State House sets condition for HH-Tonse debate
… as ‘the boys’ are challenged to find a coherent message before demanding showdown with the President
By DAVID KANDUZA
STATE House has declared that President Hakainde Hichilema is ready to take up a televised political debate against the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance, on condition its leadership stops ‘shadowboxing’ and formulates a credible message.
State House chief communications specialist Clayson Hamasaka gave this condition following a challenge thrown by the opposition alliance who were fielding Brian Mundubile as its presidential candidate for the upcoming general election.
Responding to the challenge, Mr Hamasaka dismissed the alliance’s frontrunners, Mr Mundubile and his running mate Makebi Zulu, referring to them as ‘the boys’ who lack policy direction.
He argued that the duo had spent their campaign trail promising alternative solutions that the current administration were actively implementing across the country.
“President Hakainde Hichilema can take up the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance’s challenge to a televised debate on the condition that ‘the boys’ Brian and Makebi, put their act together and come up with a message,” Mr Hamasaka stated.
The tension escalated after Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance secretary general Celestine Mukandila publicly challenged the Head of State to a live, televised broadcast.
Mr Mukandila asserted that the opposition pact was fully prepared to expose the ruling UPND Government’s alleged failures in front of national voters.
However, State House had brushed off the challenge as a premature publicity stunt.
Adding weight to the Government’s pushback, the special assistant to the President for Policy Compliance, Joseph Lungu, stepped into the fray to buffer the Head of State from what the administration regarded as a sub-par debate.
Mr Lungu dared the opposition leaders to upgrade their political engagement, stating that if the two Mr Mundubile and Mr Zulu were genuinely interested in a rigorous analysis of national policy, they should look for him instead of demanding the President’s presence.
“If the duo want to debate policy, they can do so with me,” Mr Lungu countered.
This political sparring comes as the Tonse Pamodzi Alliance—a coalition of multiple opposition parties—seeks to consolidate its support base behind Mr Mundubile and Mr Zulu under the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) banner ahead of the August polls.
With State House throwing the ball back into the opposition’s court, the public awaits to see if the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance would refine its platform to meet the presidency’s conditions or if the highly anticipated debate would stall out in a war of words.
Infact ,it will be a very big ,insult,of highest degree, to have President HH,to be paraded for a television debate, with Mundubile ,who in my view ,and the views of the many ,wise & intelligent zambians ,can simply be discribed , as both, a Political & Economic NINCOMPOOP,
HH, has met & addressed,World, Royalties ,Presidents and Global business Moguls
Whose ,Shoes Mundubile, cannot touch,
Please, spare us this, agony
Infact ,Mundubile is only Worth debating with , our Provincial Chairman, MWALITETA,,
And Mwaliteta ,will win the debate,
So, State House, please, Stop,wasting time ,answering even entertaining ,those pushing this debate,idea,
Its not worth your Attention
Exactly
Mundubile is almost the same as that Zulu man in South Africa who says can pay each citizen R1 million Rand per year while they are just seated at home. So it takes a fool to debate with such fools.
Senior Citizen you are so daft. You don’t seem to even understand the basic objective of a Presidential Debate. This debate is not about Mundubile or even HH. This debate is about the Zambian people saying HH if you want us to give you another 5 years tell us what you have done in the past 5 years. What you have failed to achieve and why because you are the incumbent . For Mundubile the Zambian people are saying what is it that you are offering us this time around especially that you were part of the previous PF government ? You are focussing on the wrong person. Secondly you cannot measure the success of a presidential candidates based on the podiums he has stood on and the status of people he has addressed . If it were so, Zambia would have been a developed country in the past 5 years of HH rule. Alas , it doesn’t work like that in politics and in life in general. That is totally wrong thinking and it is what brought us to where we are today. In 2021, HH stood and told the Zambian people that am so well connected that I get sworn in in the morning in the afternoon the Kwacha appreciates . I will reduce the price of mealie meal to K50 , I will reduce the price of fertilizer to K250 I will reduce the price of fuel to K12, I will stop loadshedding and in my government there will be no borrowing. The question Zambians have for the incumbent is what happened to the promises of 2021? If they were fulfilled , great mr President you deserve a second term. If they were not fulfilled , why Mr President how can we trust you with airports in all the provinces when you failed to deliver on the above this time around ? Those are the questions Zambians want answers for, otherwise Zambians will think HH is too scared to answer for the promises he made and he wants to cover that up by dismissing Mundubile that he has no message. It’s not HH to judge the message Mundubile is carrying for the Zambian people just as it is not for Mundubile to judge the message HH is carrying for the Zambian people . The Zambian people themselves who hold the real power will judge for themselves. Tell your president to be bold enough and show leadership by accepting this debate and tell the Zambian people what he has take us through in the past 5 years and his vision for the next 5 years . Shunning Mundubile’s debate request is just going to make things worse. I humbly submit.
In my view, it is not about HH nor Mundubile, Presidential Debates should be allowed just like Campaign Rallies. My preference for Presidential Debates is that I am able to discern the IQ and the Emotional Intelligence of the Candidates when put under pressure in a Presidential Debate. These are marks of a good Leader. Campaign Rallies merely appeal to the Gullible and prone to “Mob Psychology”, very ineffective. In developed democracies, there are less Public Campaign Rallies than Presidential Debates, and Pubic Campaigns are more Door to Door, orderly and less noisy.
@Simpo Sitali – You are spot on . Hats off to you