APP youth kiss party goodbye
Four members of the All People's Party Youth League have parted ways with the party, citing undemocratic decision-making as one of the reasons why.
Four All People's Party Youth League (APPYL) members, including the wing's president, Sebastian Ntjamba, have resigned from the party.
Ntjamba, Haikera Haikera, Kaghugongo Vhumbu waShingereshu and Pombili Stefanus charged that the party was being run like a cult by the top leadership.
“This communiqué is to notify you and the rest of the leadership about our collective decision of ending our association with the party and all its activities by resigning from the party and the youth league as from today, 13 February 2020,” reads an email the four sent to APP secretary-general Vincent Kanyetu.
Kanyetu yesterday confirmed having received the email, saying that he wished the former members well in their future endeavours.
When asked why they were parting ways with the APP, Ntjamba said decision-making within the party was not done in a democratic way and members had to accept a manifesto and policies that were drafted by a selected few members.
Ntjamba also claimed that there were irregularities at the party's congress ahead of the November 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections.
“As young people we came to realise that we were going backwards from the way we were and we could no longer continue in that way. We have quite a number of reasons for leaving,” he said.
“We are supposed to uphold democracy at all levels and in all our engagements. Unfortunately in the APP, we realised that two or three people sit down and decide what they impose on us as the manifesto or as the policy of the party.
“Secondly, we went to the congress and we never saw such a congress before because there is no way a congress can have a delegation list and another list which was created at the venue. As for the party list, people were supposed to engage but there was nothing like that. It is more of a cult; the top leadership wants to work with people who have money.”
Ntjamba said another contributing factor was because some party leaders were involved in the selling of raw timber that is exported.
Ntjamba argued that the APP, which is styled as a socialist party, should be advocating for resources to benefit all citizens of the country and not only those who have access to them.
“Apart from the leadership style, we are supposed to advance a more communist and socialist approach of doing things but when you look at the whole leadership structure, we are also among the people who are selling timber and now you ask yourself, are we really doing as what we stand for?” he said.
The departure of the four APPYL members comes just months before the local authority and regional council elections.
When asked whether the departure of the youth members, whom some regard as influential, might negatively affect the party's performance in the upcoming elections, Kanyetu said it was unlikely.
“The party was there before they joined and the party will be there after they have resigned,” Kanyetu said.
He also rubbished their claims about the party's leadership style.
KENYA KAMBOWE
Ntjamba, Haikera Haikera, Kaghugongo Vhumbu waShingereshu and Pombili Stefanus charged that the party was being run like a cult by the top leadership.
“This communiqué is to notify you and the rest of the leadership about our collective decision of ending our association with the party and all its activities by resigning from the party and the youth league as from today, 13 February 2020,” reads an email the four sent to APP secretary-general Vincent Kanyetu.
Kanyetu yesterday confirmed having received the email, saying that he wished the former members well in their future endeavours.
When asked why they were parting ways with the APP, Ntjamba said decision-making within the party was not done in a democratic way and members had to accept a manifesto and policies that were drafted by a selected few members.
Ntjamba also claimed that there were irregularities at the party's congress ahead of the November 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections.
“As young people we came to realise that we were going backwards from the way we were and we could no longer continue in that way. We have quite a number of reasons for leaving,” he said.
“We are supposed to uphold democracy at all levels and in all our engagements. Unfortunately in the APP, we realised that two or three people sit down and decide what they impose on us as the manifesto or as the policy of the party.
“Secondly, we went to the congress and we never saw such a congress before because there is no way a congress can have a delegation list and another list which was created at the venue. As for the party list, people were supposed to engage but there was nothing like that. It is more of a cult; the top leadership wants to work with people who have money.”
Ntjamba said another contributing factor was because some party leaders were involved in the selling of raw timber that is exported.
Ntjamba argued that the APP, which is styled as a socialist party, should be advocating for resources to benefit all citizens of the country and not only those who have access to them.
“Apart from the leadership style, we are supposed to advance a more communist and socialist approach of doing things but when you look at the whole leadership structure, we are also among the people who are selling timber and now you ask yourself, are we really doing as what we stand for?” he said.
The departure of the four APPYL members comes just months before the local authority and regional council elections.
When asked whether the departure of the youth members, whom some regard as influential, might negatively affect the party's performance in the upcoming elections, Kanyetu said it was unlikely.
“The party was there before they joined and the party will be there after they have resigned,” Kanyetu said.
He also rubbished their claims about the party's leadership style.
KENYA KAMBOWE
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