WE are unstoppable, declares 24-year-old Socialist Party parliamentary candidate for Mongu Central Constituency, Christine Musole.
Musole was unveiled last Saturday by the party leadership and she is convinced that the new force on the Zambian political scene is, “here to change everything.”
Asked how she interpreted the common cliché that politics is a dirty game, Musole had a different view.
“No, it is not true that politics is a dirty game; it is just a misconception created by a corrupt foundation. We are here for change and we are unstoppable. I’m not a politician, my president Dr Fred M’membe is also not a politician; we are revolutionaries,” she said in an interview. “We are coming to sweep the notion that politics is a dirty game. It’s actually people with corrupt minds that have created that impression. And the Socialist Party is coming in to provide change. We want to make Zambia and the world a better place.”
Another aspect that has worried the youth is the usual rhetoric that they are the leaders of tomorrow.
Asked if she believed in that, Musole objected strongly.
“I have not been trained to be a leader; I was born a leader. We are today’s leaders, so I don’t know which future they talk about. It is because of selfishness that some people keep confining the youth to waiting, even when our time has come. That is why the Socialist Party is here to break the norm and show other political parties that politics can be done with honesty,” she said.
Asked further if all elders should be removed from leadership to pave way for the young ones, Musole refused vehemently.
“They are called elders because they have been there before and they are still here to provide guidance. There is no better teacher than the one with experience; and that is where elders come in. I have the energy to run as a youth, but I may not know the way. So, the elders will show me the way, and that is what the Socialist Party leadership is doing to us the youth; they are showing us the way,” she said. “But what I am saying is that the Socialist Party beats other political parties because our party is showing honesty on this. In other parties, elders have held positions for so long and they do not want to give chance to the youth. Other political parties are using the youth as tools of violence. You will notice that people attacking others in politics are not elders but youths, which is unfortunate.”
Asked if she believes that the Socialist Party will fulfil its dream of having a 50 per cent female representation at local government and parliamentary level, Musole confidently answered in the affirmative.
“You see, honesty is one of the virtues of socialism. Socialists are meant to be honest, that is what distinguishes us from other political ideologies. Our manifesto states that there will be 50 per cent women representation, so it’s not a joke; we are serious about it,” said Musole. “For example, Western Province has got 19 constituencies, and our president Dr M’membe has told us that out of those seats, 10 will be given to women while nine will go to men. In fact, the politburo (political bureau) of our central committee also said that even the remaining nine, if there arises another woman to contest, she can still be considered. Our national statistics show that women are the majority voters, so why should we deny them chance to lead?”