THE MUNDUBILE/MAKEBI TICKET CAN UNSEAT HH!
By Samuel Kasankha
I have heard a widely held assumption, especially among fanatical supporters of President Hakainde Hichilema and his united party for national development (UPND) that the Makebi Zulu/Brian Mundubile alliance is too raw to unseat HH in August. For reasons I fail to place a finger on, many people still misunderstand how political change sometimes happens in Zambia.
The 2021 presidential election was not simply a story of overwhelming love for President Hichilema. It was, to a very large extent, a national revolt against a Patriotic Front (PF) government that many citizens believed had become arrogant, lawless, and insensitive to the suffering of the ordinary people. Zambians were desperate for change. So, HH became the only viable, available vehicle through which voters could remove Edgar Chagwa Lungu and the PF from power.
That is a very important political lesson.
In moments of national frustration, elections are rarely about who is deeply loved. They are about who becomes the most effective instrument for removing an unpopular government. Citizens rally behind whoever represents the clearest path to change. This happens in many parts of the world!
That is why dismissing emerging political arrangements such as the Brian Mundubile/Makebi Zulu project is very naive and could translate into political suicide.
There are already millions of frustrated citizens who want the UPND out of office. Rising costs of living and very high levels of unemployment are only part of the story. Many citizens are equally angered by what they see as the repression of fundamental rights and freedoms through the introduction of Cyber laws and other measures that threaten people’s freedom to speak. They also point to heavy-handed police tactics that routinely block opposition rallies and public gatherings. Other concerns include what they consider as blatant disregard for court rulings that have gone against government, the weakening of the separation of powers, and the effective takeover of Parliament, which many now describe as a mere government extension rather than an independent arm of the State.
There is also growing public distrust of the judiciary; people are very uncomfortable over court decisions repeatedly perceived to favour the government against citizens and opponents, as well as concerns over appointments of known political cadres into institutions such as the Electoral Commission of Zambia. Whether these perceptions are fully accurate or not is almost beside the point politically; what matters is that they are increasingly believed by large sections of the population.
Many voters no longer care whether an opposition candidate fits the traditional image of a “presidential” figure. Their focus is simple: remove the current administration.
This is exactly how governments lose power.
The same public anger that swept the PF out in 2021 now exists against the UPND. Ignore that reality at your own peril.
So, in conclusion, given a genuinely free and fair election, many of today’s political assumptions will collapse overnight. HH and the UPND are easily beatable in August because it’s not about the stature of his opponents but about what the millions of Zambians want.