The ever-Shifting Political Ground of Zambia
…navigating the slippery slop of politics ahead of August 13
Amb. Anthony Mukwita-Sunday Reflections
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11 Jan 26.
For the life of me, I am increasingly failing to read Zambian politics nowadays.
Both opposition and ruling party politics are steeped in a labyrinth, a maze so dense that even seasoned analyst’s stumble in trying to make head tail of it.
The adage whispers: keep your enemies close and your friends even closer.
The Daily Nation Zambia
Yet in our current political theatre, divisions have become a zero sum game, no one wins, democracy itself bleeds.
I personally have no dog in this fight except democracy, the fragile heartbeat of our republic or what’s left of it.
Take, for instance, the drama of the past few days within the opposition Tonse Alliance and the ‘Patriotic Front’.
Scene one: Brian Mundubile, a leading presidential aspirant with root hairs deep in the PF, steps out of the ‘Conclave’—a body created to select a presidential pick—citing dark machinations against his ambitions.
Instead of diplomacy, instead of dialogue, the Conclave unsheathed the knife. Within hours, Mundubile was suspended, and before the ink could dry, he was ordered to exculpate himself within seven days or face obliteration.
As a diplomat and author, I saw no diplomacy there, only the cold steel of exclusion and spite.
Zambia watched. Citizens yearning for change asked: How shall we vote, and for whom, if the opposition is fractured beyond repair?
Another voice murmured: Fred M’membe, Kelvin Fube Bwalya, Harry Kalaba, these men have shown less drama in their camps.
Could there be a chance there? Yes, perhaps. But as they stand alone, their performance against an incumbent president, H.E Hakainde Hichilema, may be an uphill battle.
Don’t get me wrong battles are good if they are for a greater democratic good.
WHERE IS THE HOPE?
The best hope, in the interest of balance of power and strengthening democracy, is unity, a single front against incumbency.
History teaches us. In Senegal, a united opposition coalition in 2012 propelled Macky Sall to victory against Abdoulaye Wade.
In Malawi, an alliance once united to unseat Peter Mutharika in 2020, proving that solidarity can birth change. I think that’s what Edgar Lungu had in mind.
Conversely, in Zimbabwe, the divided opposition after Morgan Tsvangirai’s death left ZANU PF entrenched, the incumbency fortified by disunity.
These lessons are not abstract, they are urgent warnings for Zambia today.
Democracy flourished under H.E Edgar Lungu because there was a strong opposition in the name of UPND.
Can democracy flourish now with an opposition splintered into shards? How long can Zambian voters tolerate squabbling, six months, one year? There are only seven months left.
Meanwhile, the ruling UPND stands on the hilltop, sipping chibwantu, laughing at the ‘beauty contests’ unfolding in the opposition camps, praying they continue until poll day.
My appeal as a scholar of politics and international relations is simple: if we want to strengthen democracy, leaders must provide a strong platform for checks and balances.
In the absence of a robust opposition, the first to die are the courts, parliament, judiciary, and then the ordinary weak person.
I appeal to Hon. Mundubile, Dr. M’membe, Kalaba, Makebi Zulu, KBF, Rev. Dan Pule, Sakwiba Sikota, Chishala Kateka, Given Lubinda etc., seize the moment, make democracy work.
They are too many to name here.
The economy groans under the weight of high fuel prices, relentless load shedding, and soaring mealie meal costs.
Change does not mean hatred of the ruling party; it simply means citizens want to try something new in the name of democracy.
That is not a crime. As Michael Sata once said in Bemba, ‘umulembwe wachipuba wapwile mulitumfwe’—the exotic dish of a fool is finished before it is even served.
Time is up. Unity is not a luxury; it is oxygen for democracy. Without it, Zambia risks suffocation.
En fin de compte, la démocratie n’est pas un luxe, mais une nécessité vitale.
Amb. AM 11.01.26, Author & International Relations Analyst.