Opposition Should Not Take Lubindas Statement as Cheap Politicking

The observations made by Given Lubinda, Kabwata PF member of parliament, that there is no opposition in Zambia and that the current opposition political parties should not even think they can remove the PF in 2016 should not be dismissed as cheap political propaganda.
Given is not much of an enemy of the opposition. In fact, in a number of things, he is much closer to them than he is to the ruling Patriotic Front. So when he speaks in a manner that appears to be critical of them, or is indeed critical of them, it would be wise for them to pay a lot of attention to what he is saying and deeply meditate over it.
Of course, what Given is saying about the opposition’s dim prospects is not new; similar sentiments have been expressed before by many other people, including George Mpombo and Daniel Munkombwe. What is probably new is that this time, these views are coming from a member of the ruling party who is actually more disposed towards them than he is towards his own political party. So it is important for the opposition to pay attention to what their own friend, Given, is saying. They can dismiss him at their collective peril.
Despite all sorts of declarations to the contrary, the truth is that there is presently no credible, organised and viable opposition that truly can be said to threaten the Patriotic Front’s grip on power. And the elitist and antagonistic approach that the opposition has taken on many national issues has only served to alienate them even further from many of our people. The culture of opposing and condemning everything for the sake of opposing or condemning simply because it comes from the ruling party has often proved to be retrogressive and counterproductive in our politics.
When one listens to most of the criticism coming from the opposition ranks, you would think the Patriotic Front has done absolutely nothing since September 2011 or that they were elected to only pass a new constitution!
If one listened to UPND leaders speak about their prospects in 2016, you would think they are so popular that you wonder how this very popular party – even when historical evidence suggests that they are a party in decline – lost the previous presidential elections!
And if one considers the results of the parliamentary by-elections held since 2011, one will note that the UPND is mainly regaining its seats previously lost to the MMD, not necessarily gaining new ground. It is the MMD that is on the decline and the Patriotic Front and UPND are reaping the rewards of MMD’s disintegration. The so-called ‘rise’ of the UPND should be contextualised and measured against the steady decline of the MMD. Notwithstanding the possible revulsion against the incumbent, we do not think many see Hakainde Hichilema as an alternative outside his ethnic enclave.
As for Nevers Mumba and his MMD, it is difficult to know what they really stand for. They are failing to justify their relevance outside the idea of their party having brought back multi-partism over two decades ago. And moreover, the people who dominate the politics of MMD today, including Nevers himself, were not there when the MMD was formed to champion the return to multi-party politics. All you hear from them nowadays are attacks on Michael Sata devoid of substance. If one listened to the MMD leadership, one would be forgiven to think they are not the authors of the misery that the Patriotic Front is trying to rectify. If the frightening ethnic commitment and pomposity of the UPND and its leadership is off-putting, the hypocrisy of the MMD is breath-taking.
There is need for the opposition to rethink their strategy and to pay more attention to the legitimate needs, aspirations and most pressing concerns of the masses of our people. The arrogance of deciding on behalf of the electorate what they think is an important issue, especially when backed by some Western patrons, may in the end prove very costly for them politically. The energy that opposition parties devote over the enactment of a new constitution, for instance, deflects their attention away from grassroots mobilisation efforts that may allow them to capitalise more fully and effectively on the Patriotic Front’s weaknesses or failures. By focusing their energies on things that are not of immediate concern to the great majority of the masses of our people – the constitution rather than jobs and provision of social services – and on the wrong audience – the donor community rather than the electorate – opposition parties leave the field open for an easy Patriotic Front victory.
It is also important for the opposition to learn to focus their campaign messages on what they intend to do for the people rather than on the Patriotic Front’s highly contestable alleged failures. In other words, the opposition should try to give the voters a reason to vote for them and not reasons why they should hate the Patriotic Front. They should attempt to talk more about what they intend to do for the country and the masses of our people than spend too much time emptily criticising and condemning the Patriotic Front. Mere condemnation and unconstructive and even constructive criticism has limitations and limits. Even though many Zambians may be critical of the Patriotic Front on a number of issues, and they should be, that does not automatically translate to their endorsement of the UPND or MMD.
There are lessons to be learnt from the just-ended elections in South Africa. We saw a similar pattern where Jacob Zuma and the African National Congress emerged victorious despite a vicious and sustained opposition campaign against them, largely focused on one main issue: Nkandla – the charge that Zuma “benefitted unduly” from using state money estimated at US$23 million to improve his rural private residence. The South African people made it no factor and communicated the message that voters’ irritability and discontent with the ruling party does not translate into love or votes for the opposition. As one of the ANC voters put it, “I am very unhappy with ANC and Zuma, but I will still vote for them. Just because I am angry with my husband does not mean I will take another man.”
Similarly, we are of the view that some Zambians, including those who voted for the Patriotic Front are not completely happy with this party, but that does not result or warrant an automatic shift of political loyalties. Their criticism of the ruling party and its leadership is expected and normal in a democracy, and for a large part is in good faith; it is about people asserting their voices rather than being passive followers. The other week Edgar Lungu, the Minister of Defence and a member of the Central Committee of the Patriotic Front, was encouraging and inviting the Zambian people to criticise them. Criticism is good for any organisation or individual and when it is valid, it must be made. There are many good things that this government is doing, of course, sometimes not doing them so well, and the Zambian people are aware of them. And although the country is facing challenges and setbacks like the poor performance of the kwacha, high prices of fuel, these are things that can be explained in a manner that will not break the bonds of support.
The Patriotic Front government, for instance, has continued to scale down the high rate of unemployment left by the MMD by creating both casual and permanent jobs, especially in the construction sector, the public service and parastatals. It has lowered taxes for the workers whilst attempting to increase wages. It has embarked on improving the road infrastructure throughout the country – even without elections in sight as per MMD practice – and providing better quality social services such as education and health. The country has also recorded increased production in the agriculture sector, including a historic maize harvest.
Even the urban poor and rural dwellers, for whom UPND and MMD are also allegedly speaking, are not dull and fickle. They have eyes to see what is going on. They have a sense of judgement and know what is possible and not possible. They are not carrying wild expectations of the 90 days this, 90 days that. They are able to distinguish rhetoric from reality. They understand things more than we sometimes do and are not easily swayed. What will determine the Patriotic Front’s stay in power is not necessarily what the opposition says but what the Patriotic Front itself does.