It is worrying that the opposition want to continue being fragmented as both the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy, MMD, and the United Party for National Development, UPND, as well as other smaller parties all want to field individual candidates in the up coming by-elections.
Already the Feira seat will see the MMD and UPND competing instead of reaching common ground to marshal all human and other resources within the broad spectrum of the opposition to see to it that the PF is defeated pants down. If the MMD and UPND continue like this, they may just be adding credence to the one party state that Zambia seems to be quickly sliding back into under President Michael Sata’s Patriotic Front, PF, regime.
The sooner they take real advantage of the serious shortcomings of President Sata’s PF administration, and they are countless, the better. For now it should not be about the MMD, UPND, ADD, NAREP or even UNIP. All the opposition parties and other well meaning civil society non-governmental organisations as well as individuals should unite and convince the electorate not to vote for the PF in any by-election that is not caused by a legislator being called to be with the creator. Right now there is a lot to talk about by-elections and the performance of the PF government.
From poor agricultural in-put distribution leading to decreased crop yields to the fuel and mealie-meal price hikes as well as public transport costs. Surely can the opposition, speaking with one voice, fail to convince the electorate that President Sata’s PF administration has failed to live up to the campaign promises made before September 20, 2011?
Now it must be understood that immediately Michael Sata and the Patriotic Front, PF, changed jerseys, from opposition leader and opposition party to president and ruling party, they embarked on a vicious path to petition all the parliamentary seats won by the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy, MMD. Reason being that President Sata and the PF fell far short of numbers to pass laws in Parliament.
It was clear from the onset that President Sata and his PF were up to no good and indeed the petitions were put in over drive and brought before the High Court of Zambia. But as soon as President Sata realised that the court process is not a one day issue to increase his numbers in Parliament, he embarked on another vicious path, this time appointing some MMD parliamentarians as deputy ministers in his government only getting away with it because the law says something like “the president shall appoint ministers and deputy ministers from parliament.”
Quite a number of seats have been nullified by the Supreme Court since the petitions were put in motion, the latest being the Chipata Central in Eastern province which was held by Mtolo Phiri. To say that this is not a PF induced by-election simply because of the court process then we would actually be saying that even those caused by direct poaching of MMD legislators through resignations are okay.
Solwezi East in North Western province, Kafulafuta in Copperbelt province and Feira in Lusaka province are the most recent of parliamentary seats which have been directly induced by President Sata and the PF, either by first appointing the holders of the seats as deputy ministers and then enticing them to resign from the MMD to join the PF or simply to bribe them and offer them positions in government like the case may be over the Kafulafuta seat.
So perhaps if the worst comes to the worst all the opposition legislators in parliament should simply resign, all of them, so that we go for fresh general elections instead of waiting for 2016. Yes, let all the UPND and MMD MPs resign as parliamentarians today as it looks like the only plausible way to go if the non-sense of by elections is to be nipped in the bud. If what happened to Lackson Kazabu in Kitwe yesterday is anything to go by, chances of PF getting it would be, well, very slim. The time is now and if it comes to that the entire opposition must agree to work as one to get rid of all the madness Zambia is being subjected to.
The post Opinion: The Opposition Vs PF appeared first on Zambia Reports.