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Allegations that the government is on a crusade of regional cleansing and purging people from the Eastern and Northern regions is a delicate matter which should not be ignored.
This has the potential to undermine national unity with serious political ramifications, warns Patriotic Front (PF) Chama North Member of Parliament Yotam Mtaychalo.
Mtayachalo is worried that the 2026 and future general elections would take a regional and tribal dimension regardless of the performance of the UPND government.
He is concerned that the voting pattern in future general elections would largely be tribal and regional and would be genesis of ethnic problems if government was going to ignore sentiments of respected citizens such as Emeritus Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu.
He has stated that there was a narration that the new dawn government was pursuing a regional line with its appointments and disappointments to public service and that ignoring Archbishop Mpundu would have serious backlash on the UPND government.
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Mtayachalo observed that in the 2021 general elections the Bemba speaking and the people from Eastern Province gave President Hakainde Hichilema an overwhelming vote notwithstanding allegations of tribalism and regionalism from his political opponents.
He advised the UPND government against dismissing Archbishop Mpundu’s observation with contempt, cautioning that it could result into serious political backlash.
“My worry is that the 2026 and future general elections may take a regional and tribal dimension regardless of the performance of the party in power. This will be the genesis of problems which would undermine national unity if we do not handle the matter carefully.
“There is a narration that the new dawn government is pursuing a regional line in regard to appointments and disappointments to public office and as such, the statement from former Lusaka Archbishop Telephone Mpundu should never be dismissed with contempt otherwise it may have serious political backlash,” he said.
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Mtayachalo said the UPND should realise that the new deal government of Levy Patrick Mwanawasa had serious challenges to win the Bemba vote on account that his administration was practicing regionalism against the people of the Northern region.
He stated that there was a general perception that the Bemba-speaking speaking regions were side-lined when it came to appointments to public office.
Mtayachalo stated that the fight against corruption during the Mwanawasa reign was largely perceived as a vendetta against the people from the Northern region and the people in Luapula and Northern Provinces decided against voting for the then president.
“During the 2021 general elections the Bemba speaking and Eastern regions gave President Hichilema very good votes notwithstanding allegations of tribalism and regionalism from his political opponents.
“By and large regionalism and tribalism are primitive and has no room in modern days because it undermines national unity and more importantly deprives the nation from people achieving their full potential,”Mtayachalo said.
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