By PASSY HAACHIZO –
THE Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) in Central Province has urged the electorate to be wary of politicians who want to win elections by fueling tribal divisions.
ZCTU representative Betty Mutambo said the electorate should be wary of political hypocrites who wanted to base their campaigns on tribal lines as a way of getting a vote.
“During elections as frustrations grow, there will be voices of politicians urging us to fall back into tribes, or vote the way we do, or share the same background,” she said.
Ms Mutambo also challenged political players to exhibit political tolerance and maturity, as the campaign reached a peak for the August 11 general election.
She said instead of embracing tension, there was need to direct energies towards upholding human rights, free speech and the right to choose sound leaders through the ballot box.
Ms Mutambo said there was need for the public media to start giving equal coverage to all political players.
Meanwhile, Ms Mutambo said it was worrying that the country was faced with different economic challenges.
She said the economy was undergoing a serious stress due to persistent electricity shortages caused by drought and the reduced global demand for copper on the world market.
“Plummeting of the value of the Kwacha against other currencies, rising inflation from a single digit of 7.8 per cent to double digit of 22.3 per cent within a space of three months is a worrying development,” Ms Mutambo said.