To start with, I wish to commend the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) for holding the much-anticipated press briefing.
Although the briefing was disappointing, considering a number of talking points that have left a bitter test in many Zambians’ mouths, the ECZ is commended for giving us an update on measures taken to prepare for the 2021 tripartite elections.
I am perplexed that the Patriotic Front (PF) government and ECZ could plan to begin voter registration and verification on 18th October 2020 – nine months before the general election. This is a ridiculous and careless decision aimed at preventing many first voters.
This probably is a deliberate ploy to disfranchise young Zambians; the youth who have been wounded by the PF government’s failure to create jobs and business opportunities. Many youths who have been disoriented by PF government’s grand corrupt activities that have decimated the growth of the economy may be prevented from registering as voters; this may affect the opposition parties’ tally of votes.
The ECZ and the PF government should not insult our intelligence. How could a serious government and Commission plan to come up with a register of 9 million voters in 30 days? How many people, cameras and other equipment will the ECZ deploy to register 9 million voters? Even if the ECZ extended the voter registration for another one month, it will not reach the targeted number. In a normal situation, the targeted 9 million voters could be reached in not less than three months (90 days).
I also want to believe that ECZ is not colluding with PF to manage the electoral process to deliver the PF desired results. The chief electoral officer at ECZ seems to be a troubled man; he seems not to have the support he needs from the PF government to run such a strategic institution. When I watched the press briefing, Mr Patrick Nshindano looked troubled. He just failed short of telling us that the PF government has not funded the Commission. He diplomatically told us that the PF government has not been supportive of ECZ. Mr Nshindana was not even sure when the government will fund ECZ so that he commences voter registration. This is the reason why he was not sure whether ECZ will commence voter registration and verification on 18th October.
I have a problem with the PF government because it does not know how to set priorities for this country. Further, the PF government has been careless in the manner it has been managing the treasury; the treasury is directed to fund useless ventures such as induced local government by-elections. A normal government would have priortised voter registration and verification. Resources would have been directed to such a nobble cause, not on testing the PF’s popularity through induced local government by-elections in villages where the party can buy the whole village using stolen public money.
It is baffling that the PF is buying the impoverished and semi-illiterate councillors from the United Party for National Development (UPND) strongholds and force local government by-elections as a way to test its popularity. As I write this article, the ECZ is scheduled to hold 11 local government by-elections which are all induced by the PF government. How much money is the country wasting on these useless by-elections?
For once, the PF government should be serious and show leadership on important national issues. The PF government should stop this wastage of money on local government by-elections and give the ECZ the money it needs to commence voter registration earlier than the proposed October date. If the PF is popular, it should allow the ECZ to register many potential voters. Its popularity will be tested in 2021.
I wish also to take this opportunity to remind the ECZ and Mr Nshindano that their allegiance is to the Zambian people, and not to the PF. In this regard, the ECZ should learn to listen to Zambians and other stakeholders in the electoral process. There is no way, the ECZ could rush to announce that come 2021, the prisoners will vote in the poll. I thought the ECZ would have first agreed with stakeholders on the modalities of allowing our brothers and sisters in prison to vote. Hopefully, the move to allow prisoners to vote is not motivated by the PF’s desire to retain power in 2021. The PF is becoming more desperate as we move towards the 2021 elections. It will be naive for the PF to think that prisoners will vote for them considering how prisoners are dehumanised and mismanaged in Zambia.
As I conclude, I wish to appeal to the PF government to fund the ECZ so that voter registration and verification could commence as soon as possible. I wish also to appeal to the donor community to come in and help fund voter registration so that Zambia could have a smooth and fair 2021 poll.
The author is a lecturer at the University of Zambia, department of Library and Information Science. Send comment to: tuesdaybwalya1@gmasil.com