By Anthony Bwalya UPND Presidential Spokesperson
Over the past few days, the digital space has been awash with tonnes of misinformation by a poorly read, poorly informed Patriotic Front (PF) media team; purporting that the latest country report by the Economists Intelligence Unit (EIU) has declared the PF and President Edgar Lungu likely victors in the August 12 General Election.
Let me state from the onset, that the purported election victory by the PF is CONDITIONAL on a set of diabolical set of circumstances falling into place, circumstances which in effect would constitute an assault on Zambia’s democracy by the PF and its leadership, effectively rendering the results of the August polls a mockery to our collective intelligence.
Here is a list of critical insights contained in the March 30 2021 report by the EIU, insights conveniently and foolishly overlooked by the regime to claim that election victory is guaranteed in their favour when Zambians head to the polls this August.
INSIGHT #1
Under the PF regime, Zambia’s democracy index is down from 5.09 to 4.86, designated from flawed democracy to hybrid regime. This means that we are no longer a recognized democracy, but a cross between a democracy and an authoritarian regime, like Benin, Uganda, Thailand.
A further downgrade of Zambia’s democracy rating is expected should President Lungu succeed in clinging on to power.
INSIGHT #2
President incumbent of the PF is designated as an authoritarian leader in the report.
I do not need to explain what this means.
INSIGHT #3
The policy focus of the PF regime to hinge on short-term, populist features to endear the masses into keeping the regime in power. This is why we have seen and overflow of money in empowerment, social cash transfer and FISP.
All this careless splashing of cash will soon be back to bite all of us.
INSIGHT #4
The report proposes or points to a possible Chinese takeover of state assets as part of a possible Chinese debt restructuring program – this could further escalate anti – Chinese sentiments in our country.
We have always warned about the lack of transparency around the quantum and conditions around Chinese debt. We think that it is this lack of detail and transparency from the regime that is escalating fears.
INSIGHT #5
Zambians must be braced for a painful austerity ahead. This could and usually means cuts may be made to critical public services – no proper funding for healthcare, education, while salaries for civil servants may be expected to become more erratic.
Already, many council workers go for several months without being laid salaries, while the widespread degeneration in critical public services was witnessed in the dying years of the UNIP regime.
INSIGHT #6
Zambia has now been cut off from external funds thanks to poor infrastructure program implementation by the PF.
We always warned that the cost of infrastructure was unsustainable, especially that this was funded by very expensive debt money.
Zambia was officially cut off from external borrowing the moment we decided we will not make Eurobond coupon payments because the PF wanted to focus on splashing money.
INSIGHT #7
Decision to abolish 2005 voters’ register seen to likely lead to the registration of more voters in ruling party strongholds than opposition ones.
We all saw what happened during the exercise to issue NRCs and voters cards, and there are numbers to back up our initial fears.
INSIGHT #8
Zambia’s functioning of governments score at 2.93, reflecting PF corruption and mismanagement of the economy and public finances, including weakening of independence of BOZ by abrupt changes in governors.
This killed confidence in the Central Bank’s ability to steer an objective monetary policy. Bad for business.
INSIGHT #9
The EIU projects that the election will neither be free nor fair as PF will be forced to rely more on Zambia’s partisan security forces to aggressively narrow the political space for the opposition.
We have seen an increasing appetite by the police to use a heavy hand when dealing with opposition political parties- arbitrary arrests, detentions and citizens being killed by police bullets.
Now, ALL this is contained in the same EIU Report the PF are using to claim victory come August.
The report is a public document and I urge people to read it and understand full well the path to nowhere the PF have set us onto.
Well stated and we saw thru it like transparent lies.Conditions will worsen leading up to August making PF very unpopular and then comes the painful austerity measures.
Afuma kwisa uyu?
Well put Anthony! Pep aka Sean Tembo on the other hand says PF is a party that is made up of incompetent people that were in group C in class. So going by your assertions in this write-up, Sean may have a point. But i don’t see any formidable opposition around except individuals calling themselves leaders of opposition political parties each with isolated cases of personal egos because they have failed to work together, which simply means we’re in deep s***T
The truth is ECL is unpopular and can’t garner a 50%+1 vote threshold with all the suffering Zambians are going thru. The only way for ECL to retain Power is to rig the 2021 Elections. If People resist electoral theft then ECL thru ZPS hopes to crush the protests and establish a One Party State Dictatorship.Unless ECL changes course Zambia is heading for a violent, rigged and disputed Elections in August 2021. SADC and AU have a duty to help Zambia avoid such a disastrous path. Tanzania has just transferred Power smoothly and peacefully guided by Democracy, Good Governance and Constitutionalism. Zambia should emulate Tanzania and avoid a Political Crisis. We call upon Zambia Concourt to Objectively and Professionally resolve ECL’s Third Term Eligibility issue. Failure to do so by…
The shame of PF surrogate media outlets parroting inaccurate information to hoodwink the Zambian public with deception now exposed. Truth is cleansing of lies is notorious, truth will always triumph. Whatever PF may say and do, is clearly detached with reality of truth. PF can not win a free and fair election of the Zambian people.
