Friday, March 29, 2024

The Majority Doesn’t Always Win

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by Mingeli Palata

So there it is, scores of people on the copperbelt letting out their displeasure with the outcome of the just ended October 30th elections. Had I wrote this article a day earlier saying there are deep feelings of unsatisfaction or contempt among people in the urban areas, I would have been called sorts of names. Dear friends, for me incidents like these (which must be condemned by the way) do bring out important questions that we all must consider critically.

Comrades ours are challenging times, the world’s major markets are in turmoil, our dearest copper has low prices, Meali meal is at K75, 000.00 a bag, fuel is taxing us and our pay hasn’t changed all this in a country without a cabinet. All these are issues that make the majority of Zambians not forget the elections and go on with their lives. Every time you take a taxi and ask the driver how business is going, you are certain to get the usual complaints about money being scarce and the lost hope after the number one urban candidate lost the election.

But let’s face it, the elections are done and a recount is on; all I would say is all the best. I contend that we should be looking forward to the 2011 Elections and see how the complaints and feelings of being cheated that were expressed in the last elections are avoided in the year 2011. The question is what can we do between now and 2011 to prefect the electoral system and avoid post election complaints from stakeholders after the 2011 elections?

Wouldn’t it be nice to have candidates congratulate each other after one has won the election? Because certainly for me, the most moving, charming and gracious speech that Senator John Mccain has given to date is his conceding speech in Arizona. He spoke so well, congratulating Barack Obama for his resounding victory and assuring Americans that they have made a good decision. I thought to myself and said that is the way it is supposed to be; mature politics.

Yet again ours is a small democracy hence so immense is the need for us to constantly engage ourselves in building and improving it. In retrospect, elections and what comes afterwards should give us an idea of how we are doing and what needs to be done to improve the process of Democracy.

The just ended elections were marred by allegations of rigging, irregularities such as people voting days later, inconsistencies in the number of registered voters and the actual voters in certain areas, the list goes on. The decision by the Electoral Commission of Zambia not to conduct a fresh registration of voters disfranchised a lot of people; you had an election where less than 4 million people chose the fate of the rest of the 10 million plus people. Arguably for the likes of HH and Sata who have a huge following among young people and those who have just come back home, they can cry foil saying a potential vote in their favour was not given an opportunity to make the choice. So yes there should be a continuous registration of voters. Voting is an important process in which all Zambians should participate, a notorious fact that cannot be over emphasized. It should be readily available and made easy for all Zambians. So let’s have continuous registration of voters.

There was also a lot of smoke still on the registration of voters, in some provinces opposition political parties feel that the numbers did not tally. There was a low turnout of voters yet the numbers are not so different from that of 2006 come on guys! That is the kind of thing that raises suspicions. Obviously since 2006 people have died and moved or even lost their voters cards, the numbers can’t obviously be the same or close to the same. Did you notice?

Who mans the register anyway? What guarantee can we have that it cannot be tempered with ghost voters? People who have died and moved voting? Something needs to be done to address such suspicions. In my opinion it all goes down to the autonomy of the Commission. To whom does the commission owe its allegiance? Wouldn’t it be better to have its independence more guaranteed? Who appoints the head of the commission? Is that something we should be thinking about while revising the constitution?

President Rupiah Banda won with not more than 5% difference in votes with Michael Sata. If you combine the UPND and PF Votes, the MMD is out numbered. The system of simple majorities does not give a country a majority President. Most leaders in these systems are a minority in that few people voted for them as compared to those who voted against them (By virtue of voting for other candidates). The essence of a democracy is that the majority wins, now you have an election with a President wining with minority votes, do you still call that Democracy? That is why countries like Zimbabwe and Kenya has the 50 + 1 system. Under this system a Presidential candidate can only be declared the winner if he or she passes the 50 + 1 mark. This ensures that the President elect is in the majority and is accepted by all players as being the one with the most votes. You will also find this line of thinking when you look at the systems in the United Kingdom and in America (With the two major political parties).

