ANDREW Banda says Zambians should learn something from Malawi elections because levels of poverty in that country are similar to Zambia.
And Andrew says no one should be intimidated because the country belongs to all Zambians.
Featuring on Breeze FM’s political hour programme on Friday night, Andrew, a senior UPND member, said Zambia had high unemployment levels just like Malawi.
“Zambians it has happened in Malawi, the problems in Malawi are not very different from ours. The levels of poverty in Malawi are almost the same levels in Zambia. The levels of unemployment in Malawi are exactly the same here. Everything is the same, the people of Malawi got tired of being led by people who were cheating them, they got annoyed. They were oppressed for a long time no wonder they showed anger, they voted en masse against a government they didn’t want,” he noted. “They protected the vote, not the political party, not Tonse Alliance; you saw how they protected the vote themselves. Zambians it is up to you, I know the conditions are different but learn something from there, liberate yourselves.”
Andrew said there was a lot of hypocrisy in Zambia where district commissioners were engaging in campaigns.
He said it was unconstitutional for DCs to engage in campaigns.
Andrew said Zambians should not be intimidated by anyone because the country belonged to them.
“Don’t be scared, chalo chino (this country) belongs to us, it does not belong to ministers, it does not belong to DCs, it does not belong to police men, it does not belong to permanent secretaries. It belongs to you and me out there. Don’t let anybody intimidate you. You should never be scared to come to the radio station chifukwa ba PF bazakuyofwani, it is your country,” he said.
Andrew said he would stay strong as he had always been in politics.
“I have stayed in politics for 30 years, that’s a long period of time in politics. I have withstood pressure and I will still stay strong. The day my country is going to be liberated from poverty, I will go and rest in peace,” he said.
Andrew said cadreism in Zambia had developed or culminated into terrorism.
He said once UPND forms government there would be nothing like petty generals like America one and the like.
Andrew said the UPND would ensure that young people were trained in entrepreneurship skills so that they established themselves.
He said young people would be able to borrow money at a reasonable interest rate and engage in various activities while others would be employed in the civil service.
Andrew said cadres who engage in various bad activities like those at Intercity Bus Station in Lusaka were ruining the country.
Andrew said Eastern Province was one of the richest regions because it had minerals and was also good in agriculture.
He said despite being a potentially rich province, Eastern was one of the poorest regions because of the non-availability of value addition to agricultural crops.
Andrew said the UPND would invest in production unlike the current situation where money is spent on buying jets and expensive vehicles for ministers.
“We have borrowed money for consumption instead of putting it into production. If we had invested the K20 billion into production this country would have been at another level,” he said.
And Samuel Phiri asked Andrew when he was going to stop depending on his father.
Phiri said UPND was more violent than PF and cited the Mapatizya formula which he claimed the opposition party uses when it comes to violence.
He said if leaders were not going to stop cadres from being violent posterity would judge them harshly.
Phiri, who is also Dilika ward councillor in Chipata Central Constituency, said it was bad that Andrew was accusing PF of being violent when his party was violent.
But Andrew advised Phiri to make his contribution in a sober manner.
He said in the preamble he explained who he was and that he joined politics under the MMD in 1990 on his own.
“Neyamba ndale paneka (I started politics on my own) unfortunately nevyaliwa kwa atata basu a Banda (I was born from our father Mr Banda) don’t hold that against me. I am not using him, I am UPND and I am speaking as a member of UPND. It is not fair even to the old man to discuss him, don’t be emotional. I am a member of the UPND and I am speaking the UPND language, appealing to Zambians to vote for us,” Andrew said.
On violence, Andrew asked Phiri to tell him the people who had guns in Sesheke during the campaigns and what led to the dismissal of police officers in national interest.
He told Phiri that the number of violence activities involving PF cadres were numerous.
Andrew cited the disruption of Wynter Kabimba’s programme on Breeze FM, the attack on an innocent girl who was stripped and almost raped during youth day celebrations in Lusaka and an attack on Hakainde Hichilema at a radio station in Ndola.
He said if Bill 10 does not go through President Lungu would not stand.