Chilufya Tayali writes:

IF I WERE BRIAN MUNDUBILE

If I were in Brian Mundubile’s shoes, this would be a moment for deep reflection rather than indignation. I would be on my knees thanking God and expressing profound gratitude to the 1,856,217 Zambians who placed their confidence in me.

Whatever one thinks about the outcome, attracting that level of support in a first presidential contest is no small achievement. How many people genuinely expected Brian to command such a significant number of votes on his first attempt?

For me, that alone should inspire humility, gratitude and a recognition that something important has been entrusted to him.

But gratitude must also come with acceptance.

The reality is that Brian lost the election and nothing change this fact.

Beyond that, leadership also requires the wisdom to recognise when an electoral battle has ended and when a different responsibility has begun.

If I were Brian, my immediate concern would therefore not simply be my own political future. I would prioritise finding a way to engage the State over supporters who have reportedly been arrested, as well as establishing the whereabouts and welfare of those said to be unaccounted for.

This, to me, is where leadership is tested.

You cannot ask people to stand with you during the most difficult moments of a political struggle and then appear distant when they themselves are facing the consequences of that struggle.

A leader must demonstrate that the lives, freedom and welfare of the people who stood with him matter just as much as his own political ambitions.

If I were Brian, therefore, I would ask myself a difficult question:

What matters most at this particular moment???

Is it my pursuit of the presidency, or the welfare of the people who believed in me and stood by me?

Brian has secured himself under some diplomatic safe heavens, but what about his supporters?

There is a time for political ambition, and there is a time for prudence.

I believe this is a moment for prudence.

That brings me to the second thing I would do if I were Brian Mundubile: I would begin figuring out how to become an effective leader of the opposition.

Receiving more than 1.8 million votes does not merely represent an electoral defeat. It can also represent the foundation of a formidable political movement. The question is what Brian chooses to build from it.

In my view, the trajectory he takes from here will determine whether this election becomes the beginning of his political ascent or the beginning of a prolonged confrontation that ultimately diminishes him.

An opposition leader must be present, strategic and disciplined. He must know when to confront, when to negotiate, when to mobilise and when to exercise restraint.

If Brian chooses confrontation for its own sake, he risks living in exile or end up in jail because the allegations against him and his supporters are very serious.

If, however, he chooses strategic and principled opposition, he could transform the support he received into something much bigger.

Sometimes political maturity is demonstrated not by how fiercely one fights (trust me I learnt my lessons on that one), but by what one builds in positive engagement.

If I were Brian Mundubile, what I would have been doing:

I would thank the people.

I would stand with those who stood with me.

I would protect and consolidate the political support entrusted to me.

And then I would begin the difficult work of proving to Zambia that those 1,856,217 votes were not the end of the story, but perhaps the beginning of one.

I will return to these issues in greater detail. I am also hoping to secure some airtime on radio or television where I can discuss them more extensively.

I will keep you updated.

TAYALI THE POLITICAL ENGINEER!!!