🇿🇲 EDITOR’S NOTE | Opposition Must Start Selling Solutions
Citizens First president Harry Kalaba has every right to challenge the UPND government’s record. Opposition politics exists for precisely that purpose. Governments must be scrutinised, questioned and held accountable. Yet every election reaches a moment when criticism alone stops being sufficient. Zambia’s 2026 election appears to be approaching that moment.
Speaking on the Mind Your Business podcast, Kalaba argued that government cannot continue pointing to free education as its signature achievement while expecting citizens to ignore years of load shedding and broader economic difficulties. He further promised that if elected, he would establish a Commission of Inquiry to investigate what caused Zambia’s worst electricity crisis in recent history.
His remarks sparked immediate debate online. Not because citizens dispute the impact of load shedding. Few issues have touched households and businesses more directly. Families endured long hours without electricity. Small businesses struggled to survive. Students studied under difficult conditions. Manufacturers absorbed losses. The frustrations remain real.
What stood out in the public reaction was a different question. Many citizens were less interested in hearing what went wrong and more interested in hearing what would be done differently. A Commission of Inquiry may establish responsibility, produce findings and generate recommendations. It does not, however, add a single megawatt to the national grid. It does not build a power station. It does not finance transmission infrastructure. It does not solve tomorrow’s energy demand.
This is where much of the opposition’s messaging appears vulnerable. The focus remains heavily concentrated on identifying government failures while offering limited detail on alternative policies. Citizens already know the country’s problems. They live with them every day. What many voters appear to be seeking now is a credible explanation of how competing candidates would govern differently.
The challenge becomes even greater because the UPND is no longer asking voters to trust promises alone. It is running on a record. Citizens will judge that record differently depending on their experiences and expectations. Some promises remain unfinished. Some sectors continue to struggle. Yet several commitments have moved beyond campaign rhetoric. Free education is now law. Debt restructuring was completed after years of uncertainty. Foreign exchange reserves have risen sharply. The Community Development Fund expanded significantly. Tens of thousands of teachers and health workers have been recruited into public service.
None of this means government should escape criticism. It means opposition parties must now do more than point at shortcomings. They must present an alternative capable of convincing voters that a different administration would perform better.
If free education is inadequate, what replaces it? If the energy response has failed, what specific measures would prevent future shortages? If the economy remains weak, what policies would drive growth? How would jobs be created? How would public debt be managed? How would social programmes be funded while maintaining fiscal discipline? These are the questions of government, not opposition.
Every election is ultimately a comparison. Voters do not choose between perfection and failure. They choose between available alternatives. Citizens evaluating Harry Kalaba, Brian Mundubile, Fred M’membe and other contenders are increasingly asking a simple question: what exactly is your plan?
The burden now shifts. Government must continue defending its record. Opposition leaders must explain their alternatives. The side that answers those questions most convincingly may determine the direction of the country after August 13.
Criticism can win attention. A manifesto wins confidence. There is a difference.
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