Otherwise you will have the likes of Michael Sata crying foul and hoping that a recount would overturn the tides, after all it’s only a 3%! I implore you to begin thinking about the 50 + 1 system for the next elections. That will help. Note that even the catholic fathers noted that the country is more divided after the elections than before and if you critically think about it, it’s because the majority of Zambians voted  for Michael Sata and Hikainde Hichilema, if you combine the two votes, MMD is beaten by far, so the ‘majority doesn’t always win’.

112 COMMENTS

  1. LT has done a good job by removing useless bloggers on the site.
    Well done, go and listen to Nyama Soya’s new cabinet for Zed

    Viva H H his cabinet one day will be for youngsters

  2. lesson number one, lets limit the number of candidates. we cant have so many in a population of only ten million. americans in their hundred of millions only had two contenders

  3. thats rubbish sata beatten at his on game bembas a the worst tribalists and they act without thinking HH was rite candidate .

  4. I did not know that the ECZ refused to open the voter registration register before this election! Shocking! now if that doesnt raise suspcicions amongst all you fevernt govenrmnet supporters, and I am talking to you especially Anoymous from Sweden! then I dont what going on in your minds, cause if you 100 % belive that this election was not fixed then you are seriously deluded!

  5. This Bwezani Banda has dismissed our powerfull finance minister, what a shame! Donors had a lot of confidence hence those debt cancellation and further donor aid. We even rearched the ‘hipic’completion point. What my words you will see what will happen 6 months down the road. Whoever is now new finance minister will just be controlled any time they need funds for their weekends and what goes with it.

  6. poor thinking of Chi Rupia, how does he bring VJ? and leave out people like magande,Masebo. where are we heading Zambians?

  7. Yaah! #7 i agree with you, but i must point out that the voting patterns in this country shows much voting was done on tribal lines, dear bloggers what can be the solution to this or we end up like the hutus and tutsi’s; vivensa manta.

  8. ba sata never b decieved by hordes of pipo at rallies they never even had voters cards lets not even waste more resorces recounting votes lets move forward and forget the disgruntled loser .grow up and emulate mcain

  9. i am told this useless George kunda is the vip 4 zed someone to give me proper data on the reshufle of cabinet by this UNIPIST nyama soya

  10. I thought mr. presdo would concider me in his apointments. look at the way I worked as Agric. minister, anyway who am I, epofye bachinga
    Magande.

  11. A very good turn of events, I only hope it brings discontent among the MMD cadres so that the MMD can break-up. Magande can always be taken up by the IMF, after all he is well qualified unlike the scarecrow VJ who depends on political hand outs after rigging elections. Well, he has been compensated. Im surprised that Chris Kalila has been included as minister of Sport, but then anything goes for Chris as long as there is money involved

  12. Miss President

    The allegations are going to be presented in court. This article is the most biased article to ever appear on LT.

    Zambia is made up of 9 Provinces, not 4 or 5. Your issues will be addressed in court. That is the beauty of democracy.

  13. Sometimes yes what the majority wants never gets but eventually get. We might be surprised to find RB to be straight than LPM. We will soon get over the loss and we will forward to 2011. Ukulusa kwesu nepotuwinine tulalusa. We give them a benefit of a doubt. We are not like people who certain ideologies that cannot be explained properly. Viva PF

  14. # 18
    this is the data
    1.VIP George Kunda
    2.Minister of Justice George Kunda
    3.Chief WIP VJ
    4.local Govt. Tetamashimba
    5.Works & supply Mulongoti
    6.Labour Liato
    7.Finance Situmbeko Musokotwane
    8. Tourism namugala
    9.Mines Maxwell mwale
    10.Agric Chituwo
    11.Information Shikapwasha
    12.IG is retired other service chiefs continue

  15. You # 15 and # 16, does it hate you?, grow up and have manners.

    Viva H H man who does not feel jealous for other Zedian

  16. Zambia is an interesting Country. RB was born in Zimbabwe but he can be president because his parents were Zambians. Many Zambians cannot aspire to be president of Zambia because their parent(s) were not born in Zambia.

