The FDD says it will only consider going into an alliance if there is an agreed economic and social agenda for the nation as opposed to doing so solely for the purpose of removing the PF from Government.
Responding to a caller when he featured on Comet Radio’s live phone in discussion program this morning, Party Spokesperson Antonio Mwanza said calls for an alliance among opposition political parties are welcome but that his Party will only go in an alliance which clearly spells out a clear economic and social program meant to help the people of Zambia get out of their current sufferings.
Mr. Mwanza explained that the FDD believes in the unity of purpose and that unity of purpose should not only be for the sake of removing the PF from office but to help the Zambian people move from the current status of poverty and squalor to better lives.
“As FDD we believe that we need to work together as Zambians to find solutions and if it will mean FDD, UPND and other opposition political parties coming together and have an economic and social agenda which is clearly spelt out that this is the economic agenda we need to implement then there will be no problem for us to form an alliance with other opposition political parties. What is important is for political parties to sit down together and agree that this is the social and economic blueprint we will implement to end poverty and create wealth for the people of Zambia once we form Government.
“We don’t want to repeat the mistakes of the last 51 years were we have been removing Presidents and political parties using emotions, in 1991 we said we are tired of Dr. Kaunda and UNIP, things are expensive and scarce thus UNIP must go, we didn’t care who was coming and what they had to offer, it was the same in 2011 we just wanted MMD to go and we didn’t care about the 90 days lies of the PF…we don’t have to make the same mistakes. It is pointless to change Government’s but not change the governance structure of the country. We can’t form an alliance simply to remove PF and share positions. We must have a clear economic program. We must change the entire governance structure and the way we do our politics if we have to bring about meaningful change in people’s lives.
“For us as FDD we are open to discussions and I believe that these issues have been going on. Some church leaders, some politicians, youth groups and some NGOs have been coming to our offices and meeting us as leaders to tell us that we need to unite and move the country forward so if we can agree on the economic and social agenda on how we move people from this poverty and squalor to self-sustenance then there will be no problem for us to form an alliance with other parties ” he explained.
And on the on going constitutional debates in Parliament Mr. Mwanza wondered why the MPs should be debating the document which they took part in crafting during the various stages of the consultative processes from which the Zambian people agreed on clauses to have included in the Draft Constitution.
He said the FDD is in agreement with the contents of the document because they epitomise the aspirations of the Zambians but that the party disagrees with the process of enacting the Constitution as proposed by the PF Government as it gives the MPs the power to alter or reject the people’s submissions. He further expressed worry that there was no legal framework to protect content of the Draft Constitution.
“Our position as FDD is very simple, we are not opposed to the document because the content is coming from the people of Zambia through an extensive process of consultations and deliberations that were held from the district conventions up to the national convention were we participated as a Party. We further take recognisance of the fact that the views contained in the document are consistent with what people have been saying since 1991 when we started this issue of the constitution, we are 100% in agreement with what the people of Zambia have said however, what we have refused is the process of enacting the Constitution because that process does not have a legal framework to protect the contents of that very constitution and history teaches us that we cannot trust that parliament as far as the constitution making process is concerned. That parliament has duped the people three times before.
“The bill has passed the second reading and it is now going in the third stage were MPS will be debating clause by clause. Why debate the things which were extensively debated by the people? All those Ministers and MPs were with us during the extensive consultation and deliberation processes that were undertaken. They were party to the entire process so what are they going to be debating now? What we expected was for the document to go to Parliament and pass through without further debates. So for us we are not confident in the process.
We believe that the process will not protect the content. , We believe that once they start debating clause by clause we will end up with the same problem which we had in 1995, 1997 and 2009 were Parliament botched the process. There will start cherry picking and tampering with people’s submissions.” Mr. Mwanza warned.
Okay that is good observation on constitution making process. We hope the MPs will consider the 50+1 and the deputy president running mate. These another parties just urge for nothing, coz they were there when the issues were proposed by people when we spend a lot of money. Before now they were crying for 50+1 and presidential running mate and now they are making noise when the president wants it to be law.
