SOME MISTAKES THAT LED TO COLLAPSE OF PF BEGINNING TO EMERGE IN UPND, SAYS KABIMBA
Some of the mistakes and tendencies that led to the collapse of former ruling Patriotic Front (PF) are beginning to emerge in the ruling UPND, observes veteran politician Wynter Kabimba.
And in direct reference to growing push by the UPND and its surrogates to amend the constitution to allow President Hakainde Hichilema contest the 2031 general election, Kabimba has warned that leaders who have insisted on remaining in power for a long time have ended up badly.
Kabimba said removing term limits would be a bad idea, citing former president Frederick Chiluba was pushed to extend his stay in office to create a strong veil that allowed his corrupt practices to thrive.
Speaking on WMK Insights, Kabimba the former PF secretary general and minister of justice, says he is surprised that the UPND tha opposed the removal of the term limits when they suspected that Edgar Lungu wanted to change the constitution to extend his rule are turning around and want President Hichilema to rule beyond then mandatory two terms limit.
“History has taught us that the longer somebody stays in power, the more they become abusive of power. So, people that have insisted on remaining in power for a long time have ended up badly because of the temptation of power,” Kabimba said. “President HH is a human being of flesh and blood, and this debate should not be about HH. HH maybe a good man, the next man might be a Rascal, and we have seen this before. Can you imagine if they [bad leader] had continued in power, they would have run this country to the ground under the pretext that the Constitution says that ‘I can continue governing.’
Kabimba observes that as leaders push to remain in power for long, they get tempted to engage in corruption to sustain their hold on power.
“The limitation of the terms is intended to make sure that when we have a bad leader, we can remove that bad leader. What surprised me is this; it is the UPND today that were wholly against the removal of the term limits when they suspected that Edgar Lungu was about to do that and said this is bad who are turning around today saying ‘this is a good idea.’ Somebody was arguing that term limits are unconstitutional [and] that why have a term limit because if the people don’t want X as a leader, they can remove him in a ballot. Theoretically and academically that is correct but politics is not driven by theory,” he said
“Politics is driven by the desire for power; the desire to remain in power and at times, the desire to abuse power against the people that entrusted it to you. … I am surprised that what was a bad idea under ECL and UPND saw it as a bad idea is a good idea today because UPND is in power. I get surprised when politicians try to reason that way. What is bad for the country under one Administration, unless the factors fundamentally change, and we must address the fundamental changes of those factors, it must remain wrong. For the country, and not for an individual.”
Kabimba said the idea of trying to tie a term limit to an individual is wrong.
“If UPND does its job properly, if they can avoid the mistakes, the tendencies that led to the collapse of PF, some of which are beginning to emerge in UPND today; if they can avoid those, they can win the next election. Immediately you start tying power to an individual, then you’re headed for trouble; then you’re headed for calamity. Power should not be tied to an individual; power should be tied to institutions,” he said.
“Removing term limits would be a bad idea; I know it’s driven by, at times by the people… when they started it under Chiluba [push to extend Chiluba’s rule beyond mandatory two term limit;` Chiluba said let the people speak, my role is to listen. And yet we knew that he was the one driving it. He was just being a hypocrite. That he wanted power and at that stage, we had realized that he wanted power, not for this country but for himself because he had become so immense in corruption, abuse of state resources, and abuse of institutions. And thank God, the Zambians through the Oasis forum stopped him in his tracks. And the fears of the Chiluba era should be the fears today, not because HH is corrupt; but because we want to safeguard the democracy of this country.”
Kabimba explained that term limits are good because they prevent people getting drunk with power to the extent that they become dictators or they start making arbitrary decisions that may not be in the interest of the people.
“The longer one stays in power, the more they become abusive of power. The longer people stay in power, the longer they start serving the interests of their kith and kin, and family and friends,” said Kabimba. “People that have insisted on remaining in power for a long time have ended badly because of the temptation of power. And that’s why the adage that you hear that ‘power tends to corrupt and absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely.”