By Marvin Chanda Mberi
The season of finding all possible excuses to validate the claim of alleged rigging is now in our midst. It is the anthem that we are used to and it has become synonymous every electoral year.
United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema has written an expansive yet substantively void of merit letter to the African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to pen his lamentations against the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).
We too would like to pen our observations after intently perusing through the correspondence addressed to the two continental bodies. Firstly, Mr Hichilema faults the new voter’s register and links it to his alleged manipulation of the process.
Here Mr Hichilema willfully neglected to bring to the attention to the two regional bodies that the new voter’s register was as a result of audit anomaly regarding the ghost voters as per the voter’s register of 2016.
Clearly the 2016 voter’s register was virtually a “dead document” which was filed with bloated list of registered voters.
Mr Hichilema did not appreciate that the voter’s role with ghost voters was vulnerable and susceptible to manipulation thus undermined prospects of the free and fair elections.
Contrary to what was alleged by Mr Hichilema, the voter registration process was conducted in a very fair and transparent manner and all stakeholders were given an equal opportunity to offer their participation and lend their expertise to this important part of the democratic process.
We recall how the UPND and its allies deadly and stanchly criticized every move that ECZ made without proposing any viable alternative. We wonder why HH can write to African Union (AU) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) alleging inadequacies yet his letter makes no mention to specific breaches of instruments such as the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG), the Zambian Constitution, the electoral legislation among others.
This clearly gives us an irresistible conclusion that Mr Hichilema is only entrapping the international actors to notice him and make headlines for wrong reasons.
As regards Mr Hichilema’s lamentations that the new voter’s register has reduced numbers in the UPND strongholds while recording marginal increase in PF strongholds, HH has clearly missed the causal link between the two.
Mr Hichilema has ignored to tell the AU and SADC that the reduction in UPND strongholds was a result of contributory negligence by the UPND to mobilize their supporters to the nearest voter registration centers.
We do recall that while PF was mobilizing its supporters to registration centers using all possible means, the UPND did not take interest but opted to waste their time by gallivanting from one social media page to the other discrediting the process and incite public discontent against ECZ.
And all things being equal, the long adage which goes, “you reap what you sow” always comes to fruition.
The PF which invested it’s time to mobilize numbers in the strongholds has yielded marginal increase while the other camp has yielded a reduction.
It is also laughable that HH can approach AU and EU not to legitimatize the outcome of the August poll when the mandate of declaring a victor solely lies within the ambit of ECZ.
We urge Mr Hichilema to have confidence in the internal institutions as they are competent to address his grievances than maliciously undermining the integrity of Zambia’s democracy before regional bodies.
“..reduction in UPND strongholds was a result of contributory negligence by the UPND to mobilize their supporters to the nearest voter registration centers….”
Is it UPND or ECZ that is responsible for how many voters register or how well the voters registrations go ???
“….reduction in UPND strongholds was a result of contributory negligence by the UPND to mobilize their supporters to the nearest voter registration centers….”
If each party is responsible for voters registration in their areas , then PF win , because they use GRZ resources and no other party can afford to ferry their people to register …..
The end of the road…..it seems HH has learned anything and now he better retire after losing for the 8th time….
No wonder Kakoma left. I am not surprised.
This is the benefit of an enhanced bio-metric registration system. All those who may have thought that they would inflate numbers through double or multiple registration were fished-out by the finger-print reading devise. The only persons who may have a credible argument or complaint are those with a valid voter’s card but are not appearing in the voter’s register. The technology is fool proof and it is also used by immigration officials around the world in tying an individual traveler to one passport only.
I don’t support HH on this one. He lacks political strategies and is always first to complain. Some of these things need your participation but as an absentee stakeholder, you will always end up being suspicious. Just campaign because not everyone that registered is PF. Even your opponents can be turned in your further at the last hour if you understand politics.
Well articulated. This is a scratch on why the Zambian electorate have been saying HH should not go to plot 1. HH has lost every single opportunity available to him. In fact he has started shooting himself in the foot. You cannot blame your opponent for your own failures. In fact even those reduced voter numbers in southern and other areas that HH considers his strongholds he is likely to get even less because the opposition has seen through the calibre of the opposition.
There was also wild claims of Children being registered. Other bizzarre claims by the upnd was of Malawians and Congolese registeing as voters. Why has was this not included in the letter to AU? Was it true or just one of those bizzare statements to solicity sympathy?
The real problem was the negative messages UPND sent to its people telling them that there was nothing wrong with the old Register. And that the PF wanted to use the new register to rig elections. This made a lot of people in some provinces fail to register.
It was the same in 2015, that is his they killed the important Bill of Rights in a referendum vote. Some said their MPs do nothing and did not see the need to vote any more.
So indeed HB has himself and his supporters to blame.
Bo HH kuwayawaya fye. Aleader who lacks strategy and self centered. Politics, not for children bwana crying baby.
IS OK THE UPND IS HAPPY…. AND ALL THE RELEVANT ARTHORITIES HAVE BEEN INFORMED AS TO THE VOTERS REGISTRATION PROCESS
AND THERE IS A VERY GOOD REASON FOR THIS
AS WHEN THEY TAKE OVER SHOULD TROUBLE BREAK OUT NO ONE CAN SAY THEY WERENT FORE WARNED
KZ you are a civil servant don’t comment about politics
KZ IS A TROLL FULLSTOP
What Zambia needs more, is not a change of ruling party, but opposition. The country is in this mess because the opposition is a weak delusional bunch. MMD had opposition that kept them having sleepless nights. UPND and MDC are useless to a fault. How do we have opposition parties with MPs that walkout of parly and not vote no on bills? Zambians need better from PF and the opposition.
