By Gray Soko
There have lately been very divergent views from the MMD about the need or possibility of a pact between the MMD and UPND, ostensibly to provide checks and balances to the PF in parliament. Some have said it was completely unnecessary as MMD is strong on its own and HH cannot be trusted whereas others see such a pact as necessary to perhaps frustrate the PF or in the long run ride on UPND support to come back to power in 2016.
Those against the pact have not forgotten that UPND had vowed to remove the MMD from power and had spurned MMD’s attempts prior to the September elections for a pact. Some even go as far as blaming the UPND for MMD’s loss. It was rumoured that MMD would offer HH the vice-presidency in reward for his support . HH however had his eyes on the presidency itself and could not go for the lower job. They also point out that MMD is much stronger than UPND with 55 seats against UPND’s 28 and that the party can bounce back to power in 2016 without courting the support of UPND which hasn’t had a good record of remaining in pacts anyway . There is also suspicion that HH may try to ride on the MMD’s misfortune to gain prominence. Despite the fact that UPND comes third among the major political parties, UPND or HH seems to feel they must be treated as equal in any pact. The rejection of Professor Clive Chirwa’s proposals on the pre election pact is indicative of UPND’s view of its status. The UPND even managed to have their preferred candidate nominated as Speaker, a feat which seems to have ruffled some feathers in the MMD.[pullquote]Talk of succession is treated like treason in most African political parties. Such has been the fear of succession that the post of vice president was frozen and its last two presidents were picked from outside the party hierarchy[/pullquote]
MMD members supporting the pact with UPND appear to be motivated by selfish interest. They want to get back at the PF by using their combined numerical strength in parliament and in the long run get the advantage of the southern province vote to get back to power. This however cannot sell to HH who still has his eyes set on the presidency and would not “sell” his party for the MMD to return to power. It is certainly a dilemma for HH. Many also believe that if UPND were to enter into such a pact it will clearly show that the UPND has lost direction and the credibility of its leadership would be put to question. HH would then join the list of politicians like Ben Mwila or Sakwiba Sikota.
As I see it, both the MMD and UPND can exist as different opposition entities, assuming they still have different political, social and economic policies. They do not have to go into a pact or form a voting bloc and can individually support or oppose PF bills on their merit. I however do not see these parties gaining strength unless they seriously address their leadership issues.[pullquote]The UPND needs to come to grips with the reality that it has lost ground since the demise of Mazoka. They have to elect a leadership that is courageous and willing to take what may appear to be unpopular decisions in the long term interest of the party[/pullquote]
It is a tragedy that after 20 years in existence MMD in now talking about “searching” for a leader. They should have developed a succession plan a long time ago but this was not to be. Talk of succession is treated like treason in most African political parties. Such has been the fear of succession that the post of vice president was frozen and its last two presidents were picked from outside the party hierarchy. The UPND needs to come to grips with the reality that it has lost ground since the demise of Mazoka. They have to elect a leadership that is courageous and willing to take what may appear to be unpopular decisions in the long term interest of the party, a leadership that is down to earth ( not taken so much to visions that they lose touch with the earth) and determined to extend the party’s small imprints in western and north western provinces to other provinces whilst holding ground where they are already popular. The tag of a “tribal” party will not go away unless they do this.
Correct analysis
HH really wants to get plot 1 by any means, so much that he wants to take over MMD for his own greed… All normal thinking Zambian will never allow this tribalist under5 in plot…..Let the tonga tribal party get him plot 1 in ngombe compound or all else he will die a sad man
:((
HH lost it because of his greed interest MMD offered his auditing firm to audit government entities and that reduced him to a bootliker we need people who are principled like my president Miyanda he cant be bought
I cant get it, is this an analysis or paraphrasing what others have said or what?
good writing…whatever the plans!!! always remember…its 5 years…elo patali…..bambi ninshi mwalifwa nokufwa…..lets us just work together for mother Zambia…..
Who is HH anyway, just asking im a bemba boy.
Investigations are underway to ascertain how HH bought a house he is staying in near KKs house at K250,000 only. People who want to be future leaders should struggle to have a clean record.HH benefited alot in the privatization programme, him and some other Zambians who were appointed to sale mines on behalf of Zambians by Chiluba, under valued our mines for there selfish gain.Then we called chiluba a thief.Chiluba didnt privatize any mine, he acted based on information obtained from professionals in the likes of HH.
