“Communication in silence” — Changala says UPND ignores Kitwe rally at its peril
The Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance’s campaign launch at Kitwe Playing Fields on Saturday was an event that President Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND should pay attention to, civil rights activist Brebner Changala said on Sunday.
Changala said the size of the turnout reflected public concerns that many citizens had been expressing in different ways and should not be dismissed.
“The size and turnout of the Tonse Alliance mobilisation on the Copperbelt reflected growing public dissatisfaction and should serve as a wake-up call to Mr Hichilema and the ruling party,” Changala said.
“Political parties in power often ignore early warning signs from citizens until it is too late. The Kitwe rally was not just a gathering. It was a message. When you see that kind of crowd, that kind of energy, it means people are speaking. Government must listen instead of dismissing it as noise.”
He said large campaign gatherings provide an opportunity for citizens to publicly demonstrate their political preferences and should be viewed as part of the broader electoral process.
Changala urged the UPND to examine the issues drawing people to opposition events, including the cost of living, unemployment and governance concerns, rather than dismissing the turnout.
He also noted that Saturday’s rally was one of the largest opposition gatherings held on the Copperbelt in recent years and said attention would now turn to a planned rally in Kabwe on Monday.
Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance member Nason Msoni said the turnout reflected public sentiment towards the ruling party and argued that voters would assess political parties based on their performance and promises.
Msoni questioned the feasibility of some commitments contained in the UPND manifesto, including plans to establish universities and airports across the country’s provinces within five years.
“It is highly ambitious and deceptive for Mr Hichilema to assert that he can build 10 universities in 10 provinces in five years. No one believes that such promises are tenable given his own track record,” Msoni said.
“Zambians are no longer interested in manifestos. They are saying a manifesto is a book of lies. This is what the UPND has done to Zambian politics.”
Ba Mudala ikaleni fye namukota imwe, there is no change coming from anywhere, it’s just in your own head. HH launched his Manfesto in Lusaka and we did not see any sign of the coming change you are talking about, mind you, Kitwe is not Zambia. Kitwe is already gone to HH, is it not Kitwe where students collected coins worth K100,000 and paid for HH’s nomination? Forget about Kitwe, Mundubile takaitambe boy.