WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE GOOSE IS GOOD FOR THE GANDER — THE CASE OF MUNDUBILE VS HICHILEMA
In 2011, the late President Michael Chilufya Sata overwhelmingly defeated Hakainde Hichilema across much of Northern Province, which was then regarded as a stronghold of the Patriotic Front. In constituency after constituency, Sata was receiving thousands of votes while Hichilema’s numbers were extremely low less than 300 in every constituency.
At the time, hardly anyone described that overwhelming regional support for Sata as “tribalism.” It was accepted for what it was, a political stronghold and a reflection of voters’ political preferences.
Today, the political landscape has changed dramatically.
Hakainde Hichilema has made significant inroads into areas that were once regarded as PF strongholds, while continuing to command substantial support in areas traditionally associated with him-Southern province. Yet, when the same electoral phenomenon now benefits Hichilema, some opposition voices are suddenly eager to label it “tribalism.”
Chiwamila galu kuluma mbuzi!
If overwhelming support for Michael Sata in Northern Province was legitimate political support in 2011, then overwhelming support for Hakainde Hichilema in areas that are his strongholds must equally be recognised as legitimate political support today.
You cannot change the definition of democracy simply because the political beneficiary has changed.
Instead of spending their time hating Hichilema or dismissing his electoral gains as tribalism, opposition politicians, particularly emerging leaders such as Brian Mundubile should study HH’s political journey.
Hichilema did not become a nationally competitive politician overnight.
There was a time when he struggled to win constituencies outside his traditional political base. His journey to national acceptance has taken more than two decades of campaigning, building relationships, enduring electoral defeats, refining his political message and continuously engaging with Zambians across the country.
That did not happen in one election. It took more than 20 years.
Today, we are seeing the fruits of that political investment.
Hichilema is no longer simply a politician identified with one particular region. His name and political brand have become household names across Zambia, including in Northern, Luapula, Muchinga and Eastern provinces, areas where his support was once extremely limited.
That transformation did not happen by accident.
It required persistence, political organisation, patience and the determination to continue engaging with citizens who did not initially support him.
So, rather than crying “tribalism” the opposition should ask itself a much more important question:
What did Hakainde Hichilema do over the last 20-plus years to transform himself from a politician struggling for national acceptance into a politician capable of competing seriously across the entire country?
That is the lesson Brian Mundubile and other emerging politicians should be studying.
Politics is not about inheriting strongholds forever.
Strongholds change. Voters change. Generations change. Political loyalties change.
The same Provinces that once gave Hichilema extremely small numbers are today giving him substantial support. That is not, by itself, evidence of tribalism. It is evidence that Zambian voters are capable of changing their political preferences based of performance of a politician.
And if opposition politicians genuinely want to defeat Hichilema in future elections, they should stop insulting the very voters they are trying to win over, in this case, southern and Western provinces voters.
Build your own national appeal. Build relationships. Earn trust. Go where your opponents are strong. Convince the people. Stay the course.
That is precisely the kind of political journey Hichilema undertook for more than two decades.
Hakainde Hichilema’s political journey is therefore a lesson in persistence, patience and political endurance.
From receiving very little support in some parts of the country to becoming a nationally competitive politician capable of challenging and winning in areas once considered political fortresses for his opponents, his journey demonstrates that political acceptance can be built over time.
For that reason, Hichilema deserves recognition for the political ground he has covered.
And to the emerging politicians, study the journey. Learn from the experience. Remain humble. Build your own national appeal.
Do not demand political acceptance overnight like Mundubile is doing when your opponent spent more than 20 years building his.
Congratulations, President Hakainde Hichilema, on the victories recorded across the country so far. May the remaining constituencies be counted peacefully, transparently and in accordance with the law.
Zambia is bigger than political parties. Zambia is bigger than political strongholds. And Zambia is bigger than individual politicians.
I approve this article.
T. PHIRI
Aka: Kallabby Kalabadia
#Zambia #everyone #followers #topfans #africa
Excellent.
But please try and call it what it is sometimes.
Tribalism. Some big Zambian politicians dont shy away
but argue that Bembas should just vote for their own
like tongas have been doing. Thue do not even waste
time but say it outright Kambwili says, bamunyina him,
look at the way tongas vote, they vote for HH all the time and
appeals to all bembas or northerners to vote for their own. Simply
just like that and for a national leader! Mandubile comes and follows through with the
same kind of rhetoric, profiling the tongas and the whole southern region
and avoids campaigning there becacuse he thinks they are not worth
wasting time on. Who advises him, the same Emmanuel Mwamba, JJ Banda,
Lilian Mtambo, kambwili and his PF/Tonse party. Did he really think the
southerners were gullible to give him much votes after having already showed that
he regarded them and their region differently? Next, tongas would have
been exorcised and left out of everything just like the way it was under PF.
They know it. Stop being tribal and embrace even those who are not of
your tribe. You may not like them as a people but you surely need their
vote. Ignore them and you will continue crying. For southerners, westerners
and northwesterners, start identifying a different candidate to vote for after HH.
Do not go for Mandubile because he has already indicated that he wont have
time for you because you are not equal to what his Zambians are. For Mandibile and
company, Tongas, bantu botatwe related people are not confined to southern
province borders but far beyond in Soliland Luano in shikabeta, Kapiri in
Chipepo, Chamuka, Ngabwe, Mukubwe, Chitanda in Chibombo to Lufwanyama.
They are the majority there. You will be wasting your time confining them to
southern province in your political rhetoric as started by Fred Mmembe. Mmembe
now is getting zeros. Those zeros are coming to mandubile next time because this very factor, his hate for anything Tonga as shown in his last campaign. Bye bye
won