You’re either drunk or insane perhaps both for comparing HH with FTJ. Use whatever is left inbetween your ears wisely.:((
the pact is not a solution coz they will be opposing just for the sake of oposing even good policies..HH should hand over to some1 who can lead the part
Its definatel necessary, majelasi ku zed
These are kicks of a dying horse. Nonsense
Lessons to Learn:
1. Tribalism can only be practiced by certain tribes. FJT and Sata are tribalists looking at the way they ran the affairs of government and appointments but our loud friends always are too fast to deny it completely. The fact that Inonge Wina is PF chairman and a few others holding some positions doesn’t make PF a national party. It is a regional party that has won elections just because people are fed up of MMD and the Post has managed to portray Sata as Zambia’s savior. Look at the cabinet. Sata has made good statements about corruption and others but the fact is he is a tribalist. Period.
ulimbwa iwe chi hh. Hakayende Hakagone.
2. There is nothing wrong with MMD and UPND working together to oppose any bad policy PF would want to implement. Why be paranoid and talk in terms of frustrating the PF instead of talking in terms of providing checks and balances. It is the same thing perceived differently by the two parties. We are watching and if the MMD / UPND frustrate that PF (as the PF likes putting it), we will definitely not vote for them for frustrating progressive policies. The PF thinks it is only them who know when the UPND/MMD can frustrate them. All the PF needs to do is tell us that we suggested implementing this and that policy but the MMD and UPND team opposed it.
The masses will actually not vote for these parties anymore. Therefore the PF should stop throwing tantrums about imaginary frustration from the PF and UPND. We need progressive politics now and not politics of dominance. That are afraid of the MMD/ UPND pact not because of frustrations but because they don’t want opposition in order to pass bills that only favor them. In other words they want to work without checks and balances. Actually the tantrum is because they are somehow failing to get the numbers in parliament they want no matter what they try to scheme. Defection possibilities are slim because they can’t offer everyone jobs.
The PF wants a pact with MMD too just like UPND. For PF it is about dominance but for UPND it is about checks and balances (or what the PF calls frustrations). What is good for the goose must be good for the gander. Lat but not list the question is a UPND/MMD Pact necessary is wrong. It is just like asking is the sun necessary. The answer is obvious. Try asking the same question: Is a PF/MMD pact necessary and you will hear all the nice things about this pact. Hypocrits!
Actually, I think that a marriage between PF and MMD would be a disaster for PF. For one it would be like marrying a woman who is being chased naked down the road by a group of men, women, children and dogs shouting hule, hule, and expecting to still be respected in that community where that event takes place.
the only sensible pact would be ADD and NAREP
Why has UPND fallen in love with PACTS and Mergers? Does it mean that they have realised that they can not win an election alone but with a partner? IS UPND/HH ready to taken up the position of vice-president? Because MMD is bigger than UPND and they had 36% of total votes casted and 55 MPs in Parliament.these are some of the issues which made the UPND/PF pact not to succeed.I hope a proper analysis has been done.I feel,the UPND/MMD pact is not necessary because it will breed confusion and unnecessary by-elections.I know it’s not every body in MMD for the idea of a Pact.
Gray, your article does not convincingly to show that loose parliamentary alliance in the interim is not in the interest of the Zambian people; what Zambia needs is more inclusive legisilation viz a viz., the only way the PF Administration will take the minority views of the opposition seriously is if opposition have a common position on would-be legislation. Personally, I wouldn’t base my analysis on speculation about what will happen in 2016 or what the eventual outcome of the loose parliamentary allliance might be.
Why didnt HH go into the pact with MMD before the elections? This bull is trying to confuse MMD so that he can inherit the party the way he inherited UPND. Let him learn to create things. His money was made from inheriting houses from Lima bank what a life
Ka chikala ka jomie you are so stupid , HH will never be president , please respect our president he’s the man in charge . Its so refreshing to have a new and responsible president. My suggestion is that we send HH to Somalia as second secretary political affairs
HH needs to start listening to people. He needs to learn that for a person who is not liked by many, door to door campaigning is better than mass crowd campaigning. As for the MMD, the MMD will develop many factions after its next leader is chosen. So far, the factions will divide the party in to four sects: Those pro UPND, those against and those pro the new leadership and those who will feel like they were more capable to lead the party. Further still, another sect may emerge in that there will be Banda loyalist and Mwanawasa loyalists- I presume the next leader of MMD will be a Banda loyalist.
MMD&UPND make a pact and HH shud be a pressident.Otherwise your 36% vote is no more,if not next election you will be third if not last.UPND will be the second if PF delivery,if they fail to do what the said during the campaign then UPND will win.Post newspaper is also making HH more popular,Us on the ground we don’t no or believe about tribalism,we voted for PF not because H.E Sata is a bemba,but because he was the best candidate.So for now the best cadidante in the opposition is HH.one zambia,one nation.
