By Trevor Simumba
Most of Zambia’s opposition are reactive rather than proactive, focusing on threat rather than offering a positive program that people really want. UPND suffers from this reactive attitude even more. They respond to every little thing even from people that they should not even be listening to let alone responding to the extent of even going to court. Working together to be proactive — and not reactive — is the key for the UPND. Stop always reacting to everything empty tins pronounce. Focus on the result. Do not allow emotions drive your strategy or thinking. When it comes time to work on policy and reforms, the UPND will undoubtedly find that a hatred of the PF administration will only bridge gaps so far.
You need more than just emotions to win an election.
A unifying party message and platform must come from within the UPND, underlined by action that doesn’t begin at election season but begins now. Empower your local foot soldiers who know better what the issues are at local level. Revive the national leadership through elections, and a national convention and get rid of some of the old men and women in the NMC that have gone beyond their sell by date. Bring in more youth and women to support HH. It cannot be just HH and a handful of UPND leaders speaking. Empower new voices within the Party. With such proactive strategies even more people would support the UPND especially if the party organized more direct-action campaigns at the local level led with a national vision. The very process of envisioning calls us to a bigger picture than we might otherwise have.
Let the UPND focus on clearly showing what the problems are and what solutions they have in simple words. No need for long winded essays just lay it out simply. For instance: ‘We will fix what PF has broken. We will ensure public debt is reduced by renegotiating our debt and establishing a working debt management system.
We will ensure that all infrastructure projects are audited and where corruption is found culprits fully prosecuted within the laws of Zambia. We will empower the Police and all other security wings to do their jobs without political influence. Public servants will be appointed on merit, etc. etc.’.
More importantly, stop referring to HH as a Tonga President. He is a Zambian period and his tribe has nothing to do with his capacity to lead Zambia. HH’s qualities as a leader are many. Talk about his integrity, hard work, discipline, family man, business acumen and his leadership skills. These are what make him a good choice for many Zambians. Just my thoughts borne out from observation and experience advising political campaigns. Many Zambians including many leaders within the PF know that Hakainde Hichilema is the best candidate amongst this whole crop of politicians to become the 7th President of the Republic of Zambia.
The problem is many do not have the courage of their convictions and so continue to wallow in mediocrity so long as they are eating well and their children are fine. As for the rest of the country that is struggling they do not care and would rather plant seeds of division to maintain the so called “sweet of power” at the expense of the whole nation.
This is why the UPND and all other opposition parties cannot afford the luxury of complacency. We need Unity of Purpose get rid of your egos and do what is right for the nation of Zambia.
Malabishi, this article is not worth my time
Thanks for the advise. It is well taken.
Looking at where we as a country, a change of guard in the 2021 will be an act of patriotism. E.G Note that at current debt levels, we shall paying about 25% interest on the Eurobonds by 2022 if there is no drastic change in spending.
With the current crop, PF will run us into a default if they stay in power. Then we will ready have a huge problem on our hands. It’s unfortunate they don’t seems to understand the urgency due to their comfort.
Akainde is daft. He doesn’t listen to advice. Better off talking to a stone.
In 2010 Zambians told him to be patient. He thought he was smarter and more educated than President MC Sata. President Sata won and (HH) lost
The editor are u a cader for PF now
Reading this article was a waste of time. Malabo should like someone said. Stop shooting in the dark.
HH and indeed members of his Party has done and said more than you’re suggesting. Bearing in mind the odds against them.
The trouble with journalism is that they write what they want to write. UPND has done very well with the messaging and on the ground people in the party are united. Give it to them, being the biggest opposition party for 20 years, going toe to toe with the party in power in every aspect including competing in every bye election country wide!
