By Dr. Lubinda Habazoka
I never want to discuss politics but I think I cannot pass by without commenting on this observation by Hon Nkombo.
I write this in my personal capacity as a citizen and a holder of a voters card.
In football, you can’t blame the tactics of your opponents for the loss of the game because you have no control over which players the opponent plays, the playing system they use among other things. The same applies to politics.
I followed closely the campaign of the UPND during the just ended by-elections. I don’t remember the promise that they made to the people apart from Mwakole and some other things.
When MMD was voted in 1991, we were promised eggs bacon, and milk at breakfast, and the MMD promise put them into power. PF also came with more money into people’s pockets slogan and they formed government.
What the UPND should do is to develop that message of hope for the Zambian people.
You rarely win an election from the opposition by using corruption and Mwakole slogans. Zambians want to hear what an alternative government will do in terms of taxes, job creation, wealth-creating, etc. They want a message of hope.
This weekend EAZ was attacked by one Antony Bwalya or Mumba (UPND) member for its Citizen Entrepreneur Development Program. What my colleague did not know is that the private sector-led initiative has been welcomed by the masses who want to achieve their business dreams. Now when a party attacks such an initiative, the message being sent is that once they form the government, they won’t entertain empowerment programs.
Instead of attacking civil servants and the police as corrupt, Sata would buy breakfast to police officers sent to arrest him. That gave hope to our men and women in uniform that once Sata forms government, he will be their person.
Then also you can’t use macroeconomic figures to explain to citizens that they are suffering. Suffering is felt at the household level. When campaigning, you need to identify issues that really citizens are facing. A woman in Mwansabombwe doesn’t care about Eurobonds. All she wants are roads and clinics and that’s what the other camp is providing. So a new formula has to be developed in order to counter the PF.
Even for this article, I will be insulted. Now when you insult me and I keep quiet, genuine people will sympathize with me and will be scared of your aggressiveness. Zambians after KK want soft leaders.
Zambians are very tricky people. They vote with emotions.
YOU PEOPLE WHY DO YOU TALK ABOUT UPND, LEAVING OUT OTHER OPPOSITION PARTIES LIKE: MMD, FDD, UNIP, HOUSE PARTY, TALKATIVE PARTY ETC.
ARE THEY NOT IN OPPOSITION?
THIS TELLS ME THAT YOU ARE ALL RECIEVING SLEEPLESS NIGHTS THAT NO DAY PASSES OUT WITH HH AND UPND IN YOUR HEARTS. SOME WILL DEVELOP HEART ATTACKS AND DIE OUT EASILY KKKK
I am sure those stupid mwankole birds the UPND are singing about will vote for them.
I would like to be educated about Mwakole slogans. What are they? What message do they carry? Where do you get them?
TIMELY ADVICE AND MY THOUGHTS AS WELL BR HABAZOKA.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT UPND DO NOT LISTEN AND GET ADVICE.
AND WHEN IS UPND CHOOSING TWO VICE PRESIDENTS?
UPND MUST BE SERIOUS AND IF THEY THINK THEY WILL WIN ELECTIONS IN THIS DISORGANIZED MANNER,THEN THEY SHOULD FORGET.
LEARN FROM PF,THEY HAD A VERY POWERFUL AND ORGANIZED TEAM THAT IAM NOT SEEING FROM UPND.
HABAZOKA,YOU ARE CORRECT.I CAN SEE ANOTHER RIGGING CLAIMS IN 2021.
Good advice to chika.la. personally I have never head what upbd will do for Zambia. All I hear is that they will fix it. Fix what? 10 point plan, which never speaks to jobs, food etc
The UPND must given a winning formula. Earlier today, I was reading about how the future UPND governnent may transform NAPSA benefits for the members. Instead of waiting for 55/65 years, active contributors to the fund can get their money before it matures. Is that not progressive enough? The main opposition political parties must be alternative hope for citizens to look up to.
But these guys easily lose focus.
*The upnd must have a winning formular…
Awe Ch!kkala Habasoka you didn’t follow the campaign closely. Rewind and listen to that Agriculture guy from Eastern Province, and listen to that Mpundu, those are good speakers.
Garry also had a good message “from Mazabuka”, unfortunately he messed up by kneeling like the PF Mwankole. Garry, never ever knee and beg for votes. Just DACE DANCE DANCE to Mwankole song.
Let play that song again….. Ba Mwankole… its a hit.
No matter how many hundreds of millions a team can spend on players …….if the manager is crap , that team eventually gets relegated , unless the manager is replaced
This is the case with lungu….no matter how many billions they borrow , things are just getting worse……
replace lungu and the kwacha will gain the same day just from that news without doing anything else……..
Only a dull goat can vote upnd
truth pains mr. back to the drawing board.
Habazoka, I like what you said and you are right…
….”Even for this article, I will be insulted. Now when you insult me and I keep quiet, genuine people will sympathize with me and will be scared of your aggressiveness….”
upnd, put simply, is a party that repels rather than attract.
Sensible article and very well articulated. Bro. Habazooka and I have one thing in common – I also detest political debates but when it comes to observation and objective truth, I will speak my mind.
It is true that people need a message of hope. They will only vote for politicians because of what the politicians promise to deliver. That’s how simple the formula is. Jamaicans will say “me come yah fi drink milk, me no come yah fi count cow” .
My observation: the higher the educational level of the citizens, the higher the demands/expectations from the leader, e.g. how their tax money is spent. The least educated will settle for less (enough food on the table).
