By Jonas Shakafuswa.
Lusaka – 8th December, 2020.
I personally have no objection to President Edgar Changwa Lungu standing for a third time. If he feels he is the best candidate for PF and a capable manager for Zambia, then let him allow the people to decide. ECL heads the executive branch of government today which is responsible for law and order in the country.

He is also the head of all government departments under different ministries charged with responsibility of providing services and welfare to all the Zambians. He has the Constitution as a guideline for his rule. The Constitution guides that we are One Zambia One Nation, a Christian Nation. We are a unitary state with 73 tribes united under one tribe, Zambia. The test of the 2021 won’t be necessarily infrastructure development or debt default.

It will be how he has upheld the values enshrined in the Constitution. How has he related to the Constitution giving the people a multiparty state? Has he respected the right of the people to belong to political parties of their choice? Has he allowed parties to operate and associate freely? Have the people been subjected to the rule of law? How has he featured on the application of the law against people’s rights and freedom. How have the people benefitted from the vast natural resources the country is endowed with?

These are the questions his Ministers will avoid in Cabinet but we boldly pursued in our era. How has he related in balancing of the distribution of wealth to all regions? How has been the balance of appointments in government positions in relation to One Zambia One Nation? How has he managed violent thuggery behaviour of cadres?

For me, a confident ECL should level the playing field to make his candidacy plausible. Let him send Kampyongo to go back and issue NRCs to areas in need. Let him ask ECZ to capture all potential voters. There should be no cry of lack of resources as we have seen senior government officials giving very huge handouts. How can leaders have more money than the state and its people?

All these questions are for the campaign. For me, I wish my brother good health and God’s guidance as he prepares to convince and not bully the people of Zambia to his further 5 years of what we have experienced of his 6 years of rule.Is post 2021 going to be different?

Let us not hide our inefficiency and lack of leadership and sheer failure to campaign based on tribe. Tribe should have no basis in this campaign. Political failures are trying to use fear and hate & tribal rhetoric to get sympathy from their tribes. How does this divisive political rhetoric relate to One Zambia One Nation?

This is far from what I expect from an objective 2021 people oriented campaign that is deliberately pushing power to the people to choose the leader of their choice.
About The Author: Mr. Shakafuswa is a former Katuba MP. He was the Deputy Minister of Finance and National Planning. He believes in the dream of a better united Zambia for all living as One Zambia one Nation.

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