Political opportunism an affront to democracy
Dear editor,
It has become a common trend in Zambia for some politicians to align themselves to the government of the day, the ruling party. This has been happening since the time of the former ruling United National Independence Party (UNIP) to the present day.
The changing of political patronage by the cadres and the politicians from one political party to another is political opportunism. In a nutshell, political opportunism is a scenario where the politicians and the cadres alike take opportunities as and when they arise, regardless of planning or principle. It can also mean the art, policy or practice of taking advantage of opportunities or circumstances often with little regard or principle.
What we ought to know about politics is that it is about servanthood. The implication of this is that the politicians’ preoccupation should be to serve people by providing the services the latter need. But, some politicians use politics as a way of amassing wealth for themselves at the expense of improving the people’s welfare. This should not be the case.
However, political opportunism is an affront to democracy in that the politicians with the opportunistic attitude don’t mean well because they think about enriching themselves. Whether someone is in the ruling party or the opposition political party can still make meaningful contributions to the country insofar as politics is concerned.
Just after Mr. Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development (UPND) was declared winner of the August 12 general election, some losing Patriotic Front (PF) candidates defected to the ruling UPND.
Former Southern Province Minister, Edify Hamukale, former Msanzala Patriotic Front lawmaker and the former Chipata Central PF Member of Parliament, Moses Mawere, among others have defected to the ruling UPND. In a nutshell, the above named politicians are not royal and they should not be entrusted with national leadership.
In conclusion, political opportunism is not good for democracy as alluded earlier and it should not be condoned. It is high time the ruling party and the opposition political parties worked together to spur economic development of Zambia. Our country is in dire need of development and the panacea is team work. Together we can.
ELEMIYA PHIRI Lusaka.
Author