But of course, what the article implies is that they should sharpen their message and communicate better to independent voters
*I meant to say Malabishi just like someone said
All agreed about Trible HH being perhaps the best candidate to become 7th president among the current contenders. Obviously we have seen where Hamble hs brought us with his agenda of planting bricks and tar everywhere and anywhere without any discernible economic benefit and with no regard to how to pay the loans. But whatever Trible HH may do as you have advised him, he is not notable simply because of his refusal to denounce his 2006 ascendancy to UPND president on a Trible card. That is his albatross. It is the fear which prevents us to have confidence in him, our question as citizens is are we being asked to vote for a Tonga president or indeed a lozi president or a bemba president or a Luvale president or nsenga president? We will vote for one of these, we want to vote for Zambian…
….But whatever Trible HH may do as you have advised him, he is not notable simply because of his refusal to denounce his 2006 ascendancy to UPND president on a Trible card. That is his albatross. It is the fear which prevents us to have confidence in him, our question as citizens is are we being asked to vote for a Tonga president or indeed a lozi president or a bemba president or a Luvale president or nsenga president? We will vote for one of these, we want to vote for Zambian president. IfTrible HH and his UPND answer this question correctly and then add an apology, then we are done for 2021. Otherwise we are stuck with Hamble but hopefully the PF would have given us a better choice by 2021.
So Trible HH, shake off your Trible title as advised and you stand a good chance, please???
Simply stating that HH is the best presidential candidate among the current crop of politicians without articulating what he has achieved without oppotunism and underhand dealings is a major failure and lopsided nature of this article. HH is a typical example of what political party Democracy should not be in Zambia. Everything centre’s on one man (HH). And yet the majority of the Zambian electorate have unequivocally said No five times for HH to lead our great nation . Even within his own party the sincere politicians know very well that UPND is a typical symbol of a dictatorial and outdated political party arrangement. The manner in which HH ascended to that throne is a sham let alone his birth history. Many electorates in Zambia do not think HH has any tangible qualities befitting a…
gassing gassing gassing gassers these are gassers period.
Iwee advice the PF, wht advice should you give ba UPND, what wrongs hv they done. You’re cowards, wht a u afraid of.
No point advising such. He will never be president and he knows it . Zambiams can see through that act of his and the desperation. If you have failed over 5 times and you keep doing the same things , then clearly you are not that sharp. Kz
KZ I agree with you.Winning with gassing chemicals scammers ..? It’s a joke.
Desperation indeed.
This message is not helpful. Better to give a word of advise to PF and its leadership.
Previous governments we never heard the words like “able leadership of president so and so”, in all works of government, all leaders must first know that leadership is team work. Even when one builds a toilet for public, you want to call the president just to officially open it. This is how dictatorship comes in.
Nothing of late will be pointed at by a Minister officially opened by such in his or her capacity. PF must do away with the so called ‘The president’ it means you do not know why such ministries are in existance. Clinic can be done by ministry of Healthy. Opening of a bus station let it be done by Minister of Local government etc and not the way we have seen currently happenings of PF…
YOU F00K!N P.F KW!NDI’S HAVE RUINED THE NATION, NOW YOU WANT PEOPLE TO SHOULDER THE RESPONSIBILITY WITH YOU??
Tiyeni uko, P.F KUY@B3BELE!!
Best advise is for upnd to change its leadership, most fundamentally hh and his hardliners.
UPND is not good political party.Most people who support UPND are bitter and can’t debate issues.They are so bitter such that they can kill if you disagree with them .For them it’s putting a Tonga president.Self praise that tongas are most intelligent.They suffer from inferiority complex.UPND should stop advancing this tribe tag in the party.Everyone who was UPND member have testified to that.
We see it from brothers also from south.It’s terrible.This party has really divided Zambia.HH thinks he can’t be a president bcoz is tonga.Why behaving in such a manner?Let us not use tribe to justify your failures.The gassing incidents are linked to UPND just to score that PF wants to ban HH from standing .We know what’s happening but he will lose bcoz people have died.Innocent blood.
Good article but i dont agree with the author where he says HH is the best among the contesting presidential candidates. Why i say so, HH feels he knows it all and these others in the party must just listen to him. He makes decisions unilaterally. Even in the corporate world you cannot run an entity lik that, you need to listen to others for well informed decision. Imagine he was running the affairs of the nation in that manner, Zambia could have been HH and HH could have been Zambia just like UPND is now. The other reason is that the man is deeply dented with tribalism and other questionable behaviours. Just look at the way he struggles to provide an answer to where he got his riches, how he ascended to UPND throne at the expense of long serving and experienced members, his relation with…
@Saimbwende. Its true that HH has his weaknesses and his strong points as do the other candidates. I would have thought that instead of just listing what in your opinion are his weak points, you would make an evaluation with the other candidates also. After all, the author is not alleging that HH is a saint but that in his opinion, he is the best of what is out there. It would also be good to substantiate some of your statements e.g. “the man is deeply dented with tribalism”. I am hoping we can put all the candidates on a platform and fairly scrutinise all of them.
