Hotheads like Liswaniso will kill UPND, warns Kabimba zee
When you have hotheads like UPND national youth chairman Gilbert Liswaniso, you are killing the party, observes veteran politician Wynter Kabimba.
As the chaos of manipulative adoption process rocks UPND, a wave of violent scenes have engulfed the ruling party as dejected members from the adoption processes who have opted to stand as Independent MPs have been beaten and assaulted across the country.
The long list of assaulted independent candidates include former Cabinet Minister and UPND chairperson for elections Gary Nkombo who was assaulted in Mazabuka last week by a gang of thugs led one Bilden Haaloba, a well-known associate of President Hakainde Hichilema.
The attacks on independent candidates followed an earlier warning from Liswaniso that candidates who opted to stand as independents after being dejected will be “managed.”
And in a recent appearance on Diamond TV, Liswaniso explained that how the party treated former Mazabuka MP needed to be a lesson to other members who defied the party directives.
“The party has to put measures, discipline, if him defying [sic he defies] what the party wants, does he love the party? So, the party will say hold on first. There’s a lot I’ve learnt from the Gary Nkombo [issue], to say that we should behave all of us, we are not bigger than UPND,” Liswaniso said.
“No one hates Gary Nkombo, we love him all of us but the issue is, there are certain ministers, PSs, directors, even these big guys, directors, they should understand that if Gary can be put, like he said himself, at the dumpsite, who are you? It’s a learning process to all of us that we should give respect and listen to the directives of the President,” he noted. To
But Kabimba, a veteran politician and Economic Front president, has cautioned that the lack of discipline which led to the downfall of former ruling parties like MMD and UNIP would eventually lead to the demise of UPND.
Kabimba wondered why Liswaniso was allowed to behave as if he is above the party rules and the country’s supreme law which allows for independent candidates.
“When you have statements from young people like Gilbert Liswaniso that I won’t allow anybody to stand as independent and he’s addressing the Head of State [that] I will not allow anyone to stand as independent as long as they are UPND, and yet the rules allow for independent candidates… How does Liswaniso become the rule? He must be cautioned that what you’re saying is destructive to the party,” Kabimba said.
Kabimba, a former PF secretary general, advised that while Liswaniso’s statement appeared militant and promoting discipline in the party, in the long run, it would alienate party sympathisers and hurt UPND members.
“Even the Law provides for independent candidates. So, when you have hotheads like Liswaniso, you’re killing the party. You think they are doing the party a favour, they’re annoying not only members of the public but they are annoying members of the UPND as well,” said Kabimba