    Sata comes second without any structure to his party. No one can win in the rural areas if his/her party has no presence there. The villagers cannot be taken in by opportunists!!!!
    Zambia is suffering now because we have not built up strong institutions which can stand up to the here today gone tomorrow politicians.

  17. CB and Lusaka dwellers get busy and meet the meal meal prices head on. Read the times and stop complaining. Thats why you are easily cheated by king cobra. Think for yourselves.If you cant afford the prices join us in the rural areas and get dirty!

  18. Addressing his first press briefing after assuming presidency following the disputed October 30 presidential elections President Banda appointed Kunda as his deputy while at the same time retaining him as the minister of justice.

    President Banda has also dropped finance minister N’gandu Magande replacing him with special economic advisor to late President Levy Mwanawasa.

    President Banda has also dropped local government minister Sylvia Masebo replacing her with vocal MMD spokesperson Benny Tetamashimba who previously deputised her.

    President Banda has also retired Inspector General of police Ephraim Mateyo replacing him with commissioner of police Francis Kabonde while veteran polit

  19. There is no need for crying. The elections were based on the current constitution – simple majority.

    Everybody was aware: SATA and HH new about simple majority. It was their choice that they did not combine forces. Sata hoped to get the simple majority and now he is crying like a baby.

    SIMPLE MAJORITY IS AS IT SAYS. Even winning by ten votes is a win.

    LT, please tell this Priest in Kitwe not to turn Zambia into Rwanda. There is only one Zambia. If problems arose, the Pope will just transfer him to UK, leaving Zambians fighting.

  20. veteran politician Vernon Mwaanga has been re-nominated as member of parliament and appointed him chief whip.

    Other reshuffles include former minister of works and supply Kapembwa Simbao who has moved to health and replaced with former minister of information Mike Mulongoti.

    Former home affairs minister Lt. Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha will now assume the position of minister of information while former minister of community development Catherine Namugala swaps with her counterpart from tourism Michael Kaingu.

    Former National Airports Corporation managing director Chileshe Kapwepwe has been appointed deputy minister finance while Jonas Shakafuswa who previously held the position moves to

  21. who previously held the position moves to Ministry of Science and Technology.

    Former minister of foreign affairs Kabinga Mpande, minister of defence George Mpombo, Southern Province minister Daniel Munkombwe, Western Province minister Adonis Mufalali, Lusaka Province minister Lameck Mangani, Central Province minister Ackimson Banda will retain the same positions while former Eastern Province minister Charles Shawa has been moved to Northern Province and will be replaced with Isaac Banda.

    Sports minister Gabriel Namulambe has been moved to presidential affairs ministry while former North-Western province minister Kenneth Chipungu replaces him, former minister of health Dr. Brian Chitu

  22. has been moved to the Ministry of Agriculture while Mongu central member of parliament Joseph Mulyata has been appointed North-Western Province minister. Others who have been dropped include former gender minister Patricia Mulasikwanda who has been replaced by Sarah Sayifwanda from Ministry of Agriculture and former deputy minister of sports Richard Taima.

  23. IF ONLY YOU PEOPLE WERE MATURE ENOUGH YOU WOULD LEAVE THAT #1 BE WHY TALK ABOUT HIM LET HIM EXPRESS HIS JOY AS #1 ALA.JUST SAY WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY AND DONT CONDEMN OTHERS HIS NOT USING YOUR COMPUTER.ALA ICHIBELESHI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  24. nowadays every #1 wanna talk like they ‘ve got something to say, but nothing comes out when they type just a bunch of gibberish coz they forgot about me. The next #1, pliz write something, lest u embarass your own clan!!

  25. LT Please make sure that your corespondents are well informed. The British system is a Parliamentary system. It has nothing to do with 50%+1. system.

    The UK Sovereign is an heredidary King or Queen. The Prime Minister is the leader of the Party with majority MPs in the House of Commons and is chosen according to the rules of each Party.

