FORMER Second Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Mwimba Malama says it was unnecessary for former PF deputy secretary general Mumbi Phiri and Professor Nkandu Luo to be arguing in public when they could have resolved their issues within the family.

And Malama says he is disappointed with Zambians who are expecting the country to change within the few months UPND has been in power.

In an interview, Malama said it was immature for people to be arguing in public.

He also wondered why people in PF were worried about who would take over the leadership of the party.

“There are always squabbles when a party loses. But also, that must help you to understand how different we are as human beings. The party has the highest body which basically guides those who are bringing wrong issues and arguing in public over things which are not even necessary. I don’t know why people are worried about the succession of the leadership in the party. It is something very clear that people need to understand that time is coming and the person to take over PF will be found. Why should people continue arguing, continue thinking that each person they want should take over the leadership of the PF? It is not about the person you want, it is about the choice of the many people. If people continue failing to reason, the quarrels will increase. They need to know the more they quarrel the more they divide the party. It is up to them whether to remain in a united party or to dismantle the party because of their quarrels,” Malama said.

“It doesn’t make sense for people to be arguing in public, it doesn’t show maturity. For example, there are issues involving some relatives, how do you opt to argue in public when you have a family where you come from? Where you can call for a meeting to resolve those issues affecting yourselves as relatives. The issue of MCC Mumbi Phiri and MCC Professor Luo, they are related, I don’t expect them to be quarreling in public. They are a family and they are supposed to call for a meeting, finger pointing in public is not good. Even though the issue is political, I am sure they have to realise that they are family. It is not advisable to be exchanging words in public.”

And Malama called on the government to be careful when following up people suspected of being corrupt and not engage in witch-hunting.

“The issue of following people who are suspected of being corrupt, I think that is where this government should be very careful. We have the experience of what happened during Levy Mwanawasa when he took over, I think that should not happen again. Let the institutions do the work, but the basis of witch-hunting is not good. It almost divided this country during the time of Levy Mwanawasa,” he said.

Meanwhile, Malama urged Zambians to be patient with the new government.

“If I am being fair, I am disappointed with the Zambian people because they are very expectant. But surely, we know that governing any nation, even governance of a home, is not something one may think that it is magic. I am disappointed with my fellow Zambians, I don’t know whether they expected that in the next two months, things to change to their expectations and at the same time, I don’t know if these people did not realise that what our colleagues were saying during campaigns was just campaign language. Let them have patience because that is what they chose. They need to give time to the people who are governing to see whether things can improve or not. It is too early to even say anything,” said Malama.

“When you change government, it is not like shifting in a house where you can organise a house within a week. You can’t organise a country in four months. You can’t change anything because these countries depend on one another. Let us give them time and see where they are going. I don’t know if my fellow Zambians expected everything within a month to be perfect, if that is the way they will be voting going forward, they will continue voting [for] wrong people because I will just come to say ‘everyone will be getting salaries even if you are not working’ is that fair? That is what they are trying to insinuate. You can’t say things have not changed within a few months.”