Is UPND dead scared of UKA?

THE MAST COMMENT

Is UPND dead scared of UKA?

When some opposition parties announced formation of the United Kwacha Alliance, the new dawn government swiftly reacted belittling it but declared that they will not stand in the way of its registration. One month and counting, UKA is facing a brick wall. The new dawn administration is putting every spanner and all manner of excuses to delay the alliance’s registration. They want to render the UKA a stillbirth. And this is a government that calls itself democratic and governing by the rule of law. But we remind the UPND that rule of law is the foundation for all our basic rights. We all clearly recall where we are coming from. When the PF decided to hijack the rule of law, voters showed them the exit door. While this administration can abuse state institutions to stifle citizen’s rights including keeping opposition political parties immobile, the power they wield today is transient.

RJ Intindola said, “If you love freedom, then you are going to have to pay for it. Not only by paying taxes but by making the commitment to live by the principles that are essential for freedom to survive. That includes respecting the rule of law and if you have set that aside for political reasons, then you are a threat to our democracy and our freedoms.”

Today, PF member and lawyer Makebi Zulu says come rain come sunshine eventually the government will have to bow to the wishes of the people,

He says fighting UKA will mean fighting Zambians.

“They (Zambians) are the ones that have called for the checks and balances in this country. They are the ones that do not want to see a fragmented opposition. They want an opposition that speaks with one voice, because they realise that when you speak with one voice, government is almost on their toes to do the right thing. The moment government divides the opposition, then they are free, they think they are free to do whatever they want to do. But so far government having failed to do whatever they want to do, they know that this force that is coming, this UKA that is coming, they have got nothing to say against it,” said Zulu. “The only thing the government can try to do is stop it from registering. But they can’t stop it, they can only delay it. That is the comfort that I can give the Zambians out there. I would really love to delve into issues relating to UKA presently because its another story that shows how undemocratic our country is becoming. It’s an annoying subject. Whereas UKA is welcomed by each and every Zambian that was looking forward to an alternative voice, each and every Zambian that was looking forward to the opposition coming together, we have seen machinations by the government to stop the registration of UKA. Now, I am going to give you this example, Miles Sampa holds a supposed conference on the 24th of October, a public holiday. His conference finishes at about 21. The police, IG, are in the office waiting for Miles Sampa and his people to go and have their fingers uplifted and they clear them before midnight, on a public holiday. UKA goes to the police for clearance, and it has taken over a month. So, who is fooling who in all this? So, you can see that the rule of law as it were or indeed the interference of the executive in trying to ensure the opposition does not thrive. In trying to ensure that dissenting voices are not heard…”

Indeed, UPND is shooting itself in the foot in matters of democracy. When Hakainde Hichilema’s UPND teamed up with Edith Nawakwi’s FDD and Tilyenji Kaunda’s UNIP in the 2006 elections, then president Levy Mwanawasa did not stand in their way. They called that alliance United Democratic Alliance (UDA). And this UDA was later registered with the Registrar of Societies and became the umbrella body for these three political parties. And their presidential candidate was Hakainde himself. The Electoral Commission of Zambia also recognised UDA as a sponsoring organisation for a presidential candidate in Hakainde. Why is Hakainde’s government today not allowing the same liberty to UKA members to have the oragnisation registered? If, indeed, UKA is not a threat to the UPND, why are they using every trick in the book to delay registration of this organisation? They have held on to their project of demolishing PF using Miles Sampa, but it seems UKA has detracted them. They seem to have realised that they can have PF in their hands but UKA is in fact more viable than Miles’ PF. This is politics. When you do mingalato, you definitely don’t expect others to sit back and watch you. They are bound to react. And true to Makebi’s words, UKA has got supporters who are watching Hakainde’s manouvres. And uit’s a fact that if elections were to be held today, UPNDF would lose terribly. This is because people have seen through UPND’s failures to deliver. UPND has made people’s lives more unbearable, hence the fear of allowing the opposition to mobilise. But the danger with this scenario is that it is annoying voters more than opposition parties. What UPND is doing to the opposition is exactly what PF did to them. It therefore means that the fate PF suffered in 2021 is the exactly the same fate UPND is likely to suffer in 2026. And for them it will be embarrassing because they will be a one term government. Anyway, since they are used to scoring a first, it will probably be a plus on their governance record. UPND is digging its own grave with this breeding of dictatorship. The earlier they stop, the better.