UPND MUST BE EXTRA CAREFUL AND NOT WEAKEN ITSELF

By CIC Editors.

CIC EDITORIAL ANALYSIS.

UPND MUST BE EXTRA CAREFUL AND NOT WEAKEN ITSELF.

We covered the presidential presser where his Excellency Mr Hakainde Hichilema was very much categorical and precise on the issue of cadres. He was very much clear. For others this is the first time they heard him speak so but for some of us we have been around its exactly what he is. He is a noble man with upright thinking and zeal to do the way of things. We ran a publication when the issue of Jay Jay Banda emerged were we stated that when it comes to UPND they are everything you can call them yes but pulling a mammoth operation such as abduction or indeed abducting someone especially the MP no matter the nature or gravity of the case or issue there is certainly no one in UPND capable of doing such. When such discussions even start they cannot even go anywhere near the execution level data will be all over and just no official can even entertain such a topic before it even gets to HH its a non starter. He is simply not capable of such.

UPND during opposition were victims of enormous provocations and attacks but because of the nature of its leader on top they where perceived weak not because they couldn’t fight back but simply the structural hierarchy is of noble members where its unfashionable to table a violent topic in UPND to attack anyone. Because of this background we generate this article following the recent arrests that are so alarming and concerning especially involving the UPND councilor for Chinika Ward Mr Ngoma and or indeed Ms Munemeli. The spree orders to arrest anyone who was involved the day of the burial is a very sad state of affairs politically on so many fronts.

First thing first this was a leadership error at structural level where those cadres fall in such as youth chairmens starting from the national to the wards they must take responsibility and account how their members moved, who sanctioned them, who armed them, who allowed them to do that which they did. An event like a funeral of a politician draws all people from across the sections but youths or indeed cadres move in a different way they are clustered exactly where they come from wards, Constituencies, stations or indeed barracks as they call themselves and there is leadership among these people no matter how disorganised you may see them making noise there is always one person called Commander in charge of them forming a buffer between them and leaders. We say it’s a leaderships failure from the national youth wing down to the ward youth leaders because in a right way of doing things there was enough time to issue a memo how the burial day ought to be the Do’s and the Don’ts from the top leadership there such as the SG down to the responsible structures etc no pangas, catapults, Golfsticks, beating, insulting or indeed looting etc non would have happened if UPND leadership from the SG to the national youth leaders down to Ward leaders if indeed they know what HH has been saying about cadrerism they know this. What we saw that day tells us that there was non interms of Memo, orders, instructions etc it was free for all obviously the line leadership had little or no knowledge of how people will be or come to take stock who came and how they behaved etc. Those who managed to sponsor some busses out of good will by virtue of the funeral obviously it was an error or unforseen that such could happen, to the worst case UPND could have been infiltrated by PF or just any non political players such as junkies with ill intentions taking advantage of the mob psychology.

All these must be factored by the police before raiding the so called UPND cadres however the situation is different because the Commander in Chief ordered for the results and the police had to deliver no matter what.

We are not convinced that the people such as Masautso Ngoma as a leader as he is can be involved in the aggravated robbery activity at all. Like we said UPND membership especially at leadership level are not dramatic people capable of coordinating so called robberies using cadres or themselves no we know these people. In one news item we detected some fixing going on between leaders themselves as it stated that Mr Ngoma the councilor for Chinika Ward has been unfairly treated and implicated this we agree on the base that we are not convinced he is capable of such accusations however we opt to remain silence wether or not internal fixing among members themselves could also play a role in implicating each other.

It will be difficult to blame the police on this they are following orders, the loser here is UPND itself. When the President said he does not want to be a product of thuggery he meant well but if his people do not take his words well or misinterpret him it will be bad politically during the time of elections or campaigns.

Change is a process. Cadres especially in UPND have a history how they became that because the tension and period of cadrerism from PF was so hot that one needed to play the very dirty game to match the opponent.

Now that PF was defeated a robust sensitization and transformational ideas and reforms where supposed to be in place especially to cadres or exclusively to cadres because these people are also key stakeholders and vital players in the political realms in this nation. Cadres as you call them where the only line of security defense to these leaders in opposition facing heavily armed adversaries in PF you can’t just discard them like that. Yes they are told no more violent in markets, beating people or insulting etc but more is needed beyond just media pronouncements and police deployment on them is the last thing or option you can do to them because their interpretation will be different. These same cadres are also human beings who can transform into better citizens and change for better. The question one begs to ask is that, has there been a robust sensitization policy in UPND when it comes to who was a cadre in UPND in listening to the side of their story in a language they understand without media or using force on them or they are just left like that to fend for themselves because cadres are no longer needed?.

Zambian Political research indicates that cadres are vital players in the political landscape if well managed and coordinated. Therefore as our headline states UPND must be very careful and not weaken itself at the end of the day. We strongly believe that youth leadership from national to the wards must also take responsibility and center stage in helping the police to account who falls in line and number you may find that others just came for sole purpose of causing that confusion under disguise as UPND cadres and now the full wrath of the presidential order landing on innocent people that had little or nothing to do with the vice. Going forward cadres must be classified as youths under the leadership of its hierarchical structure and order from top to bottom only then will there be a proper accountability who is who and it Will be easy to offload the presidential guidance and order of transition from thuggery behaviour of beating people and insulting to good political youths to access skills development and empowerment new dawn is offering etc.

CIC PRESS TEAM