Why alliance when it would be a Gothic horror story all the way? It doesn’t make sense to go in unattainable alliance when there are no shared values or open platform for alliance partners to come up with an accepted leadership in the alliance. Its being simplistic to believe that careerist ballot rejects regardless of how many times they have been rejected could set aside their fixated ethnic agenda and nobly unite with others to be led in an increasingly restless and grumpy regional parties they lead with a sense of entitlement to rule.
@Senior Citizen – The only thing that doesn’t make sense here is that an Alliance will result in you loosing your Job as a Professional Cadre!
If MMD was still intact to date,firm,stable, vigour,and led by visionary leadership,looking for alternatives would have been a waste of time.Its not about moving govts out off office(a good observation right there mwanza) for the sake of entering in power to spoliate public resources.My thoughts were,PF needs a replacement,by a party with defined structures(party),defined social and economic policies,the reason being PF is still experimenting.Experiments are retrogressive.
Alliances never work in Zambia. Just try to mobilise the people on your own, although since your party is miniscule and your top leadership a mere recipe for disaster due to quarrelsome behaviour your chances are quite slim.
Lies, all you want is gauranteed government positions. That is what Zambian politicians are all about. If Lungu was to offer Nawakwi VP and Mwanza some ministerial position FDD will jump in bed with PF without hesitation even if they don’t agree with PF’s ways of governing.
I disagree. Edith does not need that. Mzimai uyu ni nsimbi. Try something else.
Parliament MUST NOT ALTER any agreed clause in the draft document. That would be betrayal of the people and at the same time send a very sad message that all the money that was spent in coming with consensus on those clauses was needlessly wasted. Please Mr SPEAKER, just rubber stamp the agreed ones and you’ll do the nation a big favour!
Why don’t we have opposition political parties that understand mobilisation. There is nothing different about opposition parties in Zambia in terms of thinking and approach. Even the hoax of all opposition parties saying we want an economic agenda for Zambia is mere politicking, did we not hear that from the PF when they were in opposition only to come and lamentably fail, even this issue of people trying to black mail you that just by having socialism in place the economy will improve is a big LIE,it takes more than that. Sleepy opposition, too fragmented. Wake up!
What has what you’ve said got to do with mobilization?
I think UPND cannot agree to any useless alliance who can only manage to just under 16000 votes, now do you see any use here?
#Peace Maker-Indeed Nawakwi can not win the forth coming elections, but one thing you can not take away from her is that she is a good mobiliser, an intellectual and a seasoned politician. Actually I foresee at least one MP on FDD ticket because Nawakwi’s FDD is now well known among the voters.
With the pending presidential running mate, if I were HH, I would seek picking her as my running mate-she would definitely win HH some votes among the women folk. She is also more appealing in the Northern. Luapula and Muchinga regions, were I think she has marshalled up a good foundation especially in the rural set-up. If this were to happen, it would be a brilliant idea to let loose of her on a campaign trail in these three regions while HH harmers hard on CB, LSK and Central as it is not…
#Cont.
even necessary going to campaign in places like Southern and North-Western where the results are obvious and forgone conclusion.
The argument that the voters were wrong to remove a UNIP government that they considered incompetent to end economic stagnation that the country experienced. The argument that voters were wrong to remove an MMD government that they considered too myopic to create enough jobs and cash in the pocket through a robust infrastructure development programs policies. The voters are always right to exercise their right to choose government leaders. Please remain consistent in your arguments. Or are you suggesting that FDD must never ascend to power? That is ridiculous. Every political party has the right to aspire for presidency. If FDD is not in a hurry to rule the country, then let FDD give chance to UPND. Regime change is a prerogative of voters. Period.
