STOP DEMONISING OWN COUNTRY’
STOP demonising institutions of governance and throwing mud at your own country, says Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) vice president Chifumu Banda.
Mr Banda said opposition political party leaders should desist from demonising institutions of governance as such institutions must be protected at all costs.
He said people at the helm of government institutions would change but institutions would remain and politicians should realise that once they assumed power they would need to use the same institutions.
Mr Banda said it was sad that politicians had currently decided to paint their own country black.
He said it was unpatriotic for citizens to speak ill of their own country regardless of how desperate one was to assume power.
“It really is saddening that some politicians can speak ill of their own country, and when there are no investors coming into the country who do you blame? You forget that you are the one who chased them,” he said.
Mr Banda told the Daily Nation in an interview that he was disheartened by the culture of insults and disrespect that had stormed Zambian politics.
He said that there was need for such vices to immediately be stopped.
Mr Banda said that the perception that there was a conflict between him and FDD president Edith Nawakwi were false.
He said he had a normal relationship with the FDD leader and the purported differences were as a result of the divergent views that the party’s membership expressed.
Mr Banda said the FDD was in the process of mobilising resources to ensure that a convention was held before 2021 and any party member was free to contest any position to reenergise the party structures. “All the positions will be open anyone will be free to contest any position and it will be up to the electorates to select their leaders,” he said.
He said that the FDD did not belong to an individual as the party belonged to all members.
Mr Banda said all members had the responsibility to organise the party.
He said there was no political party that had no infighting and divisions.
Mr Banda said a political party that had no divisions was dead as different views on matters that surrounded party decisions was important for the party’s growth, and as such the FDD was no exception.
He said what was important was for the party leadership to harmonise the divisions and unite the party.
“Yes we have divisions in our party just like any other party but what is important is that as leaders we have risen above those divisions and united the party,” Mr Banda said.
He said the FDD had always been an attractive party and would continue to sale the Zambia first policy amidst controversial land allocation to foreigners which was currently trending.