We Are One Zambia, One Nation not One Zambia, One Panga – Mutati
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MMD faction leader Felix Mutati has called on MMD members to help spread the message of peace among political parties.Mutati, who is on the Copperbelt Province for a series of meetings with party structures, said politicians should fight with ideas as opposed to political violence which is retrogressive to the development of the the country.
He told members to spread the word of peace and unity to other political parties saying they should know that there is no development that comes with political violence.
And Mutati says parties should not force citizens to vote for individuals they don’t want but that voters should willfully elect leaders of their choice.
He said a candidate cannot be voted for by pangas but by the people who should be allowed to do that freely.
“What we know as MMD is that leaders are chosen by people and not pangas. Do pangas choose leaders? Let people have a free will to chose their leaders. Don’t force leaders on people with pangas so. So we want these by elections which are coming in Bahati and Roan, let people chose their MPs freely. Let the people of Bahati and Roan choose a person they want. Don’t force them using pangas and other weapons.
“Let political parties emulate MMD in conducting peaceful campaigns. I was a campaign manager in Roan for a by election and we did not have violence and people willfully chose their MP. We didn’t have violence but only debated on our policies as political parties. And you as members of the MMD help your leaders to tell others that there is no development in punches. We are one people but you can’t say One Zambia, One Nation while welding a panga, it is not one Zambia one panga.”
And Mutati told members that there is a need to embrace the spirit of sacrifice to the party saying opposition politics are different from ruling party politics.
Mutati said as president he will do his part by mobilising resources for the smooth operations of the party but that members should also sacrifice their time to ensure that they bring more members to the party.
He said members should realise that the party was no longer in government were it is easier to find well wishers to support the party hence the need for them to work for the party without high expectations.
” We are in opposition we need to sacrifice and we should also be humble. We should realise that things are different from those days when we were in government. It is dry in the opposition you also know that. So we want spirit that we had, the spirit of volunteerism, the spirit of sacrificing to the party MMD. If we work hard it is only God who knows what the future holds but if we don’t work hard then the party suffers and we achieve nothing.”
Mutati also said the membership has to ensure that it works hard in mobilising members as it is by having members that will attract funding from friends of the party.