Yes only Election Rigging can keep ECL is Power. Given ECL’s unpopularity he cannot get the 50%+1 Vote threshold. So he has no choice but to rig the 2021 Elections to retain. Such an imposition by ECL will be resisted by the People. ECL’s risks causing a Civil War in Zambia.
THE QUESTION IS WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN ANSWERED FULLY OR ADEQUATELY IS THE PRESIDENT ALLOWED TO STAND ??
What a bunch hogwash! All cheap lies!
What a waste! All nonsense!
This is misinformation.
Look who is talking.
For us it’s PF100%, ECL100%, Zambia overdrive100%, Elite Zambians100%, Peace100%, Empowerment100%, More money in your pockets with hard work 100% and Prosperity100%
How can the same pf cadres who say ama politics nipa group start dancing over this EIU report? are this not the same cadres who say social media does not vote? how many voters cards does EUI possess, bati bauziba mutengo wa unga, do they know how much cooking oil, sugar, gasoline and food item is costing?
Timupase ma vote PF.
All this article is so empty of truth that even a yesterday born would quickly notice.
How can you win an election with so much negative force.
Me and my girls are voting very PF.
There’s only 3 complete months before elections and we have the opposition in upnd struggling to reckon that the Zambian people have already made up their minds to go flat out PF.
With this level of thinking, Upnd finds itself deoxygenated from the energy to work hard.
Denial of truth is selfish destruction. I don’t see how the EIU Report should be a thorn in your *utts.
This is exactly how you lose an election.
Lungu can never ever win any free and fair election……..
It a waste of time reading what these perpetual losers say. Zambians have told them they do not want the five times. Instead of asking themselves why they have failed five times they are busy pointing a finger at PF while four fingers are pointing at them. Apart from criticizing PF UPND have failed to provide solutions not even a Manifesto to the Zambian voters. If you call ECL authoritarian, what can you call HH whose ascended to presidency 20yrs ago using tribalism. Single handedly runs the party from his bedroom.
These bene anthony are a curse in disguise for upnd. Reading through the article, you smell bitterness and falsehood. The kind that makes you think twice. The lies that strikes your heart with the energy that generate enormous dislike for the opposition.
How I wish there was a school that teaches the opposition to learn how to be a Government in waiting. An opposition that offers alternative shift of power. Problem is everyone yaps in Upnd. No fact checking as long as ‘someone’ has responded via social media.
Imbwa ya muntu uyu hanthony habwalya is now cooking up his own stories to suit the agenda of his gay partner hh. You think us in OP don’t know that this boy has been sleeping with some male top officials in upnd. You think he just magically was given that post by upnd for merely writing f00lish articles on Lusaka Times? Open you minds,this boy is a f00lish homosexual. A very ugly one too. Mubi uyu
Eembwa ya muntu uyu hanthony habwalya is now cooking up his own stories to suit the agenda of his gay partner hh. You think us in OP don’t know that this boy has been sleeping with some male top officials in upnd. You think he just magically was given that post by upnd for merely writing f00lish articles on Lusaka Times? Open you minds,this boy is a f00lish homo. A very ugly one too. Mubi uyu
The beauty of democracy is that we are all allowed to dream as much as we can. I cannot see any point in this article. To me it implies that if Sammy Chintombwa won an election in this country the economy will turn around the next day.
The f00l even has the same ugly hair line and hair style as scruffy hh. He is the love child of hh and nalumango. Dig deeper
Zambians in all Provinces want a change of Govt. They are Angry,Hungry and tired of ECL Corruption and lies promising money in their pockets. ECL thinks there is “Money in the Economy ” and “People are living well”. It’s only PF Elites and Cardres who are benefitting from these bundles of Money being dished out and looted. Prices of Consumer Goods and other Services have skyrocketed and for most People life is now unbearable and unaffordable. On August 12 People are going to send ECL and PF “ku wire”. Another 5 years of ECL misrule is unthinkable and just like committing suicide.
