PRESIDENT HICHILEMA COUNSELS UPND MEMBERS TO STOP INFIGHTING WHICH IS NOT THE ONLY REASON FOR THIS DISCONTENT…
By Stembridge Sikalundu
When the president reacts to something it is always believed that the truth has been exposed in the highest office , at times people doubt whether the president is correctly briefed with what is happening on the ground , those who surround the president in most instances want to be seen as concerned and good advisory unit . The president is the final person in the country and his resolve to attend to all issues is a constitutional right . However in my view if something is wrong in the UPND I would have loved the president to look at all the concerns before regarding infighting as a problem that needs counsel, the UPND party needs to call for an extraordinary meeting where members are going to make submissions to the NMC which are supposed to be assertively assessed and presented to the president in full detail for action . There was no infighting when the UPND was in opposition ,is it what the president has come to know about from the numerous concerns which UPND members have openly stated in many media forums? . Is the president going to heal UPND members from just asking them to stop the infightings when a lot is begging his authourity action? , the UPND leadership has been requested to do more to address the concerns of the party members , if the statement from the president is the only word that is sought to keep the party together , am afraid the crack is going to be widening each time we move to the future .
The president is supposed to be aware of many things which the UPND party is going through and affecting the membership, first and foremost the president is supposed to attend to national issues affecting all zambians, but the UPND party forum was used to win elections and it’s firmness and strong organisational structure is supposed to have attributes through leadership team work and support , coordination requires a continuous connectivity with the grassroots to ensure mobilisation to support the party is unconditionally built , in this case UPND leaders need their members at all times to foster this achievement , now if there is a disconnect between leaders in govt , party officials with their party members , no one is going to claim the UPND is an organisation , in this case UPND members feel abandoned since winning the general election and the party has no active party structures in most parts of the country , there is need for the UPND party to be seen being active because it is in govt .
The UPND leaders have been challenged to stop being selfish and greed because of having gone to establish their own comfort zones , a lot was expected from the president but as things are it appears he has no serious attachment to what is coming from the party members , the president is confident of the senior govt and the party officials , one important factor in politics is that a party which forms govt must learn mistakes made by other Political parties especially the UPND which has been in opposition longer than any other party that formed govt before , the UPND was more organised for 23 years in opposition , but what has happened in just a year and more after winning elections ?, it is likely that UPND foot soldiers will defect in 2026 for greener pastures if things remain the way they are ,and the UPND elite will be requested to endure the hard campaign conditions which they have never done for the benefits they are enjoying today , I see the UPND leadership spending to recall their carders but that will not work given the situation they will have to endure for five years without recognition . we hope the UPND leaders will change the narrative that they used people to win elections for the elite to live better . God bless mother Zambia.
I CRY ZAMBIA MY BELOVED COUNTRY