Very correct analysis. Lusambo clearly said the reason he can’t leave power it s because he’s enjoying.can u imagine such reasoning frm a leader surely..leaders shd be there for others not for themselves.
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Trevor Maliwanda Simumba – a good job that you have called it out. We have addressed these issues for a long time. UPND has so many people who are just waiting to get jobs if HH had to win.
HH’s leadership style has contributed to the fracas in UPND. He must stop running the party like a king. And his common touch to people is very poor.
No doubt. The problem with reacting to every trivial issue cheapens your standpoint. Coming to Lusaka times and insulting Lungu is not scoring points or winning you votes. It actually does the opposite.
You make the mistake of targeting Lungu instead of policy so that people can have good grounds to see what can work for Zambia.
Cont…
cont…
UPND is the main opposition party and yet it is almost impossible to point who are the policy sellers or shadow spokesperson for :
Commerce
Education
Home Affairs
Transportation
Health
Tourism
And the list goes on…..
It appears everyone just waits for HH to answer to everything on national matters.
So UPND swallow your pride and learn from Trevor Simumba what he has said. Zambia needs a strong opposition party that can put PF to the task.
ON point Mr. writer!! HE thinks we enjoy his noise. Instead of repenting his sins to GOD is busy noising and con terminating the country, NIKISHI MWE!!!!.
The problem with UPND is they disassociate themselves from the people on the ground (the grassroots) and their tendency of picking people they think are intellectuals always backfires. let them rethink their strategies if they have to stand a chance a beat the already sinking titanic. Pick people on merit and not because HH favors such a person. currently i agree with people that are saying that UPND seems a party for one person at the moment and that has to change either by his members coming out to unanimously endorse HH or allow for a free and fair convention where HH can be challenged so that he can win the right to stand on merit. then also how can the party stay this long without a vice president this raises more questions too.
KZ,ARE U GOD TO SAY HH WILL NEVER BE PRESIDENT? EVEN PEOPLE WHO WERE SURROUNDING RB USED TO SAY THE SAME.
You want HH to denounce the 2006 ascendancy to UPND president on a Trible card.? In the first place , The congress was not composed of Tongas only!
2. If Sakwiba Sikota was worthy of a presidential candidate ,Where is his party?
3.HH can not start denouncing the opinions of an ordinary member of UPND who had his own opinion and it was, is and will never be the policy of UPND.
Every day we read and hear pronouncements of wako ni wako and ine ndimuBisa from prominent pf leaders? Why have they not been told to denounce that?
Trevor is a plant just as HH. They are all sellers and you know what they want to sell? Zambia.
Anyone who can vote for UPND may be considered as …. because UPND is a terrorist organisation.
Simumba, you’re obviously a concerned UPND member ,and a sensible one for that matter. Why have you left out the Sejani qualification for UPND presidency?
A Sejani enabled UPND President is clearly a fraud and a political stumbling block. Advise removal of Hakainde from the presidency and the reinstatement of Sakwiba Sikota,Robert Sichinga,John Mulwila,Patrick Chisanga and others to compete for the party presidency.
HH IS THE WORST POLITICIAN AMONG THE CROP OF POLITICIANS WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IN ZAMBIA BECAUSE HIS SHADOW CABINET IS THREE QUARTERS TONGA. TONGA IS A VERY SMALL TRIBE IN ZAMBIA AND CANNOT REPRESENT THE WHOLE COUNTRY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA. SO HOPELESS AND DULL SIMUMBA YOU ARE PUTTING FORWARD A VERY BASELESS POINT. ANYWAY SIMUMBA HAS BEEN EXPECTING A POSITION IN PF AND HAS NOT SUCCEEDED SO HES A FRUSTRATED CHAP AND NOW UPND CADRE.