KUDOS TO MWEETWA ON CADREISM

WE have disagreed with United Party for National Development (UPND) Spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa on a number of issues on principle but one thing you cannot take away from him is magnanimity.

While Mweetwa may have faltered on many fronts but friend or foe alike, you cannot help it but admire him for one thing; his monumental arrogance towards standing for the truth no matter how painful it may be and this is what distinguishes him from other leaders. 

In our previous editorials, we outlined how the UPND most of the times behave exactly the way the Patriotic Front (PF) used to behave when they were in power where they defended their wrongdoings to the grave.

We explained how some leaders within the party are defending their cadres for the wrong things they are doing despite President Hakainde Hichilema consistently calling for an end to cadreism in trading places and bus stations. 

We also made a suggestion that cadres cannot act unless they are given authority from those above them. Just a fortnight ago, UPND cadres, led by known individuals from Kanyama were threatening to bring down Simoson Building over a disputed allay which they claimed was theirs and wanted to start demarcating “plots” to marketeers to start erecting stands for trading.

Simon Mwewa even wept on social media over the behavior of the UPND cadres from Kanyama who were allegedly commandeered by one Oga. Within the same week, another bunch of UPND cadres caused mayhem at the Malaila traditional ceremony where they almost blocked former President Edgar Lungu from attending the event on account that he was causing confusion.

While we were still digesting what really was going on, one Mike Mposha came on the scene and did not only defend the cadres, but also attempted to insinuate that Mr. Lungu was not invited for the ceremony and that his presence there was causing unnecessary confusion.

We were left to wonder since when a former President required a permit for him to attend a traditional ceremony. We were at pains to understand why Mposha was so determined to defend the UPND cadres and paint the former President in bad light. We wondered why he was seemingly endorsing violence against the former Head of State.

We condemned the PF for blocking President Hichilema in Chipata just before the 2021 elections and prevented him from accessing the airport and if that was wrong, why does Mposha today think this is right because it does not involve someone from his party?

What Mposha forgot was that the same hooliganism that the UPND cadres he was defending were advancing against Lungu was the same hooliganism that President Hichilema is speaking against; the same hooliganism which got the PF voted out of power.

 You see, admitting your mistake is the fastest path to moving past them. When you realize your mistake and immediately admit it, it allows everyone to focus on finding a solution, rather than on the problem. By being upfront, you are cutting the blame game short, and freeing up everyone’s time and energy to help troubleshoot.

Further, one does not lose respect. On the contrary, one gains it and this is why today, we are talking about Mweetwa because he acted in a mature manner. When you are the first to admit a mistake and take steps to correct it as soon as possible, you are earning the trust of the people you lead. Of course there may be repercussions, but the loss of respect and leadership ability won’t be among them.

By admitting a mistake, you are giving yourself some grace. As human beings, we are hardest on ourselves and sometimes we can be so hard on ourselves that we are ashamed to admit we have done something wrong. But nobody expects you to be anything but human and humans are not perfect. When you admit to your imperfections, you will find that most people are willing to forgive you because they are also imperfect.

It was a tough call to make but we are glad that Mweetwa did not only apologise to Lungu, but further admitted that the UPND still had certain elements within that are still drunk with political hangover of causing hegemony.

He categorically made it clear that the party was aware that there were divisive elements who thought they had the leeway to abrogate the law with impunity and get away with it by virtue of belonging to the ruling party but warned that under the UPND had no room for political indiscipline and hooliganism.

We are very sure that by now, Mweetwa should be among very unpopular leaders in the UPND especially among those who still want to practice politics of violence and insolence but truth be told, the same way Zambians voted out the PF for, among other things, cadreism and violence, is the same way they can vote the UPND out if they go the same route.

Mweetwa made the right call and we hope that those who were defending the cadres for causing such embarrassing episodes have now searched their souls and stopped defending wrong things. If the President says he does not want violence and hooliganism and when cadres go against that directive other leaders in the party defend them, then, there is insolence and insubordination in the party and this is a recipe for anarchy.

Now that Mweetwa has made the position of the party clear, we are waiting to see what action will be taken against the erring cadres. If hooliganism and violence is to be stopped completely, those who engage in such vices should be made to account so that they realise they have no blessing from the party hierarchy. Otherwise, this will be an academic exercise in futility.

Those who caused confusion at the Malaila ceremony and those playing Nebuchadnezzar at Simoson Building must be brought to book. The call to sanity should not only end at castigating the vice. We want action to be taken and this is the only way the ruling party cadres will behave so that it becomes a deterrent to would-be offenders.

On this one, kudos to you Mweetwa for your magnanimity and we are looking forward to more counsel and reprimands from the party leadership to wrongdoers because what is good for the goose, must also be good for the gander and when citizens enjoy their rights, there is peace in the country.