The Socialist Zambia Party President Fred M’membe has called on the government to ensure that the concerns of all key players in this year’s general elections are adequately addressed and that all stakeholders need to be open and constructive in participating in the electoral process and addressing the challenges the country face.
In a statement to the media, Dr M’membe said that in any true democracy, more is needed than just laws and institutions and that we must hold on to some values and norms, some expectations and aspirations because this is the environment, the atmosphere, that makes democracy work.
Below is the full statement
This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless it’s a good place for all of us to live in. The election campaigns we are entering should not be confused with a battlefield where the aim is to destroy the other.
This is simply a competition to serve and not the annihilation of one another. To have peaceful, free, and fair elections, certain conditions have to prevail in our country and in our hearts. There ought to be a conducive atmosphere. The major players have to agree on the conditions under which these elections would be held. The contestants have to conduct themselves in a manner that does not put others at unfair disadvantage.
In light of this, I make a special appeal to the government and to the ruling party to realize that they have a serious responsibility. As facilitators of the elections, they should ensure that the concerns of all key players are adequately addressed. We all need to be open and constructive in participating in the electoral process and addressing the challenges we face.
The forthcoming electoral process will provide all Zambians with a unique opportunity to show their political maturity and their sincere aspirations for peace and harmony anchored injustice.
The test of good leadership will not, therefore, be how many trees it pulls up by the roots but how it fits into a continuous process of adaptation in which leadership is combined with sensitivity to the national mood.
Everyone’s life in this country is inevitably mixed with every other life and, no matter what Constitution or laws we come up with, no matter what precautions we take, unless the people we meet are kind and decent and human we going nowhere. Decency, integrity, and love come from human beings, rather than from constitutions, laws, and institutions.
In any true democracy, more is needed than just laws and institutions. We must hold on to some values and norms, some expectations and aspirations. This is the environment, the atmosphere, that makes democracy work. This is the so-called ‘political culture’ which I feel is so necessary for Zambia today if our multiparty democracy is to succeed.
The fundamental value we must have is respect for diversity and acceptance of pluralism. Gone are the days when everyone was supposed to think the same way, belong to the same political party, and support the same programme.
Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party
April 12, 2021
I have not finished reading any of Fred’s articles. Why? Because his headlines don’t make sense.
Uncle Fred is right in what he is saying. But he completely fails to see the reality of the corrupt PF – and therefore the corrupt government – to have any interest in Zambia becoming a proper state. PF only focuses on filling their own pockets and has zero interest in the well-being of ordinary Zambians. And I can’t see any proper alternative for August 12. I’m sure HH and the UPND are meaning well – but their amateurish approach, and the total absence of any technocrats in the party doesn’t provide any confidence for the future. And of course no other party has any chance of getting any useful result. May the Lord help Zambia!
Old habits are sometimes very difficult to kill and cleanse.
Mmembe you are still penning down editorials in your political speeches. This is not time for editorials but to be inspirational and produce grand ideas
Frankly, you need some deep soul-searching !!
Once you fix your innermost, then you can stand on the political soapbox. Cause you have done much harm and damage to Zambia in the past.
This is why the public is not giving you attention. They know you.
May be democracy wasn’t meant for us blacks. Out of the few political Parties that have had their conventions, we can’t say there was true democracy. All had conditions that ensured that the incumbent went through except UNIP and Tilyenji disputed the outcome of that election. Others either excluded or expelled their opponents. We can’t expect leaders that have emerged from such an arrangement to behave with honour at national level. We campaigns begin we’ll see more hired hooligans. The leadership bar has been lowered to levels whereby even hooligans are vying for positions. Even leaders are using strong language against their opponents, and that’s the recipe for trouble. This applies to both men and women
I can’t make heads or tails of what Fred M’membe is talking about. This is one Leader of a Kantemba Party who wouldn’t hesitate to go and join PF to eat, loot and plunder state resources. A Capitalist who was Running Businesses and now calling himself a Socialist?How convenient is this? Psuedo Socialist indeed.
Ba yama ba Fuledi balipwa!! Look at the number of comments from morning?? No one pays attention to him anymore.
The socialist party will certainly not get any seat come August 12.
Mr Memmbe, you really have a good write up but the reading culture in our country is very much poor. We need to bring this writing to a level of real Life. Most of your suggestions are good but looking from your history most of the people just look at it and move on.