UPND not serious about dialogue - YALI

UNITED Party for National Development (UPND)is not committed to the dialogue process being facilitated by the Commonwealth judging from their frivolous impeachment motion against the sitting Head of State, who is a key stakeholder to the peace process, says Young African Leaders president Andrew Ntewewe.

Mr Ntewewe said it was obvious the lead opposition party was not interested in the peace talks and as YALI, they have decided to withdraw from the Commonwealth-led dialogue. Mr Ntewewe explained that UPND were acting contrary to the good intentions of the dialogue, which were meant to bring the country together following the 2016 post-election violence. “The decision by the board to withdraw from participating in the Commonwealth-facilitated dialogue is due to the demonstration by the UPND as a key stakeholder that it is not fully committed to the dialogue process as witnessed by its counter-effort in raising a frivolous impeachment motion against the sitting Head of State who is also President of a key stakeholder to this process.

“We are aware of so many attempts that are being used to frustrate other key stakeholders to this dialogue and YALI will not be part and parcel of such a process, which has now become one of avenues the opposition will want to use for political expediency or portraying the bad image of the country and its government,” he said.

The UPND petitioned Parliament by way of moving an impeachment motion against President Edgar Lungu, who was also president of the Patriotic Front, a key stakeholder in the peace talks.

In their impeachment motion, they have accused President Lungu of corruption and failing to protect public finances from corrupt activities such as over pricing in the public procurement programmes including the fire tenders, ambulances and the allegedly abnormal contract sum of the Lusaka-Ndola dual carriageway under construction.