    LT the fact that your coresponent is obviously uninformed has undermined his arguments above. I was a supporter of the 50%+1 but after seeing the tensions in the last elections I didn’t believe Zambia could have survived the run off without violence. We are just too polarised and too extreme in our campaigns. VERDICT: NOT READY FOR A RUN OFF SYSTEM.

  26. #41 grow up, it is so exciting to be on top of all.I’m proud I’m number 1 on this one.What happened with you, where you sleeping or waiting to hear RB72 giving a new cabinet?
    You are child of a mother clan

    Viva H H you are my inspiration, i love you

  27. It appears that Mingeli Palata has done a good job now. I am happy he now writes data and sense over president Hakainde Hichilema.

    Vote the UPND Team to form GRZ in 2011 for a real ray of change and hope that all Zambians can believe in. Together, YES we all Zambains will do this needful in 2011.

  28. #38, i will send you my pix

    Well done RB72 atleast we now know our cabinet and our children will be so excited to know the new cabinet.
    Zedian, we have to support these guys and you will never challenge the GRZ no matter what.

    Viva H H, your time will come some day and your cabinet will be only for the youth.

  29. So what does Kenya and Zimbabwe have to show for their supposedly better 50% plus 1 system. This article is too simplistic.

  30. Why do some people here always want to spoil the fun? Good people rejoice over small things because they have a joyful and contrite heart. Evil people have nothing to make them laugh but grumble all day. These are the posters we see here who choose to just pick fights with people. Put them on ignore, and maybe they will just crawl back under the rock where they came from.

  31. @ 25
    oh thats funny, so that is an aspect of democracy you agree with as opposed to freedom of speech and expression that you are vehemently aganist!

    I already told you yesterday you are a sychophant and a follower so am not suprised by your comments. Have a great day now 🙂

  32. If USA was in Africa, today’s papers would read something like:

    1) Don’t celebrate yet, McCain tells Obama

    2) Concede defeat, Obama urges McCain

    3) 20 opposition cadres riot

    4) McCain Demands Vote Recount

    5) Elections rigged

    6) No evidence of manipulation

    7) The Church declares elections free and fair elections

    8) There will be violence if we lose, McCain declares

    9) Election results for Arizona awaited

    10) Trucks with suspected ballot papers crosses into USA from Mexico

    11) McCain is an opportunist – Go back to your farm

    12) I will not accept results, McCain tells Obama

    13) Army commander warns those who intend to resort to violence af

  33. 10) Trucks with suspected ballot papers crosses into USA from Mexico

    11) McCain is an opportunist – Go back to your farm

    12) I will not accept results, McCain tells Obama

    13) Army commander warns those who intend to resort to violence after loosing elections.

    14) Rolling officer caught with marked ballot papers at polling station.

    15) Etc, etc, etc

  34. And we wonder why Africa never moves forward….

    45 years ago, Kibaki and Michuki were in Cabinet and Kennedy was running
    For President. Obama was 1 year old. 45 years later, Kibaki and Michuki are
    still in cabinet, and Obama is a candidate for the same seat Kennedy was
    running.

    In 45 years, Obama’s father is dead, we have had Johnson, Carter,
    Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Clinton, Bush 1 and Bush 2 in USA in between as
    presidents but in Kenya the same guys in their 70’s and 80’s are still
    trying to tell Kenyans they can make development models that work?’
    Makes u think??

    Something is seriously wrong with Africa !!!!! Something is wrong with
    me & you too!!!!!!!!!

    Enjoy yr day.

  35. We should rewrite our records on democracy for the sake of the future generation. Democracy is not about the majority even the minority can rule. The opposition can be in the majority but they can fail to take over govt.

  36. 10) Trucks with suspected ballot papers crosses into USA from Mexico

    11) McCain is an opportunist – Go back to your farm

    12) I will not accept results, McCain tells Obama

    13) Army commander warns those who intend to resort to violence after losing elections.

    14) Polling officer caught with marked ballot papers at polling station.

