By IREEN MULENGA
National Democratic Congress Party says that they received the painful news of the demise of the first republican president Dr Kenneth Kaunda with a deep Sense of sorrow and bewilderment.
NDC Lusaka Province Chairman and party Spokesperson Kennedy Siyanda said that there are many things that Dr Kaunda achieved in his 97 years of existence that we can cite.
“We wish to acknowledge the prominent role that Dr Kaunda and his colleagues played in liberating Zambia in 1964 and also helping most countries in the SADC region to gain their respective freedoms.
“We also wish to thank Dr Kaunda and his colleagues in the UNIP Government for laying the economic, social, education, health and infrastructure cornerstone of this great nation. We salute their vision and selflessness in placing Zambia on the world stage. We commend Dr Kaunda for promoting unity and strongly condemning tribalism and violence,” he said.
Mr Siyanda said that despite military provocation from Rhodesia and Apartheid South Africa, Dr Kaunda continued to promote peace in resolving conflict.
“We further wish to commend Dr. Kaunda for re-introducing plural politics in 1990. He could have refused to do so but as usual chose to obey the wish of the Zambian people. Dr. Kaunda who was supposed to hold elections in 1993 agreed to cut short his term and these first multi-party polls were held in 1991,”he said.
He said Dr Kaunda never resorted to underhand methods to cling on to power but willingly accepted his loss in 1991 and surrendered the reign of power to the MMD and shows that he was a true mark of great and exemplary leadership which the current crop of politicians is supposed to emulate.
Mr Siyanda encouraged the family to mourn the departed first republican president by continuing to emulate his ideals and values.
