NEVERS Mumba has urged the Zambian youth to come and get their future by force from those not prepared to give it to them.
And Mumba, on behalf of his generation, has apologised to the youth for consuming their future through unrestrained corruption and selfishness.
He said this on Thursday when he awarded seven MMD pioneers the Champions of Democracy Award to mark the former ruling party’s 30th anniversary.
In his address, Mumba noted that without a courageous cadre of youths, no society could experience real change.
He noted that today Zambia’s youth remain cheated and without a future.
“Our generation in our selfishness has not planned for the future of our young people. With certificates, diplomas and degrees in their hands, they have nowhere to go. They remain chained to their parents or other people’s homes with no income and worse still no dignity. While we are living in our future today, no future is being created for our young people. The PF government continues to use the youth as bulldozers to clear political paths for a privileged few,” Mumba said. “They are used to wield pangas to instill fear in the opponents of those in power. Government has continued to abuse the fortunes, which must be preserved for future generations.”
Mumba apologised to the youth, on behalf of his generation, for consuming their future through unrestrained corruption and selfishness.
“It appears that those with power to prepare and preserve your future are determined to squander it. They are not willing to give it to you. Our call to you is that you come and get your future. You must get it by force as the Bible says,” he said.
Mumba assured youths that his party was leading the way to create an opportunity for those wishing to participate in governance to take advantage of its youth policy which has reserved 50 per cent of all elective positions in next year’s election for the youth.
“To demonstrate our commitment, the party recently elected the first youth as deputy national secretary, Gregory Mofu. We shall keep our word. The MMD shall uphold the original dream of our founding fathers in this regard,” he said.
Mumba also announced that ahead of the 2021 general election, his party had, as a matter of policy, decided to make women the engine for political and social change.
He said the MMD’s 55-member national executive committee had finally reached the 50 per cent threshold for women.
“This is the reflection which we shall see in the distribution of leadership positions when we form government next year. We are not aware of any party in the nation with similar demographics. We call all women with a passion to create a better Zambia to make the New Hope MMD as a party of choice if you wish to stand for any elective office next year,” he said.
Mumba also urged Zambians not let no one rob them of the government they need by unproven theories that suggest that a former ruling party could not be voted back into power and that a pastor cannot be President.
He gave Malawi as an example where the former ruling party the Malawi Congress Party was voted back to power after being in opposition for 26 years.
He said Zambians and Africans in general were no longer concerned about the name of a political party but the content and character of people who run that party.
“Again, it has taken Malawi to teach Zambia, a Christian nation that it is possible. Malawi becomes the first country on the continent to elect a Pentecostal pastor as President, Reverend Dr Lazarous Chakwera. The best president is the one elected on merit and not on prejudice,” Mumba said.
He said Zambia needs a revamped MMD to come back and renew the dreams and aspirations of all Zambians.
“Zambia needs a leadership of morality and integrity to take it beyond 2021,” said Mumba.