Unlike Mwanawasa and Sata, HH Has Used A Draconian Political Tactic to Gain Numbers Inside Parliament.
MBS 17.05.2025
The first Republican President to have needed some support from opposition MPs was Levy Patrick Mwanawasa-LPM State Counsel (MHSREIP). In 2001 he won elections by a thread with incumbent MMD MP seats highly diluted by the UPND, FDD, Heritage, UNIP & PF.
LPM needed a survival strategy otherwise risked impeachment from a united opposition MPs. He had to lure some of the opposition MPs to his side or had to reduce their numbers by crook, force or otherwise. He opted for the softer and smarter options by offering ministerial positions to some opposition MPs in particular from the Heritage and FDD. He reigned peacefully through to the next election in 2006 which he won again.
Came Michael Chilufya Sata-MCS and the PF in 2011. It was a slightly hang parliament aswell with MPs shared amongst PF, the UPND and losing party MMD. Sata too needed to reduce opposition MPs numbers who were not on his side or risked an impeachment aswell. He too went for the softer approach and attracted MMD MPs to pledge allegiance to him.
I happen to have been involved in the exercise of recruiting MMD MPs to accept Sata’s appointments as deputy Ministers. Hon Given Lubinda led the process together with Davies Mwila. We sneaked into Statehouse the likes of Keith Mukata, Folly Tembo, Charles Banda etc to meet Sata. Next they were sworn in as deputy Minister and Sata got the threshold of MPs majority he needed in parliament. Take note that he did not go for drastic measures to acquire the numbers he needed.
Then came President Hakainde Hichilema-HH of the UPND in 2021. He had simple majority of MPs in parliament under his UPND but not enough to make 2/3 majority required to amend the Constitution. From simple majority he can pass about any bill and that’s why even the rogue cyber laws went through virtually unopposed, by vote that is as they have always had numbers for 51% simple majority required to pass a bill.
From onset however HH seemed to have had the desire to change the constitution and that needed support from both independent MPs and the Opposition. Rightly so he opted to deal with the Independent MPs who were highest ever in number at about 15 MP from previous sessions of 1 or 2. They were however all ECL and PF aligned Independent MPs due to mishaps at adoption stage and also some suicidal strategy adopted by the PF top level at the time to fund both actual adopted MPs and those not adopted but opted to stand Independents.
They argued the approach it was going to maximize the presidential votes. It however backfired badly as most Independents won away from the PF boat symbol and their supporters also mostly voted away from the Presidential vote symbol of ECL. They gave him a rebel vote for not having adopted their preferred candidates.
So Independents after winning tell of a story on how they were lured to Community House secretly soon after HH was sworn in. They were excited that he would offer them either ministerial positions as LPM or MCS did or atleast just something to get them to support him. Incidentally political support at that level does not come for a song but HH thought and still thinks it does. He neither offered them ministerial job or anything but a long speech about himself and what his vision was.
Consequently and with years passing most Independent MPs realigned themselves back to their original home PF and to ECL who they publicly acknowledged as their Father.
Unlike his predecessors, HH then evoked a strategy to force by-elections on Independent and opposition PF seats by any means necessary. Most if not all opposition PF and independent MPs seats that were petitioned by UPND losing candidates were won by incumbents both at High Court and Apeals level.
After failing to take the opposition and Independent seats via petitions, the next step HH took was to use the Police to arrest and slap political charges on on various non UPND MPs. Charges mostly through words spoken politically or otherwise and equally made by some UPND MPs but do not get arrested.
Within the last 2 years and as HH looks determined to change the Zambian constitution to favour his stay in power in next year’s general elections, atleast 6 MPs have been convicted by the state prosecutors and by-elections created. Name them; Bowman Lusambo, Joseph Malanji, Nixon Chilangwa, Ronald Chitotela, JJ Banda to now Munir Zulu and Maureen Mabonga.
Unlike LPM and MCS, HH has instead opted to use a sledge hammer to get MP numbers to his side. In short he has opted for a brutal approach and in the process made families lose their parents languishing in prison all just so he gains numbers inside Parliament.
Unprecedented and un Zambian is what HH has done. History will judge him harshly and more so that he may not even get the 2/3 majority he wants to change the constitution. Watch the space closely.
Miles Bwalya Sampa, MP
Leader of Opposition
1. Mwanawasa
2. KK
3. Sata
4. Rupiah
5. Chiluba
6. ECL
7. Hakainde
Reject tribalism, corruption and oppression.
God bless Why Me and Captain Ibrahim Traore.
VOTE FOR CHANGE IN 2026.
Toure whose utterance and claims have not been proved? Whose critics have disappeared or sent to fight Islamic insurgents?
Indigo see a health care professional. You rely too much on misinformation to form an opinion.
I miss Ruth Mbandu. She died a painful death.
You’re a lost cause and the best you can do is stay out of your dirty politics. There was a time when people to be curious to hear statements or articles from you. You personally pissed or that credibility without any interference either internally or externally.
Mr Sampa Sir, the imprisonments are self action driven.The law doesn’t sleep.And who ever came with a plan to create an illusion that would make the government appear to be intolerant and un democratic by encouraging some members of Parliament to break laws with impunity is poor in mathematics and bad politician.He could be likened to the one who planned gassing.Thinking is very critical in politics.Some one could break the law deliberately, several times and appearing in more than two courts with intent to create an image of being targeted.Here you are now trying to create some falsehoods that the imprisonments have happened because of political ambitions of wanting to gain numbers and political relevance or monopoly.Let us be factual sir.The Cyber law has its own history from PF.We listened to it’s debates in Parliament up to time of thanks to members for accepting it.The blame you are creating and comparisons are misguided sir.And I personally fail to understand your prediction that the constitution amendments will fail when the suggested clauses to be amended make a lot of sense.
The current predicament of the opposition political parties, particularly the PF, stems from their arrogance, greed for power, and hypocrisy. The PF has undermined itself through internal conflicts and a lack of understanding of democratic principles. Miles Sampa appears to be a confused individual, uncertain of his role within the opposition.
It is naive to think all should behave the same way…how?
If not even 100% identical twins can’t do that how then do you expect FTJ be like KK?
Everyone has his/her own approach to issues so don’t compare.
Mr. Sampa yoi are a hypocrite. You held a convention and when challenged you went to the courts. Why? Its the SAME courts that convicted all those that are now in Prison. They are in Prison because the courts given the facts comitted a crime. What is Draconian about that? What is draconian about “due process?”
Is it HH that convicted them? Its the same courts that ruled in your favour that today you call Draconian.
Bwana you are an MP. You and part of a body that creates and Amends laws. Are those laws a joke? Why then come here an denegrate the very laws that you or your peers created?
What is good for the goose, should be good for the gander. Chima wama gulu ku luma mbuzi, but Mbuzi kuluma galu; chayapa?
Criminals are criminals cause they have transgress the law. Its only when you break the law, that its transgression is applied on you.
Being a leader demands you; by example unhold the law. The law is not made for minions. What you do in Parliament is not an academic exercise. Have respect for who you are and what you do.