Famous or infamous?
fake pact
UPND BECAME A TRIBAL PARTY AFTER MAZOKA’S DEMISE, AND THEREFORE CONTINUED TO SLIDE DOWNWARDS DUE TO THIS IMAGE OF THEIRS. THEY SHOULD FIRST SERIOUSLY REFORM INTO A NATIONAL (RATHER THAN A REGIONAL PARTY) BEFORE AIMING AT FORMING THE NEXT GOVERNMENT. AND AM AFRAID HH DOES’NT LOOK LIKE THE RIGHT GUY TO DO THIS..
It very sad to read that any attempt to offer checks and balances is perceived as FRUSTRATION, how will u ever know your mistakes if u fear criticsm! Zambia is not PF and decisions made by michael are not from heaven. It is necessary that we create a strong opposition in this country. Love it or hate but MMD or UPND alone will not be able to remove a sitting government. MMD is dying and is up for grabs and he who gets it gets numbers. Management by Wondering About(MBWA) will not take us to the promised land. We need someone to pay attention to detail and discuss options so as to verify whether what has been decided will benefit the common Zambian. Why are you people so mad and want to paint everything as tribal. I know about Fred, but why is everyone else so excited!
I am RB and i want to give my political plans. You see before elections i told you people that the King cobra will arrest me if he won the elections. True to my fears the cobra has been accusing me of all sorts of corrupt things. Now to counterract this i have bargained with under five to offer him the MMD party so that we can kill or chase away the dreaded cobra. My fellow MMD members please understand me i have to save my skin at all cost. I will need the UPND vote to defeat any motion in parliament to lift my immunity from prosecution. I hope colleagues you can see my reasoning and support me its all about myself and not you MMD and this is the way iam just support me.
Number 21 I beg to differ with you over HH becoming leader of the pact ,it can never work HH is very selfish, choose someone else to lead the pact
SHI MUBANGA # 25, spot on, I think firstly that #21 is very wrong and he is talking with an extremist view in spport of HH regardless the facts on the ground. Truth be told, MMD is a more relevant political party in opposition because they know how governance works and they have been working with opposition for a long time. Thus far, MMD via Kunda has made more constructive opposition in one month than HH has in five years. I think the politics has worn out the man in HH, he is now deluded and honestly, all over the place.
HH is a very selfish leader, leave that q##########k alone and lets concentrate on other people. next time HH will die of heart attack coz of his greediness
Luciferous # 26 you are very correct, i didnt know that Kunda could show signs of intelligence lets well come him back to the real world.
I DON’T THINK ITS NECESSARY TO HAVE A UPND/MMD PACT BUT FOR THE SAKE OF KEEPING CHEQUES AND BALANCES IN THIS SATA-LED TRIBAL GROUPING IN PF GRZ, ITS IMPORTANT TO A HAVE A STRONG VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS SO THAT THE ABOVE MENTIONED DO NOT GET DRUNK WITH POWER ESPECIALLY THAT THE GUY IN STATE HOUSE IS WELL KNOWN FOR HIS NEPOTISM/ TRIBALISM AND DICTATORSHIP BEHAVIOUR, PERSONALLY I WOULD SUPPORT SUCH A MOVE BUT MY DESIRE IS TO SEE MMD SINK IN THE BOTTOM LESS PITY LIKE UNIP AS IT BROUGHT TOO MANY MISERIES TO MOTHER ZAMBIA
MMD is a dead party, like UNIP. A pact with MMD is political suicide. This is free advice. You ignore it at your own peril. No re branding, reorganisation, re-charting will resuscitate this party. It’s down and out. Only family members and close friends of MMD leadership will remain in the faint hope that some day in the distant future it might be a factor, but it won’t. Unfortunately Sata has no opposition at the moment, so we are definitely headed for a one party benevolent dictatorship. Sata is just too advanced to be dribbled by the likes of UPND. May be a reorganisation of UPND, not MMD, just might make a difference if HH is factored out of the equation.
@ SHI MUBANGA, hahahaha, the real world. He has arrived and it appears power really does make people with a weak moral compass lose all reason. @ 29 OCTOPUS PAUL BWALYA: I do not think you have enough grounds to make tribal allegation against the president. I think the appointments are well balanced. Zambia voted mainly for more jobs and lower taxes. The fact you can identify tribalism where it is not means you are a tribalist yourself.
whats wrong with you donkey, mind what you write
I shall not issue any more drama or breaches of the Zambian constitution with ‘immediate effect”
i pray father at the cathedral listens to my next 20 confessions of blunders at state house.
