IS NAKACINDA A THREAT TO HH? IS SEEMS SO
The Candidates’ Comment
Is Raphael Nakacinda is becoming a deadly thorn in the eyes of Hakainde Hichilema – politically? A close analysis of events point out that, in Nakacinda, President Hichilema is seeing a political problem that needs to be addressed.
A myriad of foolish charges that Nakacinda is currently facing at the hands of the State are so illustrative. Hakainde knows that Nakacinda has the necessary character and mentality to tame UPND and reduce them from what they think they are.
It is perhaps why the former ruling party, the Patriotic Front (PF) has planted Nakacinda as their mouthpiece to verbalize topical issues affecting the people. He is quiet articulate and emerges as a vivacious orator who seem to be well versed with affairs at any time.
Anyone who has lived long enough to witness Zambia’s political chronicles since 90s will agree that, even the arrests on various charges that Nakacinda is subjected to by Hakainde’s administration, are part of the necessary ingredients needed for Nakacinda to walk in the big shoes that some have walked into before reaching their political apex.
This is not to brandish some political Public Relations for Nakacinda but to illustrate his political posture.
Zambia lacks vibrant and radical political figures. Traces of such traits are beginning to show in people like Nakacinda. His political moves seem to be embedded in climbing the ladder using potency of his own making.
But Nakacinda faces an anthill. No matter how he may seem good at what he is doing, he cannot be the only reason why PF will once again become relevant. Nakacinda is surrounded by elements that are adding little or nothing to his party. And when we look at PF, we contend – and we know we are not the only ones who think so – that, Nakacinda is wrongly placed in PF.
Here is the problem of why he is heading nowhere if nothing is changed about his party.
His club, the Patriotic Front is currently detested for its sins by the people. Whether one likes it or not, the PF is still a rejected party and the approval ratings for Hakainde and UPND are still high, regardless of any hurdles they may face in discharging their mandate.
Although the PF are preaching about rebranding, very few is coming out of that process. The PF Secretariat is absolutely dead just like their structures. Their members are lost just like their followers and sympathizers. Although the party has functional temporal leaders in various positions, the biggest miscalculation about all this has been failure by the PF to diagnose their problems correctly. They are sharing positions but their institution is weak and this is the correct problem. Those positions cannot be strengthened with a weak institution. A party must organize its Secretariat first, which in this regard, is the key pillar of any political institution.
The PF Secretariat has failed to re-organize itself. The mere changing of a Secretary General, from Davis Mwila to Nickson Chilangwa has conveyed no difference or improvements. Chilangwa is totally in confusion and knows not what to do. In fact, Davis Mwila was better off than the current SG.
From the look of things, the Secretariat is so engrossed in dishing out positions. It seems occupying positions is their prime focus than anything else. But if PF is going to tick once again, it has to revive its Secretariat in haste. The biggest part of this revival must be getting the old folks behind the scenes and fronting the new political heavyweights on the front. People are damn tired of the same faces for crying out loud.
At the moment, there is yet to be a personality in political circles overall, in the eyes of a millennial, who can defeat Hichilema, who, without doubt, has altered the political environment and raised the bar to suit his advantages.
If PF can front more people like Nakacinda, and put behind the scenes people like Given Lubinda and all these old politicians, then, they have a chance to play competitively in the field Hakainde has created to suit himself.