Bill 10 Was A Political Trap Against UPND And HH By PF, Lungu Has Won The Game – VJ
BY ADMIN_BATOKA ON OCTOBER 30, 2020
Vernon Mwaanga, Lusaka
Last night, another terrible political blunder for 2021 was committed by Zambia’s largest opposition party, the UPND under the able leadership of HH. While we all identified some ills and flaws in Bill 10 and did not support it somehow, l am of the firm view that the political drama and gamble around Bill 10 in parliament yesterday was won by PF and President Lungu as opposed to UPND and HH.
From where l sit and view this issue, it is clear to tell that the PF government had a clear scheme of setting up a crooked trap on UPND and HH with reference to the 2021 campaign, using the infamous Bill 10 narrative. Here is how UPND and HH lost it to PF and Lungu yesterday in parliament:
1. By rejecting Bill 10, HH and UPND have rejected increased youth and students participation in parliament through a mixed member system. What will UPND tell the youth and students in 2021 campaigns? Clearly, UPND has now lost it by abdicating the entire pro youth and students national agenda to PF;
2. For failing to support Bill 10, UPND has lost trust and support from the evangelical church community who wanted the Christian declaration properly constitutionalized. This works against HH who is widely accused to be a Satanist and supporter of homosexuality;
3. By denouncing Bill 10, UPND has denounced the Zambian women who wanted increased representation in parliament via a mixed member system. UPND’s position on women is also against SADC, AU or UN protocols that calls for increased women participation in political leadership and public life;
4. For frustrating Bill 10 to fall, HH and UPND have angered the physically challenged and other minority citizens such as the death, blind, albinos, wheelchaired, etc who could have entered into parliament without open vote competition. UPND and HH have lost these groups to President Lungu and PF for next year;
5. By spitting on Bill 10 with dirty UPND saliva, I think HH has ‘puffed’ into the faces of Zambian chiefs and traditional leaders who wanted to end their current succession wrangles, gain government protection and restore sanity in their chiefdoms. So, Lungu and PF now have a sweet message to chiefs, headmen and traditional leaders against HH and UPND for next year;
6. For defiling Bill 10 with malice, I am of the view that HH and UPND have rejected constituency delimitation agenda which is a wide public outcry across Zambia. How are they going to face voters who have been longing to have their own new districts and constituencies to determine their own development using their own CDF? Clearly, UPND didn’t know that the devil was in the details of Bill 10 against their 2021 campaign.
7. By ejecting Bill 10, UPND has decided to keep the number of MPs both fixed and limited to 150 when the country’s population has tripled and many stakeholders today wanted a bigger parliament. It also means the size of their MP in parliament will either remain the same or reduce next year especially that President Lungu and PF have entered, taken over and will get many seats in Western or North Western Provinces ;
8. For killing Bill 10, my bird’s view thoughts are that HH will now suffer double condemnation from the masses as the tag of being the ‘theft protagonist of privatization’ as well as enemy of progressive national agendas such as the 2016 national referendum as well as 2020 Bill 10 will increase against him going into 2021 Presidential elections;
9. By denouncing Bill 10 via parliamentary absenteeism, HH and their alliances have accepted that, after losing in August next year, they are fine to face their political horrors of 2016, to petition the presidential election results and get the final judgement within 14 days instead of 30 days.
10. And when l saw pictures of HH and our UPND MPs dancing openly to celebrate the fall of Bill 10 at his house in New Kasama yesterday, l realized that PF had won the Bill 10 trap against the opposition. If you followed the debate in parliament, all 89 PF spoke for the Bill merely to put it on record against UPND for 2021 elections.
To me, Bill 10 has revealed to all of us that PF plays hard school and well schemed politics of real of science and mathematics while the lead opposition use impulsive and manual tactics. And by winning 105 for Bill 10 less by 6 votes, the science of numbers still remain in favour of Bill 10 and PF as opposed to UPND and HH.
Generally, the political novices think that the fall of Bill 10 has weakened PF or Lungu. The reality now is that PF and Lungu will go into 2021 campaigns with a better narrative and stronger message against HH and UPND. If fact, where they have some challenges, Lungu and PF have a better excuse now to justify some of their failures in delivering development using the fall of Bill 10 by blaming it on the UPND and HH.
Unless you are too sure with all facts presented before you, it is better not to start fighting battles you dont fully know or understand. What has happened to Bill 10 is not good news for UPND or HH such that, l didn’t expect opposition MPs including their president dancing. That dance is certainly a bad political statement as well as a voter threat for themselves in 2021.
When you have elderly people to consult in the village on key public matters but you choose not to do so, failure becomes both unforgivable and unjustifiable.
I end here for now.