    15) Etc, etc, etc

  37. This article is of PF by PF and for PF. Give us a break please. Sata was the architect of all those bad laws you have referred to in your extremely poorly articulated article (typical of PF) when it suited him and his friends. And now you start lamenting as though Sata is a messiah. Don’t waste our time please. The evil things Sata did when he was in government are just coming back to haunt him. He will never ever be President of Zambia.

  38. #44, u are the one whoz supposed to grow up!!! I dont need to, dont wanna have grey hair ku ma vuzi! i was just telling u the truth, save your bytes!! unless u want us to go round for round, clip for clip!!

  39. Guys and ladies. This is th reason we are so different from the whites and as such we ll never develop. A good example is in English football. A couple of years ago when the new Man U owners from the US expressed interst in buying th club, Alex Ferguson was opposed to the idea but when they finally bought the club, they retained him as coach because its a known fact that hes a great coach. Now this new sleepy RB fires a well performing Magande simpl because they had a few disagreements. Its so embaraasing to be a zambian right now
    And what do we need VJ for anyway?

  40. miss president you are very right,something is wrong with our generation if this generation was there in the 1960’s Zambia would today still be a under British rule. Twalipwalala sana.

  41. IN THE USA 1960 ELECTIONS: POPULAR VOTE NIXON 50% AND KENNEDY 50%, BUT KENNEDY’S ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTE WAS SUPERIOR TO THAT OF NIXON. KENNEDY BECAME PRESIDENT. AS LONG AS PARTIES AGREE FROM THE START AS TO WHAT CONSTITUTES A WIN, IT DOES NOT MATTER THE MATHEMATICS. DID PF AGREE THAT A SIMPLE MAJORITY WOULD BE ENOUGH TO WIN? YES, THEY DID. IF THEY DID NOT AGREE PRIOR TO THE ELECTION THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE PARTICIPATED. THEY SHOULD TELL THEIR SUPPORTERS THAT WE COULD HAVE LOST BUT WE NEED TO RECOUNT SO THAT WE CAN BE SURE. BUT WHAT SATA IS SAYING IS ‘I WON.’ THAT IS A RECIPE FOR DISASTER BECAUSE IT DOES NOT ADMIT OF ANY OTHER POSSIBLE OUTCOME.

  42. Stop intimidating youthful interligence…. Read with an open mind mwe banthu….. Mwandi Bo Palata… Good Job on the article….

  43. I think most of you are missunderstanding the author, reading the article, he doesnt come out like a PF supporter… He is just questioning the system in the light of the 2011 Elections…. and adding his opinion to the national debate, you are free to add yours… read the whole article and understand…

  44. My felow zambians,as i watchd RB announce hs cabinet today,i was disapointd to observe that,every ministry has two deputy ministers,why al ths expenses in govt pliz..we need to stream line govt by having if possible hav only 1 minister,scrap off the deputies,and instead let the permanent secretaries assist the cabinet minister..i dnt knw wat othaz think of ths..

  45. #18 iwe coata be serious dont give us BP how can goerge kunda be VP.pliz dont say thats true. he is even worse that teta and mulongoti put together,
    zambia twachula nomba

  46. 58. Miss President
    Excellent! You also forgot this:
    1943 – 1976 Mao Tsetung
    1976 – 1981 Hua Guofeng
    1983 – 1990 Deng Xiaping
    1990 – 2002 Jiang Zemin who stepped down for a ‘younger’ man
    2002 – now Hu Jintao (66 years old)
    5 Leaders in 65 years in the world’s largest and fastest growing economy which gave us an excellent 2008 olympics!
    It makes you think!

  47. The author seems to be a PF supporter and is in support of the violence though stated that must be condemned. the article is very biased and misleading just exhibits lack of professionalism. Its pathetic to question democracy just because the winning candidate didn’t get 50+1 votes. Democracy is more than just election. The overall record on democracy in zambia is far better than most of the african countries.Combining sata and HH votes does not mean that if one opposition party contested election would have won. people voted for sata cos don’t like either HH or RB. If sata and RB contested, HH votes would have been split between the two. Uk has three political parties not two as stated.

