GEARS Initiative Zambia believes President Edgar Lungu used his festive season holiday to reflect on his third term desire.
In a statement, Governance, Elections, Advocacy, Research Services (GEARS) Initiative Zambia executive director McDonald Chipenzi stated that President Lungu ought to renege on his third term wish, “for it has devastating effects awaiting him if he dares to pursue the option.”
“In this regard, this Christmas and New Year festive break he has taken offers an opportunity for him to drop this idea and thought for a third term. He must also reflect on what new things he would do for Zambia in five years which he has not done in the last seven years,” Chipenzi stated.
“The high fuel and other essential commodity prices, high unemployment rate among the educated and non-educated and among the youth and adults, depreciation of the kwacha, extra-judicial killings at the hands of police, limited discipline of his officers and civil servants, induced national poloralisation and tribalism under his watch and the shrinking democratic, civic, political and media space are reasons enough for him to allow another person to try to run national affairs.”
He added that the third term desire would not do the President good.
“It will be good that President Edgar Chagwa Lungu utilises this festive holiday he has taken to serious reflect whether or not he needs a third term,” Chipenzi stated.
“This also goes to his family that while in Luangwa valley enjoying the goodies of the holiday, [they should] help him reflect on his desire for the third term which may have ruinous effects on his political career and family life.”
Chipenzi stated that first lady, Esther, must reign over her husband not to subject the country, stakeholders and his party to unnecessary debate and divisions, “arising from his appetite to continue being in State House even when his time is up after 2021.”
He stated that the trend of presidents clinging to power, with the help of institutions like the police, judiciary and others, “while first ladies remain mute even when their time is up, have triggered dissatisfactions in many countries, leading to untold miseries among the ordinary citizens.”
“It is for this reason that we want to remind President Lungu that whilst still on this festive holiday, with the help from his wife, he would come back as a reformed man ready to respect the Constitution of the Republic,” Chipenzi stated.
“It will be sad if the first lady will not help [to] prevail over her husband’s appetite for power because their lives as a family after State House will largely depend on how her husband will approach his third term desire.”
He stated that Esther should not fall into the political ditches other African first ladies have fallen into, where they allowed their spouses to walk: “a path of arrogance” when in power.
“But [they] ended up walking a path of shameful humility and loneliness after State power eluded them. Examples are abound such as our own FTJ Chiluba, Laurent Gbagbo in Ivory Coast, Mobutu Sese Seko of former Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo), Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia, among others,” stated Chipenzi.