TRIBAL POLITICS WON’T WORK - YALI
POLITICIANS should not think that making a party has to depend on winning tribal sympathy as the practice has the potential to deepen ethnic divisions Zambia has witnessed over the last 11 years, says Young African Leaders Initiative governance advisor Isaac Mwanza.
And Mr Mwanza has condemned one particular opposition leader who has continued to allege his tribesmen were victimised on account of tribe in the civil service without providing evidence of such victimisation.
He said the establishment of political parties should not be centred on tribal following, but rather must be envisioned to be a countrywide mission to embrace all the citizens of Zambia.
“We believe the essence of establishing political parties is not necessarily to wrestle power but to offer alternative ideas and policy plans which a government must look at for purposes of advancing the common good of the Zambian people.
“People must not be allowed to win votes based on promises on how they will look after tribal groupings that they incite to begin reasoning as if the tribe has been neglected in decision making,” he said.
Mr Mwanza said YALI was concerned at the level which Zambians seem to have entered where those who establish or run political parties have made it their business to look at tribal affiliation as an advantage to sending discontent among tribes in the country.
He called on political leaders to place national interest ahead of their own personal egos to rule the country, and that tribe should not be used as a channel of gaining mileage in their political drive.
He has admonished politicians seemingly calling on a revolt when they suggest certain tribes were being victimised in the civil service.
“We are also perturbed to keep listening to one constant song where an opposition leader keeps alleging that his tribesmen are being victimised in the civil service without providing evidence of such victimisation,” he said.
He called on Republican President Edgar Lungu to show leadership and assure Zambians that he shall not use surnames in his Government whether at Cabinet Office or in the civil service generally.
“We want to especially appeal to President Lungu that amidst these tribal talks, he must show leadership and assure the Zambian peoples as a whole that he will not preside over an administration that seeks to identify people by their surnames and tribes for public service.
“We also want to caution some leaders from the opposition that Zambia is bigger than one tribe and one individual,” he said.
Mr Mwanza said it should not be an issue whether one was from Eastern, Northern or Southern block, and politicians must not fall into temptations of showing as if their parties care more about the challenges one region may have over another.
He said the challenges beings faced by Zambians transcend tribe or regional boundaries and it was the duty of government and every political party to show willingness to help deal with these challenges.
This, he added, could be done by offering alternative policy plans which government could look at and implement.