Dr kasonde we welcome your analysis.what Mwanza is saying is, we didn’t care what was to come,after removing govt’s.Emotions replaced analysis,till now everyone is annoyed with PF if not all”emotions” right there”,right?.i
The Problrm with FDD is they have only one MP Chifumu Banda who won the Chasefu seat not because of FDD but his own name. I dont even know how many local govt seats they have countrywide. They need to lobby to Join an opposition party like UPND unlike to overate themselves.
Already Chifumu Banda and Nawakwi do not see eye to eye. Bad for opposition though Nawakwi is a good leader but prob is shouldering the party responsibility alone. It can work like that in Politics
It’s got nothing to do with Chifumu Banda and Nawakwi not meeting. The issue is our opposition parties, believe me there is no ideological difference between these parties. What is there is the President of each party wanting to become republican president. There is nothing wrong with ambition, but weigh yourselves and see if it’s feasible. As fragmented as you are, we do not want to hear things like PF has rigged in 2016. In fact when President Lungu smiles and says I will wire them in 2016, he sees the fragmentation_ heritage party, Christian democratic party, people’s party, poor man’s party, national revolution party, MMD,FDD,UPND,Rainbow party, Green party, narep and many others and for what
That is point!
@Chishimba, you nailed it down.
@Senior Citizen, there is no need to use innuendo because its common knowledge that you have consistently been firing salvos at HH[careerist ballot reject], UPND[regional party] and the Southerners[fixated ethnic agenda]. Zambia is larger than your tribe. Every Zambian, wherever they may be coming from, has a right to contest for elections as long as the law allows them to. And who has been rejecting HH, is it ‘Zambians’ as you would want us to believe or its tribalists like you who have been openly saying ‘A Tonga cannot be president of this country?’ Are there any particular people who have been given a mandate from our creator to rule over others? Your sentiments and those of others were what brought about the discredited Apartheid system in South Africa where the whites felt more…
@ CHISHIMBA your are very right, all apposition parties have seen were PF is taking the country and yet someone is saying “it’s not a matter of removing PF from power.
Do you mean to say if opposition parties have no common economical agenda PF should continue plundering the country? Please opposition parties get away from your selfishness and save Zambians from the MONISTER PF. You already have common economical and social agenda, only that each one of you want to be State Presidents.
Monster, not monIster.
All these quarks are backing for presidence no why they even bring saggestions that can never work.we want people that can prove what they are saying but doing it before they get to state house example let them produce electricty without waiting for rains 2.will give them one provice were they should bring doller at k5,will give them copperbelt mines for six months to reinstate all job losses and pay them without government.then if they do that i can tell all political paties to rary behind that opposition.all ealse the point mwanza proved is valid not emaging for the sake to remove pf just to be in state house but offer solutions that will take zambia as a country to great hights.
Stup1d1ty without boundaries.
Not kuitaya. If that is the case, work with PF. Other parties are falt finders while FDD is proving to have ideas to improve economy. So is the PF because is ready to work with anyone who has positive ideas that can help to push our mother Zambia foward..
Mobile phone Gondwe, the only thing that does not make sense is that you are a very cheap mobile phone. Otherwise Senior Citizen has hit the nail on the head, precisely.
And Antonio Mwanza has spoken sense for a change. To put it plainly, an alliance cannot work because an unnamed opposition leader who called for the alliance simply wants an escort to state House.
Just wait IMWEBAKABOVA, am telling you now that, PF is winning with 53.3% no matter what, this is the end of SATANIC HH IN UPND, GBM, in 2016 is the new leader of UPND in OCTOBER, 2016, that means BEMBAS will have two big parties in 2021 at that time LUNGU will give the leader to the BEMBA MAN, YOU JUST WAIT HOW TONGAS WILL COLLAPSE AFTER HHs FAILURE.
Hey what sort of party is UPDN, not a single opposition leader wants to work with them, can you imagine not even Milupi or Mulongoti have not responded to their invitation. Shows how Much suspicion opposition have in UPND
Akainde don’t want to be led but to lead at all cost. So who can join him lessons were learnt at the time of UDA and PF alliance.