Green Party raps Opposition Alliance

“As a party, we have talked about growing marijuana for medicinal purposes and investing in environmental protection, a Green agenda which other parties do not talk about. So since they don’t believe in our ideologies, we cannot form alliances with them.”

POLITICAL alliances have proved to a problem due to different ideologies of political parties and selfishness which usually result in disagreements in the long run,'' Opposition Green Party Leader Peter Sinkamba has said

Mr Sinkamba said his party he will not risk compromising its ideologies by getting into a political alliance with other opposition parties ahead of next year`s general elections.

UPND and NDC leaders, Hakainde Hichilema, and Chishimba Kambwili, respectively, have called for floating one candidate - a move which the opposition anticipates would oust the PF from power.

But Mr Sinkamba maintained that a political political alliance would not work in the Zambian context because of inherent selfishness by some leaders.

"As a party, we have talked about growing marijuana for medicinal purposes and investing in environmental protection, a Green agenda which other parties do not talk about. So since they don't believe in our ideologies, we cannot form alliances with them.

"The other thing which brings problems in alliances is the issue of selfishness and trust. So, as Green Party, we will not risk compromising our party's ideologies by forming a political alliance with other opposition parties ahead of next year`s general elections,'' Mr Peter Sinkamba said.

Mr Sinkamba however stated that his party could only go into an alliance based on similar ideologies and where members were not selfish.

He said the Green Party would not practice 'bandwagon' politics where people follow politicians and their parties blindly without understanding ideologies and principles.

He said 'bandwagon politics and politics of personal vendetta were retrogressive and should not be entertained in Zambia.

"We are not a bandwagon political party, we are a political party built on principles and ideologies. So you will not hear Green Party practicing politics of personal vendetta or insults.

"We will sell ourselves to the people of Zambia based on our ideologies. If they like our policies, they will vote for us, but id they don't then we continue with our ideologies,'' he said