United National Independence Party(UNIP) president Tilyenji Kaunda has disclosed that the former ruling party will hold its National Congress from the 2nd to the 4th of April 2021.
In additional to that, Cde Kaunda said UNIP has opened up in terms of its candidates for the forth-coming elections by not limiting selections only to party members.
He said UNIP has extended the selection of candidates to all Zambians who qualify under the current Republican Constitutional requirement and are ready to build an independent, robust parliament that can truly hold the executive to account without its Members of Parliament suffering penalties on account of departing from political lines of their respective parties.
The UNIP leader said in the last 30 years, Zambia has witnessed how MPs have been expelled and caused unnecessary by-elections, saying it is all about the role of Parliament and Parliamentarians that has caused significant failure to Constitutional Reforms on one way or the other.
He added that it is UNIP’s view that it is time to free MPs to truly represent their constituents and the people as opposed to the current suffocating control by political parties.
” In order for the spirit of democracy and harmony to prevail, we are opening the party to all Zambians who believe in our common heritage of “One Zambia, One Nation” and do not want to see tribalism, regionalism, selective discrimination and development that undermines the health growth of the nation,” Cde Kaunda said.
He said the role of Parliament and MPs needed to be clarified correctly for checks and balances to be truly reflected for the democratic dividend to be felt by all Zambians.
” Delivery on promises starts with how Parliament works in approving the Government budget and its implementation. This is an important function that determines the fate of our lives as a nation across the board. Therefore, issues of fairness, equality, unity and access to development are dealt with from here. That is why it is important to create a free space for our Parliamentarians to do their work accordingly,” Cde Kaunda said.
On 2nd January 2021, UNIP Members of the Central Committee as a special Extra Ordinary Committee met at Premier Hotel, in Lusaka to make important decisions not only on the future of the party, but to see how they can as a founding party contribute to building unity, nonviolence, peace and consolidate democracy towards improving the common lives of the people of Zambia.
Among other issues that were resolved was the Party President to launch the Card Renewal exercise on 5th January, 2021.
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