@ Wantanshi, Excellent view, that sums up many people’s thoughts. I think UPND do not understand politics enough in that they may think they are the bigger voice of the pact then the reality is that the UPND is always being the ‘woman’ in every pact they enter.
When analyising the issue of pacts such as this one UPND/MMD, we should look at the true picture and notion of the individuals involved such as HH and Banda. As for HH and his UPND, had in the first place had a pact with PF on the grounds that MMD was practising corruption under Banda’s leadership. If he really was a firm man able to serve the people of Zambia and not to fulfill his own interest and dire need to get to plot 1, although having lost the election, he would have thanked the people of Zambia for voting out Banda and his MMD party, replacing him with Sata and his PFront with his strong principles of fighting against the vices of corruption that emerged rapidly in Zambia, to the detriment of the masses.
….and your point is?
A pact makes sense when the two sides have similar destinies in common, therefore the only workable pact is between UNIP and MMD, both headed for oblivion.
If HH has in his mind the desire to serve the people and not himself as it looks, with or without a pact with MMD, the UPND can still defend people by standing against motions which are detrimental to the population. He may know that in politics to win an election is all about selling the ideas to the people and not about making pacts that may even tarnish your image as you will be making a pacts with corrupt individuals. Let HH and UPND give checks and balances to the PF basing on the delivery of the promises they made to the masses. By Sata and PF being in power its because the majority of the people gave him the mandate and we wait for him to deliver thats when we shall judge whether he can continue or not in power. its too early to start such things.
Its funny and unreasonably for focus on a party in opposition about leadership succession. how about the PF has it got any. can it live beyond sata.
MARTIN: I think it is good to recognise good analysis when you see it, you are right. Many Zambians no longer take HH seriously and honestly he is a symbol of hate in Zambia.
“UPND BEING THE WOMAN IN THE PACT” # 35 Luciferous my man you are naughty kekekekeke
SHI MUBANAGA 28/19.
What do you know about HH besides what you’ve read from people’s opinions. Every story has two sides, you’ve not hear his and there you are being judgemental. You’re entitled to your own opinion, that’s your right. But you shouldn’t call others stupid or ***** for stating their own views. What makes you think you view is the best of all. People like you are a danger to democratic dispensation. Coming to Gray’s article, well I respect his opinion, except he has based all of it in speculation and not fact.
1. There is no pact between MMD and UPND. It only exists in the minds of Fred M’membe and a few people like him, such as Winter Kabimba.
QUOTE OF THE DAY “HH simbol of Hate” hahahahah
@ 42, and if UPND is the woman in every pact and they are going into many pacts, they can be described as a political harlot and also, if UPND is a metaphorical woman, then I can only wonder what body part HH will be compared to hahahahaha! I rest my case!
Why Cant UPND Stand on Its own? already they are in a PAct with All People’s Congress Party after the demise of Kenny Ngondo.Do they want to be in two, three Pacts? or they are not worth a Political Party?..That how you determine who a failure is.
A combination of UPND/MMD is the best if we got to have a strong opposition. Winning an election requires big numbers. ADD,NAREP,FDD combined cannot win. HH is honest.
a party than wont stand on its own…. this is political hulelising
Katele Kalumba’s suggestion that MMD should get into a pact with PF is a sure recipe for a return to one party rule and its “offshoots” of intolerance and dictatorship. We surely do not want to go that path again.
Some people have their minds made up that Tongas are tribal, the post will never stop calling HH tribal even without proof, PF will use this tribal tag as long as HH lives. I dont know waht the above article is trying to say. All the write up is unnecessary because I have a simple and straight forward answer to the topic. YES we need the MMD/UPND pact and YES we need a strong opposition. No politicain is perfeect and immune to opposition.
MMD/UPND pact is VERY necessary. PF has seen the threat and are so jittery and un ease so much that they have developed insomnia about the MMD/UPND working together.
Guadaffi captured, lol.
actually dead
# 43 Kafupi Wacine i do agree with some of the sentiments you have raised, but the fact of the matter is that HH wil never be president
Oweeeee but UPND and HH ma political prostitutes. They dont rest a day minus being caught prostituting hahaha. Utumaule tu UPND and Underfive. Please learn to stay alone ..stuppiidy.
