Edith Zewelani Nawakwi is one of those politicians who represent what ordinarily should be ideal Zambian politics. She has spent most of her adult life making the right political noises but has not exactly hit the right spots. When the country had wanted some men and women to stand up and challenge late President Frederick Chiluba’s bid for a Third Term, Nawakwi was one of those courageous politicians that answered the call on behalf of the Zambian people.
So popular was she among the Zambian populace that she only needed to put up her name as a candidate for any parliamentary seat she was sure to win. And Munali constituents did give that assumption credence by voting her on the FDD ticket in 2001. Back in parliament Nawakwi continued making the right noises and it was not so much of a surprise that once General Christon Tembo stepped down as FDD president she took over from him.
By and large her democratic credentials remained unblemished and even entered into insufferable electoral marriage with UPND’s new comer Hakainde Hichilema under the banner of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA). While she was more senior and experienced of the two candidates, Hichilema elbowed Nawakwi out of the way to contest the elections IN 2006. The Iron Lady dusted herself off and although she was later to have her go at the ballot, her participation amounted to nothing much.
Now it seems the Iron Lady is about to trade all that she has fought for with a cry to continue leading the FDD even when it is clear her mandate has lapsed. Nawakwi is now even removing a semblance of pretense that the convention can at least take off but pushing to have it completely done away with. Surely she is turning out to be just another politician by insisting on undemocratic practices. Let her at least allow people to challenge her. Sentiments such as these being bandied around that she is the sole funder of the FDD and therefore should have an open cheque to rule is ridiculous.
Even her number one trumpeter Antonio Mwanza seems to have taken a back seat having announced one too many times that the FDD convention will be on with all seats open to challenge. We wonder whether the people that are claiming that since Nawakwi is a sole funder therefore cannot be challenged are listening to themselves.
Is it worth so much that a woman that has carried herself with such political grace would want to fall so disgracefully? While she has not had her political breakthrough yet, at least the electorate take time to listen to her well directed political messages. Do people not take her a lot more seriously for being among the chief protagonists of issue based politics?
But now for all the missiles she has pelted on democracy she wants to throw it all away. Do they not say those who seek equity should come with clean hands? Nawakwi should allow the FDD convention go on according to the dictates of the party constitution. After all the FDD is a party that was birthed out of the defence of the national constitution.
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