ZAWAPA IS A PEOPLES POLITICAL

ZAWAPA IS A PEOPLES POLITICAL PARTY, SAYS ZAWAPA PRESIDENT

Zambia Wake-Up Party (ZAWAPA) President Howard Kunda has declared that ZAWAPA is a people’s political party aimed at putting citizens at the center of economic activities and development.

President Kunda, the former Muchinga Member of Parliament, said ZAWAPA was on the rise after being launched nine months ago in Ndola.

He said ZAWAPA is not owned by him and the leadership that registered the party but by the people of Zambia who are in dire need of economic emancipation and development.

“As ZAWAPA we have come on board to see how far we can take our nation. As you know our nation is very rich with land, water and minerals. I cannot even understand why we are begging from other countries. Zambians let us wake up and build the Zambia Wake-Up Party (ZAWAPA). This is your party. As people who went to register ZAWAPA, we are just vessels but you, the Zambian people are the owners of this party,” President Kunda told the ZAWAPA Media in Ndola.

He said Zambia needs homegrown solutions to overcome its economic and social problems.

“Our nation is very rich with land, water and minerals. I cannot even understand why we are begging from other countries. We have plenty of water in Southern or Central Africa but we just want foreigners to exploit our minerals and resources.  If you analyse carefully, foreign investors just come to our country to offer our citizens salaries but salaries cannot develop our nation.  Most of the money from mining is externalized outside. If we empower our own people to become millionaires or billionaires it means the money will remain in Zambia. This is why ZAWAPA is here. We need to wake up as Zambians and work hard together to improve our economy,” President Kunda said.

He called for the harnessing of national resources for the benefit of the local people.

“We have all it takes to take Zambia to greater heights. Look at the way we are handling the issue of gold discovery, wherever gold is discovered the Government is unleashing security wings to disperse our people and some are losing lives. A caring Government is supposed to dialogue with the local people and help them to form cooperatives so that they equally benefit from gold. Why chase your own and bring foreigners to run gold mines,” President Kunda added.

He concluded:”As Zambians we should control our economy and control development. We should not just rush to the IMF or foreign investors. We want to celebrate independence but it is sad that 60 years after independence we are still wallowing in poverty.Independence is about taking charge of our minerals, our land and our agriculture sector.”