By Nevers Mumba
CONFRONTING THE EVIDENCE AND KASONDE MWENDA C’S DELIMITATION VIDEO NARRATIVE
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I came across a rather disturbing video enitled “ECZ DELIMITATION to create HH life Presidency, Muchinga and Luapula neglected, Southern raised top!
The video advances a narrative focused on the recently announced delimitation exercise, which the author claims is a tool for creating a life Presidency for President Hakainde Hichilema and, also a tool for the systematic exclusion of the northern block from the equitable distribution of national resources, as presented by one of our vocal opposition leaders, Mr Kasonde Mwenda.
Let me speak plainly, but also with a sense of responsibility to the nation we all belong to.
I have consistently called for critical thinking among those of us who aspire to lead or to become leaders in the country because when we construct, concoct and broadcast narratives that are designed to inflame the public rather than to inform them, we may end up weakening the fabric of national unity. Zambia is bigger than all of us, and it deserves clarity and truthfulness when we engange in discussions of this nature , not dangerous propaganda, and confusion.
Simply put the claim being advanced by Mr.Kasonde is that the Electoral Commission of Zambia was biased in the delimitation process in favour of UPND-perceived strongholds, particularly and especially Southern Province, while disadvantaging Northern, Luapula, and Muchinga Provinces.
But, I want us to slow down and look at the facts, you may be suprised that the picture is far more balanced than the noise suggests. Yes, Southern Province received 9 new constituencies. At first glance, this is where Mr Kasonde gets excited and runs away with a narrative that this is the highest number of constituencies because the President hails from Sourhern Province.
Of course, Mr.Kasonde Mwenda completely downplays the fact that Eastern Province also received 9 new constituencies and it is not a UPND stronghold. He quickly glosses over this point by saying, President Hakainde Hichilema has been frequenting Eastern Province and the UPND have received a lot of defections, and so the 9 new constituencies there are in fact a reward for the defectors, and he makes this assertion purely based on conjecture, with no evidence and he totally ignores the facts that the PF recognise Eastern Province as one of their strongholds.
He also fails to recognise the fact that the distribution of constituencies in Western and North-Western Provinces was 7 each. Northern Province received 7, while Muchinga received 6.
Now here is what Mr. Kasonde conspicuously left out of the public conversation. From 1964 up untill 2011, Northern Province and Muchinga Province were largely one province. They were a single administrative and geographic unit for many years. It was not untill the Patriotic Front government under President Michael Sata, that a decision was made to split them into two provinces, in order to improve administration and bring services closer to the people in a vast region.
For that reason, when we analyse and assess constituency delimitation and representation fairly, it becomes necessary, for comparability and historical context to consider them together. When you do that, the combined total for Northern Province [original] becomes 13 new constituencies. That is by far the highest number of new constituencies that was given under the current delimitation process as announced last week.
When the Numbers are fully understood and presented in the correct context, they do not support the narrative that people like Mr. Kasonde C Mwenda seems to be advancing of the allocation of constituencies being biased towards Southern Province, and against the northern block. In fact it suggests the opposite that the northen block has been given more new constituencies than any other regional block.
We must also remember that delimitation is not a political or tribal block reward system. It is a constitutional responsibility by agencies of government meant to strengthen representation and ensure citizens are served more effectively. It is done on account of geography, accessibility, population distribution, and the practical realities of governance in a country as vast and diverse as ours.
Even in 2011, under President Michael Sata, the creation of Muchinga Province from Northern Province was done as part of this same drive to improve governance and administrative reach. Around the same period, a constituency was also moved from Southern Province to Lusaka as part of administrative realignment.
At the time, these were broadly accepted as governance reforms aimed at improving efficiency.
Today, I can assure you that President Hakainde Hichilema, who comes from Southern Province, has not personally altered the logic of delimitation just to favour his own region. And yet
we are already hearing claims that the process has been designed to benefit Southern Province by those who are obsessed with tribal narratives and who feel that the only relevance they can bring to the table of debate is by cleverly advancing this veiled anti Southern Province narrative to try and cause anger and rage-bait unsuspecting citizens from other provinces. This is shameful to say the least.
So one is left to ask a simple question. Imagine if today, Hakainde Hichilema, a leader who hails from Bweengwa, in Southern Province were to do exactly what President Sata did, namely, split his own province into two, and later, remove a constituency from Northen Province, how would people like Kasonde Mwenda react? Just how far would his feet take him, with his twisted narratives?
This is where as politicians we must be honest with ourselves.
Zambia will not move forward if every technical national decision is filtered through the lens of tribalism and regionalism, and suspicion. We must start to engage national processes with maturity, fairness, and a desire to build the nation in unity rather than devide us.
Above all, We continue to insist on critical thinking from all leaders before we make such statements. Let us all ask ourselves, will this statement build, or will it destroy the fabric of our society?
I thank you.