND event, instead of a national event. Additionally, they have even failed to make the First Lady identify a charity of her choice and work with her in that area, because they do not value women and their contributions. Women are an endangered species in the UPND government and the distortion of the day yesterday further goes on to prove just how UPND will stop at nothing to undermine and erase any gains that women have made in the country so far.”
