‘Wamuyaya’ syndrome must go - MMD
THERE must be term limits for political party presidents appearing on ballot papers to avoid the “wamuyayaya” syndrome, says MMD youth leader Prince Ndoyi.
Mr Ndoyi said most political party leaders had continued to amass enormous wealth assumedly from their position despite having failed to win elections more than five times consecutively.
He accused some politicians of getting richer and richer election after election owing to wealth accumulation through what he termed as “electioneering.”
“Truly, some political parties have transformed into UNIP where the party president stood against a frog,
“We must make aggressive but honest efforts to halt the growing trend in monopolistic political invocation.
“If young people are to see the light of political space in our democracy, we must prudently indulge ourselves into interrogating the dangers of the same faces appearing on ballot papers election year after election,” he said.
Mr Ndoyi explained that state democracy preceded party intra democracy, and that it was unacceptable to have one person lead a political party for 17 years like the UPND leader, Mr Hakainde Hichilema with a record five failed attempts to the republican presidency. He charged that there must be a moral responsibility from political party leaders to hand-over power if they fail to fulfill the ultimate objective of winning national elections to avoid monopolising leadership that the same faces continued appearing on the ballot paper.
He said even civil society and other cooperating partners must come out clear about such undemocratic tendencies against the growing democracy in Zambia.
He argued that the prevailing situation with some opposition parties were an assault on democratic principles.
“With this freedom and democratisation, it must push civil society to encourage ordinary party members to challenge party leaders against the monopoly of party power and functions.
“As young people we continue to ask when some of these perpetual candidates will bury their selfish ambition for the sake of others considering the abysmal performance at every election,” Mr Ndoyi said.