Dear Editor,
I MAY not be the right person to say this because I am not a political expert to analyse the political coordinates with evidence, but suffice to say that the political situation in Zambia does not require one to be a political scientist to tell that President Edgar Lungu is in charge and on top of things in the middle of the tempest.
He has carved himself the image of an astute and sharp politician who is always three years ahead of his critics. I should declare from the onset that I am an ardent observer of his style of politics and that of his Patriotic Front (PF) Party.
The infrastructure development agenda of the PF has given him a formidable edge over his opponents in the August 12 tripartite elections. Zambia shall never be the same as the springboard for economic development has already been laid through requisite infrastructure such as roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, universities and colleges, and the huge investments in electricity generation and communication towers.
Of course, President Lungu’s rivals will try as much as they can to use the country’s suffocating foreign and domestic debt but he will have little difficult in deflating that balloon. As he explained during the launch of his party’s manifesto for 2021-2026 and the national campaign in Lusaka, President Lungu will be spoiled for choice in terms of what to point at as where the borrowed money has been spent.
The cost of doing business is lower now, which is expected to attract both foreign and local direct investments. Zambians at home and abroad are proud to call their country their home.
During an interview on ZNBC-TV after the launch of the PF’s national campaign former minister of finance Katele Kalumba, who will lead the ruling party’s campaign in Luapula Province, said he was amazed at the transformation he had found in Lusaka.
“Some of us who live in the village almost got lost when we arrived in Lusaka for the launch,” he said. He might have said it in jest but it reflects the general view of objective observers of the PF’s performance in the last 10 years.
President Lungu’s campaign team will boldly market his resilience, tenacity, resolve and political commitment to ensuring the country attains the prosperous middle income economy status by 2030, and the targets espoused in the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP).
He has spent sleepless nights in rural areas inspecting and supervising government funded projects. This remains embedded in the hearts and minds of the average Zambians whose votes every candidate is praying for.
He is likely to be remembered as a president who never rested because of his resolve to leave Zambia better than he found it; with his development anthem of “making every Zambian count.” In the last two years, especially, President Lungu has become a household name among rural Zambians and urban poor.
His frequent tours of the rural parts, and direct interactions with the local people have sent his popularity ratings to comfortable levels despite the sustained attacks by his critics, mostly the urban elite and his bitter political rivals.
Reading through the inexhaustible catalogue of infrastructure development projects dotted across the country gives one an idea as to why it has been very difficult for the opposition to design effective counter political messages that could offset and overturn what has been done so far by the ruling party.
President Lungu’s development agenda has created a veritable challenge for the opposition. They have failed to craft messages to lure votes. Their now boring mantra of corruption, public debt and weak Kwacha seem to only appeal to the urban voters who are outnumbered by the rural and peri-urban electorate.
What remains obvious is how some opposition political parties in Zambia have inherited an international trade beef between the Western and the Eastern countries and have been using it as a weapon against President Lungu and the PF.
The fight for relevance and bond with Africa between the Asian and Western countries should not be used to champion unexplained abhorrence towards the Chinese, for example, who have played an instrumental role in Zambia’s undeniable infrastructure development.
The western propaganda to paint black the age-honoured Zambia–China friendship seems to have been domesticated by the local opposition political parties under the façade of “the enemy of my friend is equally my enemy.”
However, in the eyes of an objective political observer this reflects serious political immaturity. It amounts to inheriting a fight that does not yours for no other reason than to please your financiers.
As a young democracy Zambia should resist the influence of external players whose motives are almost always base. Such behaviour casts the picture of traitors and could cost the opposition dearly in a crucial elections such as the August 12 ones.
President Lungu has wisely maintained warm relations with both the West and China through his astute diplomacy.
His handling of the Covid-19 outbreak has earned kudos from both sides. Most countries in the world are struggling and their economies are at the verge of collapse as they reel from the debilitating impact of the pandemic.
The economic meltdown has affected all continents.
It is therefore a demonstration of wisdom by President Lungu to maintain sound bilateral and multilateral relationship with both sides of the globe in times such as these. He has come out as a sober and mature statesman who puts the interests of his country first.
The continued flow of foreign aid towards the fight against Covid-19 and budget support are the benefits of the man’s foreign policy. This alone is likely to play a role in his campaign for re-election and give him extra votes.
NATHAN KABWE.
