By Patson Chilemba
Kambwili is talking of himself and not NDC, says UPND national chairperson Mutale Nalumango.
And Nalumango said if National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader Chishimba Kambwili were to leave today because PF pleaded with him to go back to that party, there will be no vacuum in UPND.
Speaking with Daily Revelation on Kambwili’s statement that the ruling PF must apologise to him if they needed him so much, Nalumango said Zambians were watching the sincerity of politicians to see if they meant what they said. She said UPND should not be spending time discussing whether Kambwili should go or not go back to PF.
“Well we could be disappointed but that is his choice like he came willingly, if he truly feels he can go, Zambians are there watching knowing the sincerity of all of us, when we say things do we mean them? Do we say them for political expediency for the purpose of survival for the time, politically? So what is it? Really that is for me always my issues why am I me? Why am I UPND? What is it? Why should I for example move to PF? What has changed?” Nalumango asked.
She said remaining in the alliance or going elsewhere was about ones own choice.
“He is talking about he himself as Kambwili by your statement, I haven’t seen that statement, but by your statement you are saying if they say ‘Kambwili come’. He is talking of himself, he is not talking of NDC if what you have said is true,” Nalumango said. “So as an individual, I hope and I believe that politicians must work on conviction, on belief for serving our people. But whether that is the truth for everybody I don’t know you are the ones that can judge. Are people doing politics to serve, or are they doing politics to serve self, I can’t judge anybody.”
Nalumango said there were other people who had left the alliance as no one was bound to the alliance.
“If they feel like they can leave because the principles are no longer an issue to them that is up to them. You know I can’t speak the heart of an alliance, an alliance is not a member that we say we will expel or you have done this. If he chooses to leave the alliance who are we to say you can’t go? Well this is my little understanding that we are all in the alliance by choice and if one chooses to leave that is their choice,” Nalumango said.
She said only Kambwili knew the reason why he said what he said.
“He is the one who has a relationship with the PF. He knows why he left, he knows if he can go back under which conditions that he is laying down, it’s up to him. I don’t think as UPND we should be spending a lot of time on discussing whether he should go back or not,” Nalumango said.
She said people joined the alliance willfully as nobody was coerced unto it.
“You know as parties we thought we had common national issues of interest and that we could tackle them together. It depends, that is up to him really. I don’t think I should be talking whether he’s wrong or right,” said Nalumango.
Asked if the UPND would be weakened if Kambwili were to leave the opposition alliance, Nalumango said the UPND was still intact as they had rode several political storms
As a party we are a party we still are intact. We have stormed the storms political storms.
“By his statement if he had to leave today because people pleaded with him there would be no vacuum in UPND. But if you talk of opposition which am not a spokesperson I think the spokesperson should be able to analyse and say really would we be weaker or stronger?” asked Nalumango. “And Zambians also should be able to say what is it and should be able to ask us, why are we moving either to the alliance or away from the alliance.”
Reacting to continued assertions from PF officials that it was a matter of time before he rejoined the party, Kambwili said the PF must apologise for having hounded him out of the party if they really wanted him back into the party.
“I am saying me I have never wronged PF it is them who have wronged me so who apologises and sneaks-in? The one who has been wronged or the one who wronged somebody, the other?” Kambwili asked. “So if these guys need me so much please come in the open and say ‘Kambwili we want you, sorry for what we did’. Apologise”
Kambwili dismissed assertions that he was meeting PF officials to rejoin that party.
“First and foremost before I left PF I told them I will be the last man to leave PF. I resisted every attempt to hound me out of PF but they used backdoor means to hound me out of PF, including the situation where they declared my seat vacant illegally,” Kambwili said. “If they are so much in love with me and they want me, why can’t they just come in the open and apologise ‘Kambwili we are sorry for what we did to you, come back our brother’.”
-Daily Revelation