The people to blame most are ECZ. They were supposed to embark on a massive voter registration sensitization exercise and also ensure that more people register than they did in 2016 in every region but they were selective.
This was an outrageous move by Hakainde and it will haunt him for many years to come. What he has achieved however, is to deposit his CV with both the AU and SADC. If he should look for a job later in his Career someone will pounce on his unworthy complaint letters and make reference to him. Other than that his CV should have been deposited with his real employers the Zambian electorate. For now HH has continued to waste his valuable time. Can’t wait to see how the Zambian electorates rate HH after 12 August 2021.
The author sounds like a political party cadre as well and I think he does not live in Zambia.Let me remind the author,when UPND begun to ferrying its supporters to registration centers,the vice president madam Inonge Wina issued a statement in parley to condemn them.
Mberi is displaying ignorance of the highest order. It’s not HH’s Responsibility to hold free,fair and credible Elections. That Responsibility lies with GRZ thru ECZ. Without a Credible Voters Roll there can’t be Credible Elections in Zambia. HH’s letter to SADC and AU was very effective. Now all Election Observers know that ECL and his PF Govt are dishonest. They promise free,fair and credible Elections but Act the opposite. Zambia should follow SADC and AU Election Guidelines and Auditing of the Voters Roll b4 the August 12 Elections is a must. SADC and AU now know ECL cannot be trusted to hold free and fair Elections. SADC and AU will also pay attention to ECL’s controversial Third Term Bid. SADC, AU and the International Community are watching how Concourt will resolve the…
This my stronghold, his stronghold, our stronghold Shangri-La, this stronghold utopia , I wonder if it has any effect on the lusaka and copperbelt urban vote, because in these areas its the economic performance that determines how the votes will swing.
#10 Computer Scientist
April 1, 2021 At 2:05 pm
“KZ you are a civil servant don’t comment about politics…”
He is a known preditor of vaunrable street kids, both boys and girls…….
We are in the position as voters to learn more from the so called leaders who are to become national leaders. I can imagine how it feels to have wrong advisers who can not see an opportunity when it present itself. We are seeing the failed project of UPND and it’s not going anywhere. Those who left HH were considered to be sale outs and have no direction but they say what we did not see from inside the UPND camp. HH is not a man enough to rule this country.
#10 & # 17.
You know for KZ is a man who handle 1000 UPND alone and break you. I like this man because he stands for what he believes in. Am sure he is working and when he comes back he do what he does best.
I will take this article as an April fools joke!
#19 Dabenji
April 1, 2021 At 4:08 pm
” #10 & # 17.
You know for KZ is a man who handle 1000 UPND alone and break you. I like this man because he stands for what he believes in. Am sure he is working and when he comes back he do what he does best….”
What colour of bambas does he wear ? You seem to know…..
When Dr Kenneth Kaunda was in power all nine provinces were UNIP strongholds. What was the result after elections?
MMD got 125 MPs from total 150. Chiluba got a landslide victory with 900 votes while Kaunda received 300. Voter turn out was 45% of the 3 million registered voters.
So what is the hype that Edgar Lungu has doctored the electoral register when he only has one vote. If Zambians want UPND as a ruling party, they can easily do that without Hakainde Hichilema reporting to AU and SADC.
When Dr Kenneth Kaunda was in power all nine provinces were UNIP strongholds. What was the result after 1991 elections?
MMD got 125 MPs from total 150. Chiluba got a landslide victory with 900 votes while Kaunda received 300. Voter turn out was 45% of the 3 million registered voters.
So what is the hype that Edgar Lungu has doctored the electoral register when he only has one vote. If Zambians want UPND as a ruling party, they can easily do that without Hakainde Hichilema reporting to AU and SADC.
An effort to disregard every Government institution’s transformational agenda/move or progressive change has costed h².
The writer is right. Whereas ECZ did it’s
part to sensitize citizens on voter registration, we witnessed the inert camp disregard this call. The dead camp’s agenda to shoot down important national demands will cost them dearly in August 2021 but all is not lost. They need cut a good deal for Zambians. A damn good one but h² current maneuvers are energy draining. Remember its August.
LAUGH AND MOCK WHILE YOUR DEMOCRACTIC RIGHTS AS A CITIZEN ARE SLIPING AWAY. YOU WILL WISH YOU HAD LEARNT FROM UGANDA AND ZIMBABWE WHEN IT’S TOO LATE.
Has PF paid Chilufya Tayali to petition HH’s nomination or is it just one of his many commercial political projects?
Watch “Chilufya Tayali Officailly Joins PF” on YouTube
Watch “Chilufya Tayali a threat to the peace of this Nation”Simon Mwewa” – Latest Video 29 December 2020″ on YouTube
Mr Zimba voters roll this time around is biometrically backed. So to vote for someone it’s not possible. Only those who registered can vote. Politics is about numbers and direct beneficialies are the political parties and they need to be in the forefront of telling people to register more so in their strong holds ECZ is not a beneficiary. ECZ will be there no matter which party wins.
I can see my haters were in full force. To those that stood up to them, thank you for your patriotic support. I was very busy working for our nation so I couldn’t comment.
In August I will ensure that hh is history. Mark my words
HH fyaume….he should win in August.