73 One fights tribalism, demands equality
By Charles Musonda
THE United Party for National Development (UPND) government should give equal chance to all political players to carry out their activities in the run-up to the August 13 general elections, a clergyman has said.
In an interview with The Mast, newly launched 73 One Movement chairperson Reverend Navy Samboko said everyone should be given equal chance to express themselves to ensure free and fair elections.
“If the government is doing that, like deterring people from expressing themselves then that is an unfortunate one. The 73 One Movement is not a political referee to blow the whistle about who has campaigned and who has not. Or who has done and who has not done what, but definitely, we are an interested party in making sure that people’s rights are respected and the rule of law is adhered to,” Rev Samboko said.
He said Zambia had an official campaign period and people should be allowed to carry out activities like party mobilisation freely without any deterrence.
The police and other relevant authorities should be allowed to do their job professionally and stick to fairness in ensuring no one was treated unfairly.
“Our duty is just to be observers and make sure that we stick to fairness. But our main message to the Zambians is that we are cracking down on issues of tribalism. If somebody is stopped from campaigning because of that we will definitely come in and condemn whoever is doing that,” Rev Samboko said.
He told politicians that winning an election at the cost of national unity was not victory but delayed destruction.
The politicians should campaign on ideas, policy competence and never to campaign on tribe.
He said history has shown that political tribalism may produce short-term power, but it always produced long- term instability.
“The 73 One Movement exists because Zambia has over 73 tribes – but we are one nation. We are not anti- tribe. We are anti-tribalism. We celebrate culture. we reject discrimination. We promote diversity and we defend unity. We believe that Zambia’s next chapter must be written not in the language of tribe; but in the language of shared destiny,” he said.
And 73 One Movement patron Bishop Billy Mfula said he was in full support of the movement’s vision against tribalism in Zambia to ensure it did not arise in any of the nation’s sectors.
“Right in the hearts of our founding fathers and mothers was a united Zambia. This current generation of fathers and mothers and young men and women we must not fight against what our forefathers were fighting to preserve,” he said.
