PUTTING MATTERS RIGHT
THE press briefing held on April 20, 2022, by Justice Minister Mulambo Hamakuni Haimbe has rendered the planned UNPD youth protest against the Director of Public Prospection (DPP) worthless.
The press statement clearly confirmed the view of the UNPD outside government on the performance of the DPP and government is desirous to hold the DPP to account.
Mr Haimbe used polite language, but the intent is that the DPP must go. This, anyone familiar with soft language can easily pick up from the statement. What remains now is a matter of the technical procedures.
At this point of the debate, it may be wise for the DPP to consider the counsel of Economic Front President, Mr Wynter Kabimba to resign and avoid the stressful tribunal appearances.
The resources including time which were meant for the protest should now be spent on capacity building for youth cooperatives on accessing the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). This will help shift the UPND youth league from oppositional politics to politics of the governing.
The UPND youth league is struggling to define its role within the framework of a governing party. The senior leadership have also left the youth league to its own devices and therefore holding zero-value press conferences.
The UPND league can and should do a lot of development work besides electoral campaigns. If the Socialist Party, as small as it is, can undertake the Fred M’membe national literacy programme, why should the well-resourced governing party fail to run the Hakeinde Hichilema Entrepreneurship Development Programme.
The salary that President Hakainde Hichilema is not bothered about can go towards programmes like these under the management of national youth chairman, Gilbert Liswaniso. This will help shift the focus of the youth league from idle politicking to developmental politics.
The recent by-elections and the rate of defections indicate that UPND is firmly holding ground. This also means the party as a whole and the youth league in particular should re-define its role beyond protest or solidarity marches.
Protest or solidarity marches by youth leagues of governing parties do not enhance the image of the party, but are very destructive. We already have the best case study in the art of self-destruction left by the Patriotic Front.
The UPND youth league should deepen their understanding of abuse. Abuse is more than “commissioning” youths to fight street battles with the opposition.
It includes activities like protests whose agenda is not long term benefit of the youth but some “fat cat” seeking the office of DPP for himself and his family.