By Pamela Bwembya
MANIPULATING ELECTIONS in ZAMBIA
When two people have 21 items to share, grabbing one item from one of them and giving it to the other more than doubles the difference between them.
If in 2016, UPND strongholds had 10 voters and PF strongholds had 11 voters , reducing UPND’s number by 1 leaves them with 9 and increasing PF’s number by 1 gives PF 12 voters. The difference moves from 1 to 3.
Chances of physically storming polling stations to manipulate ballots will be slim in the next elections so a built-in reduction in UPND votes is required for a repeated result, assuming voters will again vote like they did in 2016.
I am of the view that the observed 100,878 reduction in voters in UPND strongholds is meant to counter ballot manipulation that created the approximately 100,000 difference in favor of ECL.
Such an approach is obviously flawed, and that necessitates a physical increase of registered voters in perceived PF strongholds. This is how the skewed NRC issuance and voter registration came in handy.
While UPND areas recorded a 100,878 reduction in registered voters, PF strongholds posted a 268,032 increase. This widens the gap between the two major parties to 368,910.
This is precisely what ECZ decided to do during the voter registration exercise. The observed belief in a straight PF victory in PF circles is based on the fact that the voter register has been manipulated to widen the gap between UPND areas and PF areas in favor of PF.
What are not factored in are the votes that will go to Kalaba’s DP, M’membe’s SPZ, Kaunda’s UNIP, Mutati’s MDC, Mumba’s MMD, Nawakwi’s FDD, Chishala’s HP, Nyirenda’s NAREP, BANDA’s PAC, Chanda’s UPPZ, Chishimba’s UPP, and if NDC survives Kambwili’s NDC. The fact is that the majority of citizens are not happy with how Edgar Lungu’s PF has made us poorer and taken away most of our liberties.
Looking at the names of the leaders of the parties in the above list bares one fact; THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN REGIONS OF ZAMBIA have an insatiable appetite to rule our country. Zambians must rise above tribal politics and rally behind proven consistent leadership. The 2011 UPND-PF alliance failed because UPND insisted on putting policies above positions. The UPND-NDC alliance is also threatened by insistence on a name and positions and not policies or ideologies.
I challenge readers to tell the nations how UPND policies have changed over the years.
PF has given power to bodybuilders in line with its “PAMAKA” slogan and clenched fist symbol. How strong or physically intimidating one is has become the yardstick for determining which youths should receive which contracts and which ones should control public markets and bus stations. National resources have become the preserve of violent gun-totting youths who are untouchable even when they are responsible for the deaths of more than 50 citizens.
We can put a stop to this by allowing fellow citizens who value hard work, education, and integrity to take up leadership positions in our beautiful country. HH and those alliance partner leaders are walking “freely” among us (though at times restricted by the Public Order Act and presidential prerogatives) because the state has failed to find prosecutable cases that would dent their integrity and put them away. If any among them have been successfully prosecuted it should be because such persons are not fit to lead this country.
ECZ has tried its best to determine who rules us forever, but WE THE PEOPLE of ZAMBIA can and must make the difference, because we have the right to make our lives better again.
1. We have been paying all sorts of taxes
2. Huge sums have been borrowed in our name
3. The state has failed to settle even interest on our debts
4. The number of unemployed but trained citizens is increasing
5. The cost of living is increasing at a frightening rate
6. The roads that were built with borrowed money now require repairs
7. Beautiful hospitals and clinics have no drugs
8. Ministries are underfunded
9. Government is more concerned about watching us and listening to our conversations for strange reasons
10. Our institutions of governance are being paid for nothing
…YET members of the executive and their supporters are getting richer. Don’t we really know where our money has been going?
WE JUST HAVE TO DO THE RIGHT THING
PB…always in national interest 🇿🇲