Zambia’s opposition leader Dr. Nevers Sekwila Mumba has called upon Zambia’s President Mr Edgar Lungu to urgently intervene in the ongoing Malawi Impasse in his capacity as Southern Africa Development Cooperation (SADC) Chairperson on Security and Defense.
In a statement, Dr. Mumba who is a former Republican Vice President said that Malawi and Zambia are twins, LusakaTimes reports.
“Zambia and Malawi have so much in common politically, economically and socially. In the political arena, both countries were colonized by the British. Furthermore, between 1953 and 1963, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi made up the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Economically both countries rely on Agriculture, and socially, both Countries have Christianity as the major religion. The Chewas and Tumbukas who make up the majority of the population in Malawi are also found in Zambia. The Paramount Chief of the Chewa people, His Royal Highness Gawa Undi is infact based in Zambia in Katete district. So It wouldn’t be wrong for one to conclude that Zambia and Malawi are twins”, Dr. Mumba said.
Dr. Mumba said that the current Malawi Impasse that has arisen after an election dispute could have been avoided if all political players were part and parcel of the election process.
“Our brothers and sisters of Malawi like us are known to be peaceful and loving people. The images and videos coming from Malawi are extremely worrying. I would like to commend the opposition Parties in Malawi for taking their concerns over the disputed Presidential elections to the Constitutional Court. However, we would like to urge all Parties to restrain themselves and their supporters from taking the law into their own hands. We also urge security forces not to be heavy handed in dealing with their own citizens”, Dr. Mumba said.
“This impasse wouldn’t have happened if all the political players were part and parcel of the election process. We however commend the courts in Malawi for their land mark ruling last Friday on the “right to be heard” case lodged by the opposition. This will afford the people of Malawi an opportunity to verify the authenticity of the disputed election. It is such actions that diffuse conflict in a nation”, Dr. Mumba said.
Dr. Mumba said regional bodies like the AU and SADC should take advantage of early warnings to prevent catastrophes from happening on the Continent.
“In the past our region has not taken advantage of early warnings to avert catastrophes in the region. Some cases in point include Zimbabwe, where SADC procrastinated in intervening until the military moved in at a high cost to human life. The case of Sudan is another example of failure on the part of continental and regional watchdog organizations. The results where a military intervention at great human cost. It is for this reason that we are asking SADC to avoid another catastrophe in the making in Malawi. We are running out of time. Any unrest in Malawi affects the security of our nation. The cessation of hostilities in Malawi therefore is in the interest of our country,” Dr Mumba said.
Dr. Mumba has called upon Republican President Mr Edgar Lungu to urgently intervene in the impasse in his capacity as SADC Chairperson of Defense and Security.
“Malawi like Zambia is a member of both the Southern Africa Development Cooperation (SADC) and the Africa Union (AU). We are fortunate that our Republican President Mr. Lungu is the Chairperson of the Security and Defense Wing of SADC. We call upon President Lungu to urgently call for a SADC defence and security meeting to discuss the Malawi Impasse and find peaceful means to resolve it before it escalates”, Dr. Mumba said.