  48. #74. Gridlock
    YOU HAVE ‘SMALL GOVT’ IN MIND. WELL AND GOOD, BUT ZAMBIA IS A BIG COUNTRY AND HAS POOR INFRASTRUCTURE FOR COMMUNICATION. I KNOW HOW EXASPERATING IT IS IN ZAMBIA WHEN YOU CALL AN OFFICE TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE ONLY TO BE TOLD THEY ARE NOT IN AND NOBODY ELSE CAN HANDLE THE CASE. TWO DEPUTIES MEANS THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOMEONE TO SORT OUT A PROBLEM.

  49. #72 reading paragraph 3. here the author is being personal and he used the word we. what does that mean to the reader.

  50. ” our dearest copper has low prices ”

    ‘Low’ is a relative term. Low compared to it’s high of nearly $9000 per tonne. However, at around $4000 per tonne today, it is still over double that price it was during the 1990s and upto 2003, when the price first broke above $2000 per tonne.

    Infomine has a lot of good commodities charts, with price histories going back a decade.

  51. #78. I KISSED YOUR MUM
    YOU ARE VERY RIGHT. THE LIB DEMS IN UK HAVE BEEN CAMPAIGNING FOR A CHANGE IN THE ELECTORAL PROCESS FOR YEARS! BUT THEY HAVE NEVER REJECTED ELECTION RESULTS. THEY WANT ‘PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION.’ THAT IS NOW USED IN THE DEVOLVED GOVTS OF SCOTLAND AND WALES. NO SYSTEM IS PERFECT. IN ISRAEL THERE ARE ELECTIONS ALMOST EVERY DAY BECAUSE OF THE PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION SYSTEM. IN PAKISTAN WHEELER DEALING GOES ON WITH SMALLER PARTIES JUST TO GET THE NUMBERS TO FORM GOVT. IS THAT WHAT WE WANT? HOW LONG SHALL WE BE TALKING ABOUT ELECTIONS? WE ARE IN A HURRY FOR DEVELOPMENT!!!!!

  52. #74 vote rigger
    Dnt tink govt shud be wasting resources lyk ths for the reason u hav gven of dificulties n communication and sm1 to speak..those are simple issues tht cn be overcome by decentralisation..let the provincial dep.minister and perm.secs represent govt..and by the way pipo,MMD cadres wantd to haras reuters reporter Shapi Shacinda bt RB intervend

  53. Miss President (Wished to be affiliated to Presidence but failed)

    Your freedom of expression has definately landed you in problems already. Now you accuse africans of being less intelligent. Your being trumpled upon by Bazungus has made you lose yourself worth.

    Forget it, Africans are just as capable as any other. If you have a low self worth, keep it to yourself. You are simply a kid, dont worry time will teach you some wisdom. You may be educated, but you certainly lack wisdom. Just because you are out there does not mean you should belittle Africans. Silly you.

  54. Miss President

    You have a misguided view of freedom of speech. I told you yesterday, there is no such thing as absolute freedom of speech. iN THE MOST ADVANCED democracies, that is very clear. You completely dont understand the meaning of right to freedom of speech. Any independent thinker can ataste to this. Your Problem is simply your iabillity to apply common sence. The knowledge you have in your head does not correlate with ‘real and applicable knowledge’. You simply have knowledge but no abillity to apply that knowledge. You are the type with huge memory, which has helped you along but unable to go beyond that. An educated yet dull person. Think about it. No insults intended.

  55. Miss President

    I went to the extent of giving you basic examples and you have not even grasped a bit of sense out of what I said. Alangizi take over, uyu mwana alibe nzelu.

  56. 43. UKWENDA KUSHINTUKA

    ” VERDICT: NOT READY FOR A RUN OFF SYSTEM. ”

    I think a big part of the problem is the emphasis the system puts on central government, instead of local government.

    An alternative would be Proportional Representation, where the voters choose the party, but the politicians chose which parties they can form a parliamentary majority with. That would be the right system for multi-party parliamentary democracy.

