Candidates Must Put Zambia’s Interests First – RB The following press release was issued by the Office of the Fourth Republican President Rupiah Bwezani Banda: His Excellency Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, the Fourth President of the Republic of Zambia, has urged the candidates in next month’s presidential election to remember that Zambia is bigger than all of them and that the nation’s interests override any personal ambitions they may harbour. As such, he has advised that, for the sake of the country, all the candidates should pledge to be magnanimous enough to concede when defeated in the January 20 election. The former head of State has since thanked everyone who invited him to rejoin active politics and all that supported his return. President Banda has appealed to all his supporters to respect the decision of the Supreme Court regardless of the view they may have on interpreting the constitution of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy. He has urged the MMD to remain united in order to participate effectively in the elections with its chosen partners. Below is President Banda’s statement in full. Dear countrymen and women, To begin with, allow me to thank all those who invited me to rejoin active politics and all those that supported me. I know that ours was a noble cause. As I pointed out in our campaign message, we believe that our country is at a crossroads. This situation, therefore, requires our collective will to be addressed. Especially: • The concerns about the high cost of living in Zambia • The need to stabilize the economy • The need to unify our country, and • To introduce a new constitution that will address all the contentious issues without bias. However, as you all know, the courts have ruled and we need to respect the decision of our courts. This is regardless of the view we may have on interpreting our Party constitution. Following the court’s decision, we are seeking the best election outcome for the majority of our people. Hence we will work with those, and I repeat, only those who share our vision for our country. In other words, we will work closely with those who are prepared to accept the existence of the MMD as a legitimate participant in the current political dispensation. It is for this reason that I would like to urge our party, the MMD, to remain united. This is in order for us to participate effectively in these elections with our chosen partners. Finally, I wish all the candidates in this election the best. They must all remember that Zambia is bigger than all of them, and her people’s interests override any personal ambitions that they may harbour. As such, they must all pledge to be magnanimous enough to concede when defeated for the sake of our country. God bless you all and season’s greetings to you. Thank you. zambiareports/2014/12/24/candidates-must-put-zambias-interests-first-rb/
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 14:29:16 +0000
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