By Sunday Chilufya Chanda
5th July 2021.
Many observers wonder, ‘why’, we – in the Patriotic Front (PF) care so much about how politics are practiced by different political players, and why we are concerned with what ultimately becomes of the condition of our politics in Zambia.
To answer this question, some of these commentators have offered simplistic answers by suggesting that, “PF is concerned about how politics are practiced by other political parties, such as the UPND, only because it wants to retain power through “politicking”. Nothing could of course be further from the truth!
Similarly, other spiteful pundits have endeavored to give currency to the malicious assertion that, “the PF is a party in retreat, which wants to know the inner workings of other political parties out of fear, desperation, or self-preservation”. Every objective observer and responsible member of society should know that this assertion is false, as evidenced by past and recent electoral victories recorded by the PF – both in PF strongholds and what was previously considered as opposition party strongholds.
Having established this, let it be made clear to all that the PF is NOT interested in how politics are being practiced by the opposition, including UPND, MMD, etc., merely to survive or retain power. No. That is too narrow an objective to pursue by a party that is sold out to the people, and whose over-arching purpose is to bring about significant improvements in the welfare of every Zambian citizen.
Within the bigger scheme of things, the PF is interested in the condition of our politics out of a genuine belief that our politics could be better and should be better – for the sake of all Zambians. Sadly, politics as practiced by some opposition parties and some other political players is far from ideal; they take politics as a “game of tricks”, to manipulate the innocent citizen based on tribe and region. The United Party for National Development (UPND) is by design rather than by accident fixated on making innocent Zambian citizens to see everything in terms of tribe or region. This is typically the (UPND) modus operandi, and it is as polarising as it is ignominious and reprehensible.
The unsavory regional kind of politics practiced by the UPND and the unwholesome type of politics being practiced by their alliance partners leave a bitter taste on the collective national palate. Zambian Politics and the Zambian citizen cannot be forced or goaded into developing an appetite for such kind of deception that feasts on a menu of regional and tribal staple garnished with duplicity and alarmist propaganda.
For these belligerent politicians, manipulating patriotic Zambians into becoming apathetic zonal bystanders and cynical spectators of a legitimate government, appears to be their overriding objective. In their treachery, they frown upon giving due obeisance to an elected administration just because it is not led by persons of particular tribal groupings or regions.
Their conduct and character are inimical to all aspects of our nationhood- including the vitality of democratic institutions, social cohesion, as well as peace stability. Ultimately, Zambia’s collective efforts to attain appreciable levels of human and economic development as espoused by Vision 2030 and AU Agenda 2063 are at peril of being compromised by their egocentricity.
After all is said and done, the way the opposition is currently practicing its politics is a threat to both our democracy and to national sustainable development efforts as well.
The politics of tribe and regionalism as practiced by the opposition UPND are, by design rather than default. The genus of their politics is the product of the seed of arrogance conceived in the womb of bitterness and malice, bringing forth shady characters who fall in a category the Scriptures describe: “whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame” .
A tragic summary of the UPND agenda, is their obsession with indoctrinating unsuspecting Zambians in certain areas ‘to see Zambia through tribal or regional eye glasses’. Fortunately, no amount of falsehood can overcome truth just like the darkness of a million nights cannot put out the light of a candle – no matter how small it may seem to be. Our fellow citizens that have been unwitting recipients of UPND mis-education in this regard, can receive a wholesome political education which emphasizes the importance of the entire country instead of regionalism; the common good instead of tribal interest, policies instead of cults of personality.
As established in the previous paragraphs, the way politics are practiced can positively or negatively impact Zambia’s democratic institutions and development aspirations. That cannot be over-emphasised; this is the reason why the PF is concerned with the way politics are practiced by the opposition UPND and other individuals, as they are a threat to the well-being of the Zambian citizen – for whom, ironically, they claim to fight. On the other hand, everything for the PF – its political thought and action – is people-centered.
As President Edgar Lungu has said on several occasions, “the people of Zambia are the bosses, who need to be served faithfully”. This political belief firmly held by His Excellency President Lungu is synonymous with “practicing politics as a noble activity”. Politics only becomes noble if it is genuinely focused to secure the best interests of the people, societal cohesion, culture, people’s welfare, a desired future, a beautiful country.
All these components are important for development. Just to take one of them, “societal cohesion”; the eminent economist and Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz rightly said: “When you have a highly divided society, it is hard to come together to make investments in the common good” – whether at community, regional or national level. It In turn, exacerbates poverty and underdevelopment, and stifles the flourishing of humanity. This then becomes both a consequence and a seed for deeper poverty, underdevelopment and poverty of politics (that is, politics of polarization, of tribe, of regionalism, of selfishness, of the belly, of manipulation).
The opposition’s deviant politics is precisely the reason the PF is against the way politics are understood and practiced by the UPND and the like. Their machinations never delivers sustainable development. PF’s “noble politics” of collectiveness and inclusiveness plays a pivotal role in delivering development.
Hence, the passion by the PF to promote the practice of politics of “country first, and country only!” this is the essence of true African nationalism, “embracing all the people within a state, regardless of whether they belong to the same cultural, linguistic or ethnic group”.
This true African Nationalism seeks the economic upliftment for the whole of its population. We know this to be true of all well-meaning Zambians and African nationalist leaders of yester year such as Kenneth Kaunda and Julius Nyerere, and President Edgar Chagwa Lungu in the present. This is in direct contrast with individualist political figures who divide countries on linguistic or tribal lines by focusing on segments of national population as per Mr. Hakainde Hichilema and his UPND.
It is also important to underscore the fact that, PF is interested in a worthy opposition because it cherishes and believes that “the battle of ideas” is in the best interest of the citizen and his/her development.
It is also true that, “iron sharpeneth iron”. Therefore, Government policy can be sharpened or made better by concrete policy alternatives from the opposition at large. But, alas, the current role understood (or rather, woefully misunderstood) by the opposition UPND is to “say no to everything done by the Government, without offering concrete policy alternatives”.
This kind of opposition politics are NOT noble politics.
Because, UPND’s politics are short-sighted and self-centered instead of Zambia-centered, their dishonesty and altogether retrogressive stance has been laid bare within the context of 21st century politics and development efforts.
As Pope Francis rightly put it:
“Politics is a noble activity. We should revalue it, practice it with vocation and a dedication that requires testimony”.
To put Pope Francis’ observation in context, the goal of the PF has been and will remain to significantly contribute to national development by taking “politics as a noble activity, to be practiced with vocation, and worthy of testimony”.
For the PF, the aforementioned pronouncements on “noble politics” are not just “pie in the sky” or ‘lip-service”. No. The PF, unlike the opposition UPND, will back up their words with positive action, and “walking the talk” as usual. Unlike the UPND, the PF does not and will never practice the UPND selfish motto: “Do as I Say. But, Do Not Do as I Do”.
In closing, there are two pertinent issues for the responsible member:
First, the opposition UPND has failed the “noble politics test”. It is an established fact that ‘the opposition UPND does not take politics as a noble activity, to be practiced with vocation, and worthy of testimony’. There is only one implication here: the moral, intellectual and political furniture of the opposition UPND needs to be rearranged.
Second, will the opposition UPND be magnanimous and noble enough – now and in future – to start treating ‘politics as a noble activity, practiced with vocation, and worthy of testimony’” – for the benefit of Zambia, and not a segment of Zambia?
_The Author is Patriotic Front Parliamentary Candidate for Kanchibiya Constituency in Muching