Zambians Are Not Looking For A Tonga President -SIliya

Zambians are looking for a leader who will realign the country back to its democratic foundation, says Dora Siliya.
Commenting on Southern Province minister Daniel Munkombwe’s call to Tongas to vote for a fellow tribesman, Hakainde Hakainde, Siliya said Zambians were not looking for a president from a particular tribe. “Zambians are not looking for a Tonga, Chewa, Ngoni, Lozi, Bemba or Kaonde president; they are looking for a president who has public confidence. A leader with experience, with a legal and economic mind.
A leader who can use the remaining period before the general elections, to put the country in order and push for a new constitution,” Siliya said. “The UPND must forget about winning this election because Zambians are not looking for a Tonga president. This country is looking for a meaningful leader who can realign the democratic goals back to its foundation. It is looking for a leader that can learn from the mistakes we have made as a country in the past 50 years.” She said Munkombwe’s statement was an assault on democracy.
“That statement is a total assault on democracy. But it does not surprise me because it is coming from a man who is in politics to eat. The problem is that his statement has scared a lot of Zambians who were doubting that UPND is for Tongas. His statement confirms all the fears. He has chased away voters from other parts of the country,” Siliya said. She wondered why the UPND leader who spoke after Munkombwe at the Choma campaign rally did not condemn the remarks made by the Southern Province minister. “Hichilema was there when Munkombwe made that statement and he did not condemn that. In fact, he was happy that Munkombwe said it because that is what he has been afraid of saying himself,” Siliya said. “You heard that at their next rally, the man shamelessly started begging for a job, saying he would crawl before HH once he wins; and without condemning his stament, HH promised him a job and said he would use his experience.
That is very scary for the Zambian people.” Siliya said unlike Munkombwe, her support for the PF presidential candidate, Edgar Lungu, was not tribal. “Zambians must run away from political leadership that is 90 per cent based on tribe. My support for Lungu has nothing to do with tribe. When we worked with president [Levy] Mwanawasa, there was no tribal connection, but we supported him for a good cause,” she said.
Siliya wondered what would happen if the UPND was to lose next week’s election. “I wait anxiously to see what will happen to the UPND when they lose this election; because clearly, that will spell doom on HH. I doubt if his MPs will allow him to continue failing.
They say if you keep trying the exact same thing and expecting different results, then there is something wrong with your thinking. So the question is who will take over UPND if HH fails again? Another Tonga? I wait to see what will happen and I am sure many Zambians are equally eager to see,” said Siliya.