WHEN IS THE UPND 2026 -2031 MANIFESTO COMING OUT?- Kellys Kaunda

WHEN IS THE UPND 2026 -2031 MANIFESTO COMING OUT?

By Kellys Kaunda

The current UPND manifesto dating back to 2021 comes to its end this August 2026.

The policies that underpinned this time in office emerged from this document.

Those of you that bother to read manifestos and take them seriously must have noticed convergence of declarations therein with policy developments.

As the UPND seeks a new mandate, logically, it needs to do so based on a new manifesto.

A product of its party members to direct the policies that must be pursued by their government, the process of making the new manifesto must be characterized by honest evaluations of performance over the past five years.

Understandably, the ruling party has been supportive of their leaders in government and defending them against attacks by opponents.

However, behind the scenes, as the new manifesto is under construction, gloves must be off.

Be frank and brutal with each other pointing out shortcomings with no fear of retribution.

Over the past five years, you have enough feedback from your political opponents and critics scattered allover social and traditional media.

For instance, in the treatment of your critics and opposition figures, you are no different from PF.

You have arrested, convicted and sent them to jail using the same justifications as PF did.

Like PF, you have taken comfort in diplomatically-worded UN reports on the Human Rights situation in Zambia.

What matters is how Zambians experience how their government treats them and their fellow citizens.

On the economic front, you need to confront the ugly reality that government’s initiatives have been too few and far between to impact the social complexion of the country that has remained as ugly as ever before.

Do not take comfort in the tranquilizing drug of gradualism by saying your labor of today will bear fruits in the near future.

That refrain is so familiar, it is now known for what it is – a euphemism for merely begging for another mandate for the sake of it.

It’s typical of governments that simply keep the status quo while watching for the lid placed on people’s emotions to ensure they don’t erupt out of frustration and impatience.

I know this is a lot to require from political entities that are often more concerned about temporal things such as winning an election rather than winning prosperity for all.

But, may someone break the ranks for the first time and apply themselves to what truly transforms the lives of the ordinary folks who happen to be in the majority.

As you embark on the manifesto, be sure to separate the image you have created of yourselves through strategic communication from reality.

You may be in danger of believing your own words and your own constructed images.

You have watched yourselves so many times on ZNBC, you have began to believe that that is the reality of life.

Like other political parties before, you may have politically engineered student support and endorsements and began to believe that  as reality.

You may have done the same with Councilors, and some MPs as well as some traditional leaders.

Be honest among yourselves so that the new manifesto becomes a product of the party’s true self.

If Zambians vote for you back based on a manifesto produced thus, you have a much better chance of giving Zambians a new policy direction where benefits are not promises lying far in the distant future but in a tomorrow they can realistically look forward to.