M’membe Speaks Clearly, But Fails to Connect Where Elections Are Won

🇿🇲 VIEWPOINT | M’membe Speaks Clearly, But Fails to Connect Where Elections Are Won

Fred M’membe appeared on Prime TV’s Oxygen of Democracy last night, and as expected, his critique of the UPND government was sharp, coherent, and ideologically consistent. His arguments were clearly structured, his convictions unmistakable, and his language confident. He framed four years of UPND rule as hollow rhetoric, worsening living conditions, and deepening inequality. On diagnosis, M’membe remains one of the most articulate opposition voices in the country.

But clarity of argument is not the same as electoral traction. That gap continues to define Fred M’membe’s politics.

On the programme, M’membe argued that Zambians cannot celebrate political slogans while poverty deepens. “Political praise cannot put food on the table,” he said, dismissing what he described as UPND self-congratulation. He called for a complete overhaul of the governance system, not just a change of leaders, stating, “Tekuchinjafye kateka nechipani, kuchinja imitekele.”

It was a familiar position, consistent with his long-held view that Zambia’s problems are structural rather than personal.

He went further, calling for an inclusive government that brings together politicians, clergy, business leaders, professionals, and civil society, arguing that politicians alone cannot solve Zambia’s problems. He closed with a hopeful message that difficult times are temporary and that 2026 presents an opportunity for change.

The problem is not what M’membe says. It is where his message lands.

Fred M’membe has no representation in Parliament. His party, the Socialist Party, has failed to convert repeated media visibility into measurable electoral influence. Despite contesting national elections, investing heavily in campaigns, and maintaining a constant presence in public debate, his support remains concentrated among urban elites, academics, and politically conscious professionals.

This audience listens. It does not decide elections.

Zambian elections are not won on television panels or ideological coherence alone. They are won in compounds, markets, churches, rural wards, and polling stations. M’membe’s communication excels at critique but struggles with mass mobilisation. He identifies failure but does not translate that failure into a simple, emotionally compelling alternative that resonates with the majority voter.

His ideological anchor is another constraint. M’membe openly aligns himself with socialist thought and often references Latin American experiences, including Venezuela, as ideological inspiration. Whatever the theoretical merits of socialism, Zambia’s political history has made voters deeply cautious of systems associated with economic control, scarcity, and centralised power. For many voters, socialism reads as abstract, foreign, and risky, not as a practical solution to daily survival.

There is also a contradiction in his positioning. M’membe speaks powerfully against elite capture and inequality, yet his political persona remains elite. His academic authority, corporate exposure, and intellectual framing create distance rather than intimacy with the very masses he claims to represent. He speaks about the poor fluently, but he does not speak like them, nor does he organise among them with sustained presence.

This is not a question of intelligence or sincerity. It is a question of political fit. Zambia’s current political moment rewards organisation, ground presence, coalition-building, and simple messaging.

M’membe’s strength is analysis, not machinery. He commands respect, not crowds. He influences conversation, not outcomes.

That is why his repeated calls for opposition unity ring hollow in practice. Unity requires leverage. Without parliamentary numbers, strong local structures, or a demonstrated voter base, his appeals rely more on moral authority than political weight.

Fred M’membe remains a valuable critic of government, and his voice adds depth to national debate. But until his politics moves beyond elite critique and into mass connection, he will remain what he has been for years: a consistent commentator on power, not a contender for it.

Within Zambian politics, elections are not won by being right. They are won by being felt.

© The People’s Brief | Ollus R. Ndomu