    If Zambia wants to stick with the ‘first past the post’ system of electing MPs (instead of just parties), it will have to become a 2 party system, not have many little parties.

  57. @ 84 Anonymous

    what a nonsensical post you speak utter crap and dont try and patronise me because I am youthful and you are 50 and probably still living at home with your mum! where in my posts have i belittled Africa? You cant even back up your arguements! What exactly did Father Bwalya say? I acknowledged that freedom of speech according to the UN charter does have limitations to account pornography and hate speech, but you can also see that it is also used by governmentts to SUPRESS the Opposition or anyone who is aganist them as is now!

  58. @8 I concur with you. On 17/10/2008, VJ was on a live phone in program where he told the nation that the register was available to any citizen/political party that wished to be availed a copy. He also stated that he strategised and analysed elections based on registration of voters(2006 register). Story also appeared in post of 18/10/2008. Is it not our right to know how a register containing deceased, terminally ill and migrated voters can give one a clear analysis of voting trends?

  59. @ 84 Anonymous
    What a wet, childish old bugger you are. Miss President is so much more mature and miles more intelligent than you are! And before you start, I am very educated (Bsc, MBA, MPhil, Phd) and also highly loaded (big fund!). You have no balls! Get lost you abusive character.

  60. Let form Obamania movement for 2010 campaign, we need to go in the remotest part of the country to explain to our relatives and our village people, how their votes matters, we need to educate them by revealing how the govt works and how they take advantage of them causing them to remain in poverty for life while they send their Children abroad to drink Heineken. Let us not waive we shall ever com….

  61. #93 Miss President

    So you are are aware from my Postings that I am much older than you. ‘Your freedom of speech’ gives you the audacity to disregard the age difference and insult me. That is the the essence of what I am talking about. You disrespect me regardless of the age difference and add insult to it. The inabillity to appreciate that age difference between you and me should make you at least address me with measure of respect. Well, keep on and exercise your freedom of expression and wish you the best in all your endearvours. I dont say it for nothing that that Priest of yours is a ‘wicked Priest’ and if you refuse to take this, well and good.

  62. I find it strange that a person who could be guilty of the most terrible crimes can yet be said to have ‘the right to the freedom of association’ when infact he aught to be in jail. A priest who aught to preaching peace, is yet causing anarchy. There was a riot in Kitwe. The cause, on one hand some suggest provocation by police and on the other hand others are saying the incitement caused by the priests incitement. The matter is before the courts and only the courts will decide. However, the question still remains, why one priest of all priests in Zambia are behind this fracas. Are the others not doing their part or thier busy following thier callings duty. Bwalya has abrogated his duties

  63. #99 Cont’d

    as a priest and has chosen to involve himself into Politics. How will Bwalya the address his parishioners who hold and opposing view, how will they view him in view of his partisan position? The matter of fact, whether he was wrong or not in what he said, the damage has been done. Someone somewhere in Kitwe his bones have been broken and someone has lost his business opportunities. In the middle of all this fracas stands a single priest who dared to voice his opinion. The damage done, does the priest concern himself. Wisdom and not rhetoric demands an answer.

  64. This article is crap,i guess the author didn’t do his research well,everyone thinks they can write just coz they know some ”big” words.Do not make suggestions you have not researched much about,you need to give reasons why something like the 50+1 majority win should be adopted & give examples of countries where it has worked well,you cannot honestly say it has worked in Zimbabwe & Kenya,only a kid or deaf & blind person would say that coz we all know they are still squabbling over the composition of cabinets in these respective countries.Although Banda took time to name a new cabinet,the old cabinet continued to work,there was no vacuum as the author says,it was a Presidential by election.

  65. PF man

    The dullest person I am yet to come across. Do you think by stating those qualifications, you will manage to undo my position. Have I challenged you so much ? I am yet to come across an educated person who displays such acute ignorance.What do qualifications have to do with this discussion? I wont go so low to start displaying such nonsensical boastings. By the way, In case you think I could be intimidated, you are completely mistaken.