I do not usually agree with Lee, but on this point, he is on cue. The UPND needs to do THREE things: 1. Get a charismatic leader or HH must change and be charismatic. He must spend some money to learn how to speak to people. President Lungu’s bar is very low. It can very easily be surpassed. 2. Get a grassroots’ slogan. Forget the internet audience. Very few of them actually vote. 3. Go house to house and talk to the people in their homes. Eat their nshima and lie down on their mpasa. Until you are President, driving in for a rally and driving out after that will never win you votes. Mingle, mingle. Go to clubs and play Pool with the boys. Merge with MMD if the worst comes to the worst. Have a convention and elect a unity leader.
U said it right. UPND has made sure those who disagree with them are given derogatory terms but that has only gone to harden their hearts. But this is not helping UPND in any way.
I tend to concur somewhat with Dr.Habazonza albeit that he has oversimplified the forces at play.Dr Habazoka neglects to highlight that in this game,the referees have become part of certain team and the playground is no longer level.The police are openly partial.ZNBC which should be carrying all parties campaign messages is partial and Electral Commission is important to enforce the Electoral Code of Conduct.You cannot play your opponent when he is under the protection of the referees.
IT IS AN OXYMORON FOR UPND TO THINK OF A MESSAGE OF HOPE.
DOOM AND GLOOM ARE THEIR BEST FRIENDS AND NAMES.
THE ECONOMY WOULD TANK IF THEY GOT TO THE LEVERS OF GOVERNMENT
FORTUNATELY IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN
Well said Dr, the problem in UPND starts with the top leadership. They are too emotional and they behave as if they are at war. Imagine upto now Mr HH has nevet gotten over his loss in 2016. He still sees President Lungu as an enemy not a political opponent and he has failed to recognise him. In politics, one has to accept defeat and reorganise him/her self for the next elections. You can’t keep on relying on violence and propaganda to win elections no!!!
Anyone with UPND manifesto? I thought, I was the only one who had no idea what the UPNDs message was. They shoot aimlessly at anything, the result is that they are running out of ammunition. The last parliamentary and ward elections are a foretest of what 2021 is likely to be if there is no radicle change in the UPDN camp. Not only do they need a message they must also show a human face. The only thing one sees in HH is rage and bitterness and lately insults. Mr Hichilema, untill you change, which I doubt very much, you will only see the roof of state house. Nawakwi this Nawakwi that will not translate into votes for you but minus votes. You thought you would just overun Nawakwi, you tested your own medicine. You cannot just say what we saw in
your video clip about your colleagues No…
They get the most useless onliine media in their pockets and you get headlines like, police arrest upng campaign team media ( the alleged crime is attacking ECZ staff) they are call leaders. Few days later police arrest PF thug for malicious damage to property. Well I agree the guy was a thug but so was Patrick mucheleka and team of thugs. Apo epo nipelele
I can not vote for UPND . Once make a mistake and vote for UPND you will regret and thinking that UNIP was better. It is a violent part and people will be dyeing like mosquitoes . I was listening to Diamond TV featuring Sesheke UPND MP busy propagating violence even saying they will be killing any foreigner found voting . People of Zambia open your eyes.
They think that thy are more knowledgeably than the pf, but they are failings to tell the people of Zambia the solutions they have to the economical problems we are facing as a country.all what thy know is stupid accusations against the government of pf.
Upnd has run out of ideas. No strategy except social media and insulting those they don’t agree with
Everything is needed even warning the Zambians to stop voting for ba mwankoles its fine.
Nothing will distract us pf must go, period!
The Advisor – Imagine HH has made his supporters treat him as the Republican President instead of the Republican President. There is nothing Presidential that he has said or done. It is all about arrogance and rudeness. Insulting in Northern Province was the lowest level of insolence. He will not recover.
I honestly think Lubinda is a fool looking for a job from Captain Mwankole Chagwa. As an economist, albeit a Russian one, One would think he would realize the direct link between Eurobonds, cost of building roads & clinics & overall consequences on the general economy. It proves the average Zambian is a fool!
Ubu mwankole muleke bafikkalla ba PF imwe! Takwaba sure, everyday ifili mutulukobo tapali nangu chimo kano bulazo, stinking tribalism, whiskey, rigging elections & fornication/adultery and lying! How can you develop a country like this na papata bafikkalla imwe sure lekeni ukunya chinyanyenye!
Ubu mwankole muleke bafikkalla ba PF imwe! Takwaba sure, everyday ifili mutulukobo tapali nangu chimo kano bulazo, stinking tribalism, whiskey, rigging elections & fornication/adultery and lying! How can you develop a country like this na papata bafikkalla imwe sure lekeni ukunya chinyanyenye!!!
Stop and think for a moment-the same people who pushed out Kambela Mazoka’s team and installed hh as head of upnd and have been losing elections since 2006 are still the same group advising hh. Do you expect a different result apart from a losing strategy??
In a competition, i thought when your opponent blunders, that works to your advantage – but alas, in Zambia its the exact opposite. HH doesn’t take interview, opponents feel hurt, on one hand you say “ba mwankole slogan is useless” yet you don’t want them use it, how? I guess you have felt the heat. If you are not a Mwankole, why chikubaba?
I made this observation way back and I got a load of cr*p from these keyboard voters! Simply put UPeND has no strategy, message and no manifesto apart from the one-man-ten-point-plan, whatever cr*p that is!
I made this observation way back and I got a load of cr*p from these keyboard voters! Simply put UPeND has no strategy, message and no manifesto apart from the one-man-ten-point-plan, whatever cr*p that is!
I dont remember the MMD promising any bacon and eggs. We just wanted UNIP to vamoose
Love him or loathe him Lubinda has said some truths there. I keep saying the UPND Prez must lose some of his advisors. They have outlived their sell-by date. Even his addresses must be streamlined. Stop saying “fellow citizens”. You are addressing gadget holders and guys sitting in front of their PC screens. Get personal! Drill down to the individual and what he or she is feeling. I can help your media and speech writing teams for free.