You are all hypocrites. Just because UPND pulled out of the pact with PF does not make them demons. THis idea that you are better than UPND is like wanking yourself. You can’t pretend to be holier than HH. Those of you who say HH cannever be president please don’t forget that the same thing used to be said about Sata. NONE of you BUT GOD decides who becomes president. Noone ever foresaw Obama to be president. Don’t write off other human beings like that. As for the UPND/MMD pact, who are you to judge what should happen? Everybody has the right to politically mingle with whoever they feel like. Being president is not an entitlement of just one group of people…it is exactly such reasoning that has caused civil wars in other countries. Never under-estimate another group of Zambians.
So it is okay for MMD to go into a pact with PF, but it is not okay for MMD to go into a pact with UPND???? Typical BEMBA thinking. I think Zambia needs a bit of a civil war…and I can see it coming.
For the peace of everyone: what Sata should do is use his powers to divide up Zambia into smaller countries, so that tribes can rule themselves. The amount of tribalism that has creeped into Zambia is leading to one and only one thing – civil war; and this could happen at the next general election in 2016. Zambia should just break up tp avoid unnecessary deaths. What I hear in the background and at night is not good.
The so-called UPND-MMD pact is for the selfish interests of the leaders of the two leaders. Rupiah Banda thinks he will escape losing immunity and prosecution by courting UPND, whilst HH thinks he will assume the national character he has always lacked by riding on MMD in its confused state of not having a party president and vice president. But just wait for the two leaders to be rejected by their own party members and then you will come to know in the not-so-so distant future that the two parties had no strong basis for a pact to start with. The more they try to get together the more the two party leaders will face resentment from the rank and file and begin to alienate their members.
I’m learning it for the first time that in this country, there are gods who can tell that that this one or that one shall never rule this country based on human thinking and pronouncements. Just a reminder, the divine arrangement of the true God is beyond human thinking and everything about the future is in His hands and it surpasses whatever every Jim and Jack can have in mind. So learn to put God first in your pronouncements because probably you are not even known in the eyes of God or you are already dead but just exist by chance.
the apct would be ok..afterall PF ahs entered into a pact with UNIP and NAREP..why can’t UPND & MMD..?
YES, we need a good strong opposition to keep to keep things in check, and also to keep in check the behaviour of their members towards what is beneficial for the country as a whole, but it DOES NOT HAVE TO BE UPND and MMD, but if it were to be, both parties need to do their own internal cleansing first before they can have grounds on which to co-operate with anyone, and this also includes an immediate and thorough change of leadership.
And NO, PF is not jittery about this pact. It is weary of the apparently malicious intentions of the leading advocates of this pact, who both seem to have interests to protect which seem to have to do with averting justice. (And its not just PF thinking this, if you’re following the news and discussions.)
These pacts have failed several times. donnot cheat yourselves. Marriages of convinience………..garbage.
The idea of Tonga tribalism in UPND, though an unfortunate generalisation as there are some Tongas who are above this pettiness, is anyway hard to deny in the face of the fact that headmen in Tongaland actually said that only a Tonga should succeed the Late Mr. Anderson Mazoka, which indeed came to pass, and it is well documented that most of his electoral support comes from that region. Every time that anyone has said to me (or sent to me a suggestive sms) to vote for HH, it has been a Tonga friend, some who even said if HH can’t rule (after the pact died) then its better RB continues. On the other hand, I have Tonga friends who were looking at other alternatives too, like Chipimo.
On whether this MMD-UPND pact is necessary, I think not only is it not, as nothing good will come out of it for the two parties themselves, being a very divisive issue in the internal dynamics of both parties, and the advocates from both parties being leaders who are running more and more out of favour with the electorate and the analysts. However, in a democracy people should have the right to exercise their choices, regardless of how politically suicidal they are. Its not just PF to react. The electorate and other analysts are watching, and are capable of seeing what is destructive without having to be told by Fred Mmembe or the PF.
It depends on the objectives of the PACT. If it is merely aimed at frustrating the PF Government in parliament by blocking their proposed policies and legislation, it is short sighted with the capacity to backfire from electorates who would not accept brinkmanship.
Worse still, if it meant boost anyone’s chances for winning electiosn in 2016, it is ill conceived, Zambians have long memories and not likely to forgive the MMd just now. So it is difficult to see the value, which is when even founder members of the MMD are jumping the sinking Titanic!!!!
Each Party on its own please. We are now going to put it in the constitution. Either you abolish your party and join MMD and start as a councilor.
why is HH with 28 mps so in hurry to form a pact and not MMD with more members? The reason is simple. HH is now counting on his age 5yrs or 10yrs from now, according to UPND he will considered too old and Cornelius Mweetwa will soon start contemplating taking over leadership from old HH. He wants to pull a fast one in 2016 riding on MMD