By Oliver Chisenga
THE National Democratic Congress (NDC) feels misrepresented by UPND-Alliance spokesperson Daniel Shimunza who says Southern Province Minister Cornelius Mweetwa issued an irresponsible and immature statement regarding membership of the alliance.
Responding to Mweetwa, Shimunza said the UPND-Alliance council of presidents has no time to indulge itself in petty issues with those not at its level.
“Ours is seeking being relevant, and a commitment to assist His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zambia Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, to deliver the change and prosperity, to the people of Zambia, as we promised during the 12th August 2021 General Elections. As an Alliance, we joined forces with our colleagues to foster both the change and afterwards serve in government together. We promised to restore the rule of law, re- construct the broken economy, re- unite the country and restore the broken down social order,” said Shimunza. “The UPND-Alliance council of presidents is greatly dismayed, alarmed, and shocked by the; unsolicited, unmeasured, unfortunate, irresponsible, overzealous, false, naive, insensitive, and immature statements, attributed to one Honorable Cornelius Mweetwa, against the Alliance partners, on Friday, 24th June, 2022, at the UPND secretariat in a press briefing.
It is such irresponsible and immature statements, which made some of our Alliance partners, to be apprehensive because of the inadvertently insidious; deception, propaganda, and betrayal of the sacred trust, reposed in this Alliance.”
But Sichula, whose party is one of the first members of the UPND Alliance, said Shimunza should tame his insatiable appetite for power.
He said NDC as an Alliance party member expected sensitive matters to be ironed out internally.
“This Alliance was started by the Zambian people who are the major custodians of the Alliance; even the council of presidents must not hijack the cause. If Shimunza feels Mweetwa was wrong, the best should have been to engage the Southern Province Minister than taking him on through the media…two wrongs can never make anything right; dialogue is key,” he said.
Sichula guided Shimunza that the Alliance membership was driven by the will of the people which was to liberate them from the shackles of suffering and economic mismanagement under the PF.
“It is shameful to discuss the issues of jobs as leaders when we are supposed to advocate for job creation. As leaders, our role is to put Zambians first before self; a good parent looks at the welfare of his children and that’s what President Hakainde Hichilema is striving to do today,” said Sichula.