I have never cared about tribe, dad even stopped talking to me for supporting UNIP – Vernon Mwaanga
VETERAN politician Vernon Mwaanga has revealed that ever since he joined politics, he had never cared about anyone’s ethnicity or tribe.
Appearing on Prime TV’s Oxygen of Democracy programme, Mwaanga shared how he lost friends in the MMD for simply supporting the late President Rupiah Banda who hailed from the East.
He mentioned that many people distanced themselves from him as they wanted someone who belonged to their ethnicity.
“I have never been into ethnic politics. I’m a nationalist. When President Levy Mwanawasa died, he had a Vice President Rupiah Banda at the time and it meant that the President had to hold an election. I said to my colleagues in MMD let us support the Vice President he’s already there, he has been working with the President and some of my colleagues who came from the ethnicity as I was said ‘VJ has opted to support Rupiah Banda’ who is from Eastern province, I said yes I am a nationalist. I’m not into ethnic politics and I have never been,” shared Mwaanga.
He also revealed that during the time he was joining UNIP in the struggle for independence, his father wanted him to support his uncle Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula’s party ANC but refused stating that he would go for his choice.
He disclosed that this made his father go silent on him for three years.
“So I said I’m joining the struggle for independence through UNIP, my dad almost fainted because he thought that I should join the struggle through the ANC because he was very supportive of the ANC.”
“I said no, no, I respect your choice and you have to respect mine as well and my father didn’t talk to me for three years because of that,” he shared.
The former cabinet minister disclosed that his credentials have always been anchored on unity and love regardless of where one comes from.
“I don’t really care where a person comes from, our family, they marry from wherever they want, it’s not an issue. When I stood in Roan constituency in Luanshya, they told me to go and stand in Choma where I come from. I said no, I will stand where I want,” he stated.
He shared this to encourage old and upcoming politicians to embrace everyone in the country regardless of where they came from so as to succeed in their political career.
Mwaanga also advised Zambians to avoid politicians who anchor their campaigns on tribal remarks.
Picture credit: Zambia Daily Mail
By Catherine Pule
Kalemba, December 6, 2024