UPND IS FAILING, DESPONDENCY HAS RISEN – CHANGALA
CIVIL Rights activist Brebner Changala says sadly, the UPND is failing to communicate policy and government plans to the people of Zambia and therefore, despondency has risen among many of its supporters and those that voted for it.
In an interview, Changala said if UPND was in a country where the use of proper scientific ratings is applied to measure its’ performance, the New Dawn government has dropped down from 80 percent to 36 percent.
He said there is no sector of the society and economy which is not complaining because the UPND is not doing anything to address pressing issues people are rising.
“They are failing to communicate with the general populace and the despondency has risen. If it is in a country where they use poll ratings, I think by now the UPND poll rating could have dropped from 80 percent to somewhere around 36 percent, a huge drop where proper scientific rating is done.
There is no sector of our society where people are not mourning or complaining because its either the UPND is not doing anything and if they are doing anything it is only privy to them,” Changala said.
Changala, an ardent supporter of the UPND noted with sadness that the UPND has failed to communicate with the electorates, forcing people like party Secretary General Batuke Imenda to start issuing sensitive statements which are injurious to the general populace.
He said what is making it more heartbreaking, is that the party want to talk as if it is politics as usual, warning that if the UPND is not careful it will soon burn its own hands.
“There is no communication between the people and the elected government, there is breakdown in communication and this is where you find people like Imenda from the UPND secretariat are coming in to fill in the gap in a very dangerous way because they lack government information and policy, that is the privy of the executive and the party want to talk as if it is politics as usual and if they are not careful they will burn their hands,” he said.
Changala said despondency has also crept in, and it’s there for everyone to see including those in the executive.
He said what is more disturbing, the executive has become a moribund which cannot explain what was going on to address pressing issues, unless the President does.
“Despondency is there for everyone to see including members of the executive but we are faced with a situation where the executive is totally moribund in-terms of communication. Where the President doesn’t talk nobody talks that is dangerous and that is extremely dangerous that is where we are now and we find yourself,” said Changala.
He cited the recently made statement by Imenda where he was quoted as having said the UPND did not sign any contract with anyone that when it forms government, they will be given jobs.
“Secretary General of the UPND is becoming a loose cannon, a loose cannon but as a leader it is very dangerous many times to issue statements off cuff especially those statement which are not well thought out and yet are extremely sensitive to the intended purpose….UPND came to power with the message of hope and good governance, it came to power on the shoulders of the youth, and majority unemployed youths. It is the dented balance that they must ride,” Changala said.
And Changala has warned that the UPND leadership must know that unemployed youths need jobs and serious assurances from Government on how those job opportunities will be created.
He warned that failure to create jobs for youths is a time bomb which needs urgent attention now.
Changala said leaders such as Imenda must always thrive to constantly give hope to the unemployed youths and find ways on how to navigate through such calamities rather than being provocative to the situation.
“The youths need employment and they need serious assurances from government on how about those job opportunities will come about. What are the measurers short and long term that have been put in place to give hope to many many unemployed youths of our country who are nothing but a time bomb. And when somebody is in leadership is like Mr. Imenda is, this is a matter he must constantly attend to as he navigates to find the ultimate solution to find an equal balance to the beleaguered youths who are the shoulders on which the UPND is standing on,” he said.
Changala warned that arrogancy will not take the UPND anywhere.
“And to arrogantly make a statement under knowingly or unknowingly, that no contract was signed with anybody that we shall give them employment or jobs when we form government that is the highest mark of arrogance and irresponsible utterances. He has a duty in the midst of adverse problems to show leadership and create confidence in the youths and members of society in general. I do not know under what circumstances did he lower his guards those words which are injurious to the general membership. The UPND will find itself in cast in 2022, the UPND has been in power for barely five to six months and in the last six months there have been high expectation from the people of Zambia on what they are going to do for them. Now the UPND hasn’t got the communication tools, they might have tools but they don’t know how to use them,” he said.
(Credit: The New Dawn Newspaper)