Govt is concerned with tribal statements

Government is concerned with the continued use of tribal statements in the run up to the January 20, 2015 presidential elections.

Chief Government Spokesperson Joseph Katema in a statement says it is important for political actors to realize that the tribalism being exhibited in the campaigns, has the potential to undermine the unity and co-existence the country has enjoyed over the last fifty (50) years.

Dr Katema says Zambia is bigger than any individual, political party or indeed tribe and, therefore, this by-election should not in any way be used as a conduit for tribalism.

He says tribalism, where ever it has been practised, has not yielded any positive results for the people but has instead been a recipe for ethnic conflicts resulting in loss of life and stagnation in development.

Dr Katema states that Government reminds all those campaigning on tribal lines that Zambia is a democracy and people have the right to choose a leader of their choice regardless of tribe.

He says therefore urging people to vote for a candidate of a particular tribe should not have a place in modern politics.

He adds that Zambians have for the last fifty years lived together under the motto ‘one Zambia, one nation’ and any attempts, by some individuals, to cause Zambians to rebel against this value should be condemned.

Dr Katema says Government, therefore, finds it shameful, unacceptable and inconsistent with the Zambian way of life that people can still campaign based on tribe.

The Chief Government Spokesperson says Zambians should take lessons from countries in which tribalism has resulted in serious ethnic conflicts disrupting the normal way of living of the people in those countries.

He further states that Zambians should also reject such attempts by putting aside their ethnicity and vote for a leader of their choice.