Today's letters

Sun, 09 Jul 2017 11:33:50 +0000

Govt of national unity with the UPND a non-starter

Dear Editor,

I agree that dictatorship, coups, armed rebellions, free-and-fair elections and now in vogue power-sharing – Africa has seen it all.

But as Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu revealed that aggressive foreign monopoly capital was agitating for regime change in Zambia, South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe to regain their lost business empires by employing local opposition political parties which they funded and supported made a sad reading indeed.

As expected, however, having failed to gain power in last year’s elections through their proxy, the UPND in Zambia, their efforts were now directed at gaining power by forcing a government of national unity – power sharing whereby or thereby teaching Zambian politicians that even if you lost the cup final you still walked away with a hand on the trophy (“No unity Govt – Lungu”, Daily Nation, July 7, 2017).

As a consequence, tensions were upped considerably in the aftermath of the 2016 election – a keenly contested vote by the incumbent Edgar Lungu, an easterner who narrowly won with 50.4 percent, against his southern, chronic and decade-old veteran losing rival Hakainde Hichilema who got 47.6 percent of the votes cast.

Some local and international election observers said that the poll went generally well, but results were slow to emerge – despite the electoral authorities ECZ saying that a quick declaration was crucial.

There had also been allegations and counter-allegations from both camps about various irregularities.

No doubt any hopes of a future government of national unity between two PF and UPND contenders who stood for presidential elections were also tempered by their personal political histories.

The PF president, in power for two years, accused the UPND leader whose decade-old 5-time failed attempts at becoming Zambian president of being power hungry and attempting to prevent him from being inaugurated as Zambia’s sixth president in good time and subsequently triggering a constitutional 14-day presidential election petition in the Constitutional Court.

And as things stand at the moment, no overt gestures have been made by the two PF and UPND presidential candidates towards a formation of the cartel-sponsored coalition government.

In fact, cynics and critics have been reported as saying that, should such talks have constitutionally taken place and having known his insatiable hunger for power coupled with repeated post-election bruised ego, Hakainde

Hichilema would have chosen to be the country’s president or vice president and nothing less.

And President Edgar Lungu has actually made it clear that should there have been a genuine constitutional need to form a government for national unity, he would have also looked elsewhere for a partner in power sharing other than the UPND and besides, he was already in partnership in government with the Felix Mutati-led MMD, the party which supported the PF during the 2016 polls.

And Zambia’s division seems exacerbated not only by ethnic differences but also by ownership of Zambia’s recent socio-economic and infrastructure developmental projects, situated mainly along the line of rail coupled with a spate of post-election ethnic cleansing in Southern Province and sabotage and arson incidents involving public institutions and installations including ZESCO power pylons and power lines that have been sabotaged by suspected UPND operatives.

All these factors could militate against the PF winning candidate reaching out to his UPND defeated opponent – whatever the consequences.

Admittedly, a government for national unity with the UPND is a non-starter for the PF.

Mubanga Luchembe,

LUSAKA

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Time to ban UPND is now

Dear Editor,

If it is substantiated beyond doubt that opposition UPND is behind the current wave of unexplainable fires and other acts of sabotage, then I will add my voice to those suggesting banning this political party because it cannot have the cake and eat it.

The leaders of this party should know that Zambia is much bigger than UPND and moreover the majority of Zambians in the seven provinces voted for President Lungu in 2016 and this is a stark-naked truth that the entire world knows.

To try to usurp power using clandestine activities, will simply not work because Zambians are not injudicious and they know better.

Whatever this party promised its sycophants the world over is just mind-bending that even little individuals like Jim and Maimane in neighbouring South Africa want to tell us how to govern our nation, forgetting what is happening in their own country.

For the outpourings from the West we understand why. HH promised them freemasonry and homosexuality.

But with President Lungu in State House now, that has come to zero and they are now incensed. We will not care much about that because Zambia is a Christian nation which should live by the values of such avowal. Anything else is gibberish to us.

I wish also to repeat myself that no single tribe in Zambia can produce a republican president.

Whoever wants to lead us must be able to convince all the 73 tribes about their abilities to rule without the use of a tribe.

In conclusion, I wish to make an earnest appeal to President Edgar Chagwa Lungu to make a major shakeup in the security wings which form have gone to sleep

Josiah Soko, Salima Road, Matero