The mere mention of God’s name makes HH uncomfortable – Canisius

Dr Banda who resigned from UPND last week after he was suspended by the party for allegedly issuing inflammatory statements to the media also says Hichilema acts like he believes in God but he doubts if he really does.

Dr Banda said this during Zambian Eye‘s Hot Seat Programme, an online interactive discussion hosted on Zambian Eye Facebook Group on October 2, 2016.

“I only did what God advised me to do. Help him. It was because of these things I saw that I kept advising Hichilema to anchor his life on God. Every day I met him. Many times I spoke with his wife advising her to always remind her husband to fear God and pray. I noticed that the mention of God often discomforted him. My supporting him was unconditional. I did it not just for him but the party as a whole,’” Dr Banda said.

“The party is larger than him. And he was presidential candidate.
My hope was that if he became Republican President with his flaws, warts and all, both the party and the people of Zambia would keep him in check.”

Dr Banda said he has seem certain traits in Hichilema which makes him think he just pretends to be a Christian.

“During my nearly four years stay in the party with him. He is a person with an unshakable belief characterized by consistently inflated feelings of personal ability, privilege, or infallibility. He acts like he believes in God but I doubt if he truly does. I am only telling you what I have seen. Hichilema derives comfort and pleasure from white people calling him sir. Now what is that?” Dr Banda asked.

And Dr Banda has accused his former party of practising tribal politics. He explained that he sacrificed four years of his life cheering Hichilema and at last he got a kicked.

“Tribalism is what has devoured me in UPND. The very evil I spent years fighting.

“The UPND needs to move from its current status of a socio-political platform for the projection of ethnic pride to a national organisation truly bent on national development. If this transformation does not occur, the people of Zambia, through various mechanisms, will continue to see it as a danger to their interests and will forever keep it at bay, ” Dr Banda said.

Dr Banda says any one can ask UPND’s vice President for Adminstration, Geoffrey Mwamba to confirm how some meetings are done to the exclusion of other ethnicities.

“Ask GBM.! Many meetings are held to the exclusion of others merely through ethnicity qualification. When I said I could succeed Hichilema, some Tongas […not all] were riled and they said: ‘..this party was formed by Mazoka. If Hichilema is to have a successor, then we will get Mazoka’s son who is abroad..” he said.

Dr Banda who couldn’t categorically answer whether Hichilema pays his rentals advised UPND to have an overhaul of its leadrrship for them to win elections

“To win in future UPND needs to do the following :
1. Run as a public organisation […today it is run like private company].
2. Reduce or stop having party meetings at the president’s house.
3. Genuinely embrace all ethnicities.
4. Avoid additional Tongas-only meetings. To the exclusion of other ethnicities.
5. Come up with a better financing model […the party should sponsor the leader and not the leader pay followers].
6. Tongas should stop the naivety of saying things like: ‘…thank you for helping us; we are happy with you; it is good you are with us; we will reward you; we still need you…’
We = Tongas. This is NOT good at all.
7. President Hichilema must begin to listen to others, take advice, delegate and consult.
8. NEC members must be accorded due respect and not sit ignobly like journalists in the public gallery at meetings.
9. UPND must have faith in loyal longserving members and not rely on spent names with questionable value…
10. Thinking no one is listening, avoid saying: ‘…we will only use him…’ Walls have ears.
The list is long but then you would have to pay me for this consultancy.” he said.

Responding to questions from followers, Dr Banda denied ever being promised a job by PF. He said he has never been paid by anyone and that he is still reflecting on his next course of action.

But he promised to contact President Lungu soon.

“…due to popular demand, I will give President Edgar Lungu a call soon. I could even take him to Mugg and Bean for a coffee..,” he said.

And Dr Banda also said he harbours no ill will against UPND or its Leader Hichilema.

“When all is said and done I sincerely wish Hichilema well.
I will continue to insist that he founds his participation in human governance on God. There is just no option to this.

“I will miss the members of UPND, my former beloved party. I pray that the Lord soothes them and that He provides for them even before 2021.
Nothing lasts forever, my friends. Even the best of friends must someday part company.

“Farewell to UPND is a welcome to another entity [..maybe UNIP].
A woman might gnash her teeth because of divorce but might find her prince as a consequence. That is just the way life is.
I harbour no ill will for Hichilema or anyone. All I have are best wishes!”