By MARTIN CHITAMALUKA
THE United Party for National Development (UPND) is treading on a dangerous path of self-destruction and risks being voted out of power should its members continue annoying Zambians with their arrogance and unruly behavior, Gilbert Liswaniso has warned.
Mr Liswaniso, the UPND national youth chairman cautions that the governing party risks being voted out of power because of the unwanted culture of unruly behavior, which was one of the reasons the Patriotic Front was punished in the last general elections.
Speaking at a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Liswaniso said most youths in the ruling party were engaging in unruly behavior which was undermining the party’s objective to restore order and civil politics in the country.
He said many of the UPND party cadres were following the footsteps of the former ruling party which cost them during the 2021 general elections.
“There is a worrying growing trend of unruly behavior by our party youths. This is the same behavior that angered Zambians and caused the PF to be voted out. We also risk being voted out because of unruly behavior. We are treading on a dangerous path of self-destruction. We should have learnt what happened to the PF and we cannot allow ourselves to be repeating the same bad kind of politics which Zambians rejected,” Mr Liswaniso said.
Mr Liswaniso said the politically uncouth behavior and lawlessness making the UPND become unpopular and exposing the ruling party to a risk of losing power because politics of hooliganism and gangsters manners had been rejected and have since bitten dust.
He warned that the UPND as a party that believed in civil politics was not going to continue watching and tolerating its members engage in acts that were against the directives of President Hakainde Hichilema.
Mr Liswaniso’s warning comes after a brawl on the Copperbelt Province in which some UPND members were filmed threatening to burn down a radio station that was set to host Economic and Equity Party (EEP) leader Chilufya Tayali.
Meanwhile Mr Liswaniso has urged members who were not happy with the UPND leadership, to join other political parties that will tolerate lawlessness.
Mr Liswaniso said the UPND members who were not happy with the stance the ruling party had taken against violence and cadrerism were free to join other political parties which could condone behavior that was offending Zambians.