  66. Miss President

    Here is a piece of advice. The priest you are defending happens to be supporting Sata. This Sata is the same person who has shown dictatorial tendencies to the extent that he stated that no elections would be held in 2011 even whilst campaigning for elections. The same Sata championed the third term bid for FTJ. The same Sata used violent intimidation agaisnt political opponents in Chawama. It does not take one to be a genious to know that Sata is undemocratic and therefore a fair assumption and judgement could be made upon his supporters. The priest is completely taking sata’s line of thought and approach.

  67. No matter what this bwalya guy may potray himself as, he has decided to take a partisan stance on political issues. The fact that he is a priest will not put a veil on my face and assume him innocent. If anything, I see a priest who has deliberately chosen to support a guy who is a well known thug. Not for once have I heard that Sata has shown pertinence on his wrong doings.

    I am saying all this assuming that your defence of the priest’s position is grounded on sincerity and therefore I am puting context to my position. The Sata that I know is not A VICTIM but a villain as his well known c.v shows.

  68. Miss President

    The vital context all this fracas is happening is under the UNJUSTIFIED CLAIMS that elections were rigged. These ‘claims’ are shortly to be raised in the court. The Police prior to charging this priest had warned and cautioned him. If this priest surely holds the teaching of the bible, he would have obeyed the bible’s directives in this matter. The Bible teaches the christian to obey ‘rulers and the laws of the country’. The bible goes to the extent of advising slaves to obey their masters. The christian is implored to pray for leaders and not to enter into dispute with them. That is the basic teaching of the scriptures concerning rulers and the christian responsibillity.

  69. The fact is that the priest disregarde the basic commands that he as a priest should abide by. He was given warning and caution more than once and he defied these warnings. The Police are responsible for our safety and I hardly can concieve that they purposefully wanted to provoke the situation. The police were involved in bringing about the restoration of order and even as difficult the situation and circumstances they operate, they obeyed their superiors and quelled the riots. The policeman is doing his civil duty and the priest aught to have led by example the obligation to potray character above reproach. The policeman provoked a riot you say? Let the courts determine.

  70. The riotous youths in Kitwe chanted PF SLOGANS. A politically induced riot with the assistance of a highly opinionated priest using public media. No other priest has been charged for this offence. The PF supporters are rallying behind the seemingly innocent voice of the ‘man of the cloth’ This type, by the revelation of scripture are termed as wolves in sheep cloth. Jesus taught the ‘believer to obey his master’ Jesus at no time taught that the believer should say or intimate into affairs of the kingdom of men. The priest is most likely not resolved on this position of scripture. This priest has an objection on this interpretation of scriptures and thus his position on this matter.

  71. I am not completely surprised by the priests position because many of his kind have I come across. Even today, some of his kind are facing charges of Genocide in Rwanda. The least that this priest could do was to pray for the prosperity of peace in this nation of Zambia. What I clearly see in people like Miss President is that they disregard the context of things. I must state this though, it does not really surprise me to see people take the position of Miss President.

  72. I love this article because of the conlcusion. Simple lets introduce 50 + 1 then we will not have this nonsense.

  73. ” I love this article because of the conlcusion. Simple lets introduce 50 + 1 then we will not have this nonsense. ”

    Maybe the solution is to make it harder to start parties.

    Either reduce the number of parties to 2, and have politicians try to rise through the ranks within either party. One party in government, one in opposition.

    Or, have a proper Proportional Representation system where people simply vote for one of numerous parties, which then have seats in parliament assigned to them by the percentage of votes their party received nationwide. The parties then have to work out among themselves who they want to govern with and create a parliamentary majority that way.

  74. Fair results and congrats Chipolopolo.
    Meantime:
    Vote president HH and his UPND Team for a possible youthful team of GRZ to lead Zambians to economic independence.

    Kala kabotu alakuyasa mavwa. This is our time, as youths, and this is surely our moment to work with new Personal Computers tools – calculator boy – to serve all Zambians of all backgrounds for a real ray of change and hope that all can believe and trust in.

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