Five Things that will Destroy UPND
Allow me to share my thoughts on this topic. I have been back in Zambia for many months now and these thoughts are based on my experiences as a UPND member. Although I am an executive on the UPND USA/Canada Chapter, these thoughts do not necessarily represent the Chapter. They are my own.
1. Docile Secretariat. This is perhaps the most lukewarm secretariat the country has ever had. The UPND secretariat is so docile that members don’t even know who is in charge at Anderson Mazoka House. The secretariat has no vision for the party nor does it make efforts to engage its members. This is the time that it should step-up and show us that it exists and work for the party and people of Zambia.
2. Adopting Former Opposition Members in the Next Election. Recently, we have seen more and more opposition party members come to seek refuge into the UPND camp. Most of these newcomers have incessantly showered us with insults in the last decade or more. We all know that the reason they’re joining or supporting our party now is because their boat is sinking and they have nowhere else to run to. Don’t get me wrong—we can welcome as many people into the party as we please. However, letting these newcomers take centerstage at the expense of loyal members will be catastrophic. We should not even consider adopting them to contest on the UPND ticket in the upcoming general election. We have capable members who can contest as members of parliament, mayors, councilors and so on. We are not short of leaders in UPND. To show loyalty, we can ask the newcomers to support the party for five years before they qualify for a position in the party or government.
3. No Clear Succession Plan. Does anyone have an idea who will take over from President Hakainde Hichilema after his second term? Is it the current Vice President? If so, there is no evidence to show that she is being groomed to take over. An unclear succession plan is one of Zambia’s governance challenges. When we look at all our former presidents, NO ONE ever groomed a successor. Those who took over from them were mostly by pure chance. President Hakainde Hichilema should start thinking about UPND past his second term. The person who he picks as his running mate in the August general elections should be the person who will take over from him after he leaves office. Pick wisely.
4. Ignoring the Grassroots. One of the complaints I hear from party members as I travel the country is how they have been ignored by party officials. UPND party officials are not reaching out to the same people who campaigned and voted for them. In fact, even when they come into town, no one knows about their visit. This is a big problem. Although, I hear that now they’re beginning to reach out to members because of the coming election. My suggestion to party members is that, perhaps, this is an opportunity to replace our current party officials with new people. We need new party officials (especially at secretariat) who are going to bring new ideas and will continually engage the grassroots. Without the grassroots, we are nothing.
5. The Lack of Resources. Do you know that an average voter thinks that the party in power has unlimited resources? Well, history has shown us so. Unfortunately, this is not the case in the UPND era. The President has been clear that UPND does not use any government resources for its operations. Therefore, the party needs to find sponsors for its operations. UPND members and other well-wishers are the ones responsible for funding the party. I, together with many of my colleagues in the diaspora, have been donating our resources to the party for years. The Secretariat needs to get its act together and mobilize resources to keep the party running. I have shared some ideas to them on several occasions how we can make this happen. Needless to say, I have been ignored.
In conclusion, I honestly hope that we will make the necessary changes at all party levels so that we can be more efficient and effective in delivering our promises to the people of Zambia.
Wezi Ngwenya, MBA
Vice Secretary General
UPND USA/Canada Chapter
This is correct and good advice. However not the whole secretariat should be replaced. There must be a barometric measurement to it.
Performance based assessments for each individual member can be the fairest way to go.
Of course opposition defecting members should be welcome with caution. Remember that you could be enjoying groundnut as you chew, but the moment you chew a rotten one, everything gets bad and the instinct there is to spit it. Even if politics is about numbers, quality matters.
UPND is known for discipline and that is its biggest asset. Those that are coming must be well screened or if they are the type that can change, like, with due respect, Mr William Banda, former UNIP ‘cowboy’ and stubborn (UNIP ERA) CADRES. Who knew that he could be a trusted saint in UPND?
I will not mention names but we have those that have shown commitment with CDF application. Those that have delivered to the Zambian people in their constituencies can be a welcome lot because they have blended in with the vision of the UPND President and party as a whole.
UPND has brought peace and a lot of good things. It has shown good human behaviour and has literally restored perfect morality culturally valued as the Zambian way of life.
The PF culture was pathetic and no one should even think of accepting those that have shown a divisive nature based on tribe.
Those that play to the gallery as if politics is some kind of comedy are jokers and have no place in the corridors of power. They have delinquent behaviour and that is what we can simply say rotten ‘peanuts’ that should be placed in the political garbage bins, and they are plenty.
Violent politicians should have no foot in politics because they are a bad influence to our peaceful society.
Thieves, most of all, should be rejected. They may not have left evidence that they did steal government funds, but who doesn’t know that they were as poor as a church mouse before PF came to power?
If they say they were doing business, why is it that their business only boomed during the PF era?
Yes, I agree with the notion that HH must groom a successor, but that person must not be exposed to the wolves, and we no Zambia well. We are a society that have a terrible PULL HIM/HER DOWN syndrome. It is actually a cancer and you don’t want that person to be buried prematurely.
All in all, Zambians must be able to recognize that it is not just a question of being a leader for the name of it.
Good Leadership is God-chosen and it does not come through violence. Once you listen to one campaigning and you trace a tone of wasteful energy on violent speech, just reject them outrightly.
HH has shown exemplary leadership and that is what Zambia needs. Those aspiring to become president in this country must support him to bring Zambia to a point where every Zambian will be a beneficiary of the national cake. Then they can have a smooth ride and take after him when God appoints them to lead the country.
Zambia is a special case and must not be derailed from the current path.
Even those that are sabotaging progress in order to make UPND look like they have failed must wisen up and support this crusade.
Let us not destroy our country, God loves Zambia and it must remain a haven of peace and tranquility.
So, we are one and we must be serious about who we put in leadership.
UNITED, WE STAND; BUT, DIVIDED, WE FALL!
GOD BLESS ZAMBIA.
Fair comment in my view. The UPND is a political party in an African country. The universal set is the country and the UPND is an element in the set. It should be interesting to observe if it will be any different. African politics has long been constrained by the original sin committed by the British at independence. The departing British knew very well how the franchise came to be in their own country and all the old-established democracies. The British knew that Africans were not yet ready for universal suffrage and adversarial politics. Very few African politicians know wht I’m talking about here. And the result is that the band is playing on.