Hybrid, obviously, dna-wise. Not the real article.
Lusakatimes March 30, 2010
Economist Intelligence Unit Report on Zambia predicts RB’s re-election in 2011
A REPORT of the influential Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has predicted that President Rupiah Banda and the MMD are likely to retain power in the 2011 general elections because of the influence of incumbency and the recovery in both the local and global economy.
MICHEAL SATA defeated RB in the 2011 elections.
The majority of Zambians who vote have never been to lusakatimes.com. Or even bother what a report from all these Intelligence Units says.
These same voters don’t care if HH goes and gives interviews abroad about the state of Zambian next election.
So Anthony Bwalya its better for you to go campaigning in all corners of Zambia. You are fighting a battle that will not gain you votes.
UPND.. you always pick up wrong Battles and Strategies
Bla bla bla. Get a life man and stop misleading HH. The writings are all over the walls. Just prepare for another humiliating defeat. People are not ready to change government. They all have eyes to see what it has done in their areas.
For the first time since 2011, the PF will get more votes than before in Southern Province. I was in Choma and Kalomo yesterday, A good number of people talked to showed clearly they will vote for the PF.
Bob Marley and the Wailers
Them belly full but we hungry
A hungry mob is an angry mob
A rain a fall but the dirt it tough
A pot a cook but the food no ‘nough
You’re gonna dance to Jah music, dance
We’re gonna dance to Jah music, dance
Forget your troubles and dance
Forget your sorrows and dance
Forget your sickness and dance
Forget your weakness and dance
Cost of livin’ gets so high
Rich and poor they start to cry
Now the weak must get strong
They say oh, what a tribulation
Them belly full but we hungry
A hungry mob is an angry mob
A rain a fall but the dirt it tough
A pot a cook but you no ‘nough
We’re gonna chuck to Jah music chuckin’
We’re chuckin’ to Jah music, we’re chuckin’
Belly full but them hungry
A hungry mob is an angry mob
A rain a fall but…
Lincoln if you are constantly hungry then you have sokanda or what your English masters call worms. Treat those worms and you might not be hungry
Pf cannot win without rigging
Hanthony Bwalya oloso!!!!???
That’s what you get when you get PF into power: they pay their corrupt cadres handsomely but hardworking civil servants get nothing for 8 months! (CHIPATA COUNCIL WORKERS) And you really want to keep this party in power come August?
Stop attacking Anthony before you read the report…please don’t be lazy. I am sure most of you even the ka grade nine certificate ni no bwino bwino…
JUST GO AND SELL YOUR PARTY TO Z AMBIANS. WHY DO YOU EXPOSE YOUR FAILURES AND CHILDISHNESS EVERY ELECTION TIME?
WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT, IF ZAMBIANS ARE NOT CONVINCED ABOUT YOUR PARTY – COME AUGUST 12, THEY WILL NOT VOTE FOR YOU. THIS IS APRIL AND YOU STILL DON’T A MESSAGE TO GIVE US.
WHETHER YOU COMPLAIN ON SOCIAL MEDIA LIKE TRUMP WAS DOING – NOTHING WILL CHANGE ON THAT DAY WHEN ECL IS DECLARED WINNER. LEARN FROM SATA. HE KNEW COMPLAINING WAS NOT GOING TO TAKE AWAY THE BIG CAMPAIGN MACHINE FOR RB- HE HAD TO GO DOWN TO PEOPLE WITH A MESSAGE OF HOPE NOT THESE STUPIDLY YOU ALWAYS DO EVERY TIME WE HAVE ELECTIONS.
Upnd under hh and as long as it remains tribal it will never win any election in Zambia. Hh has failed five times. Let other people apart from a Southerner lead the party it will make a real opposition party that can win Zambian elections. I cannot vote for you with hh as party president. In fact he will never rule Zambia.
The full EIU Report is there for all to read. The Report is very clear ECL cannot win a free and fair Election in 2021. The only way for ECL to retain Power is to massively rig the 2021 Elections. KZ the Election Rigger is on record in 2016 saying if it was not for his Election Rigging Skills ECL wouldn’t be in State House. KZ said this after being fired by ECL as his Political Adviser. Now KZ’s main duty is to rig 2021 Elections for ECL and PF. Those Election Rigging Schemes are being exposed that is why KZ is making so much noise. In 2016 HH’s votes were stolen and buried in a Graveyard in Kalulushi and KZ knows that. KZ and his fellow Election Riggers are planning to rig the 2021 Elections even more than in 2016. Now People are Cleverer,more alert and brave to protect their vote in…