PRINCE Akashambatwa Mbikusita Lewanika says some politicians are focusing on personality and partisan issues while neglecting fundamental problems in the country.

And Akashambatwa says the country is not going anywhere because politics have become about personal ambitions rather than national issues.

In an interview, Thursday, Prince Akashambatwa warned Zambians to watch out for empty slogans.

“I am looking forward to something that I am not seeing. A new generation with the courage to address the real fundamental problems and their roots in Zambia without being drawn into personality and partisan politics of the day. I am not seeing that. What I am seeing are people focusing on personality and partisan issues and neglecting the real fundamental problems of the country, maybe because their interests are simply personal or their interests are in the present rather than in the long term. Watch out for words that are just empty slogans and that is a big obstacle to Zambia’s development. People sing empty things,” Prince Akashambatwa said.

And Akashambatwa said the country was not going anywhere because politics had become about personal ambitions rather than national issues.

“Actions speak louder than words and the actions mean that the parties do not stand for anything except numbers, quantities of people, access to power and there is no political mission to change anything or to stand for anything. So what is interesting is that all parties welcome all people and all kinds of people can join any kind of party and it shows that the purpose of parties is not based on ideology or programme of a real national programme or set of values or principles. It reveals opportunism at one level. For example, if a party doesn’t adopt you then the opportunity is closed, you go to a party that adopts you because an opportunity has risen. The other factor is lack of general accommodation of differences in political parties which make it difficult to stay in political parties if they have dissenting views,” said Prince Akashambatwa.

“This is also a fact why people leave. Our politics are about non-fundamental issues, they are about personal issues and personal ambitions rather than national issues and national vision. The bottom line is obviously an illustration that the country is going nowhere except where it has been. Because it is business as usual, there is nothing fundamental that is taking place, there are no fundamental issues being raised, there is no campaign for fundamental change. Without that the country can’t go anywhere if you are really not doing fundamental issues.”