PUT YOUR EGOS ASIDE
…Council of Elders demands one opposition candidate
By Tony Nkhoma
THE Council of Elders says it is encouraged by the increasing unity among opposition political parties and hopes they will soon agree on fielding one candidate in the August general election to remove the United Party for National Development (UPND) from power.
The council held a meeting in Lusaka last Friday at which it appealed to opposition political parties to put their egos aside and pick one common candidate to challenge President Hakainde Hichilema in August.
Retired Chief Justice Lombe Chibesakunda expressed happiness with the parties’ willingness to choose one candidate and running mate among themselves for the August general election.
“The opposition has brilliant minds. With such brilliant minds, we can perhaps chart the way forward. I have travelled to many parts of the country and the current level of development is nothing to write home about,” Justice Chibesakunda said.
She appealed to the opposition political party leaders put their egos aside and form one strong front to remove Hichilema and the United Party for National Development (UPND) from power in August.
Justice Chibesakunda said this in Lusaka during the Council of Elders meeting which she chaired at Kapingila House, the national headquarters of the Catholic Church in Zambia.
The elders included eminent citizens and leaders of opposition political parties.
Opposition political parties present included the Patriotic Front (PF), United Liberal Party (ULP), New Heritage Party (NHP) and the Zambia We Want (ZWW).
The Council of Elders includes former ministers Fackson Shamenda, Vincent Mwale, Akashambatwa Mbikusita Lewanika and former diplomat Dr Mbita Chitala.
They separately counselled the opposition political parties to immediately organise a conference to choose one leader and running mate to challenge Hichilema and the UPND.
Justice Chibesakunda said urged the parties to build on the momentum they ha d created towards the creation of one united front with one common candidate.
“I was getting very optimistic on the progress we are making on opposition unity. Let us leave the egos and focus on the sole purpose – to unite and remove the current government,” she said.
Justice Chibesakunda said the current government had failed to build on the legacies of past presidents by failing to unite the country.
She said the opposition had “very brilliant minds” which Zambians were waiting to serve the country.
Meanwhile, Justice Chibesakunda has said the security of tenure of judges has been removed ceremoniously.
She said the judgments being passed in the courts of law left one to wonder about the kind of Judiciary that had been created.
“The security of tenure of judges has been removed and ceremoniously has been threatened by the current government. And so if you look at the sort of judgments which are being passed now, you have to look through those eyes and say these judges are not secure in their tenure,” Justice Chibesakunda said.
She said the cornerstone of the independence of the judiciary was the security of tenure for judges.
“That is the cornerstone. But these are the sort of issues again which must be debated. And leaving our egos, we can bear some of those minor challenges and bring about some liaison of some kind for the sole goal of checking and putting Zambia in the right direction and on the right footing,” Chibesakunda said.
The elders who attended the meeting included eminent citizens and leaders of opposition political parties.
Opposition political parties present included the Patriotic Front (PF), United Liberal Party (ULP), New Heritage Party (NHP) and the Zambia We Want (ZWW).
The Council of Elders includes former ministers Fackson Shamenda, Vincent Mwale, Akashambatwa Mbikusita Lewanika and former diplomat Dr Mbita Chitala.
They separately counselled the opposition political parties to immediately organise a conference to choose one leader and running mate to challenge Hichilema and the UPND.
