By Prince Bill M. Kaping’a Political/Social Analyst
Whenever presented an opportunity to engage with the electorates, the Patriotic Front (PF) has become notorious for using tribalism as a ‘trump card’ for winning sympathy or votes!
During the run up to the 2021 general elections for example, like they’ve done on numerous occasions, PF leaders went full throttle bashing and lampooning certain ethnic groupings.
“These people are so tribal. If Jesus were to come back and stand for elections with them, they’d still vote for one of their own!” they’d repeat such hogwash to their audiences.
It seems PF and their surrogates are yet to pick any lessons from the humiliating defeat they suffered during the last elections. As he was being released from custody the other day for criminally defaming two senior cabinet ministers, Munir Zulu attempted to play the usual trump card.
“Villagers of Lumezi are more intelligent than the villagers of Bweengwa…..” he proudly declared. He was flanked by non other than Brian Mundubile, who is in contention for the party’s top position, with a retinue of other senior leaders.
Non of them seemed to take issues with such disparaging remarks that have a potential to further polariize the nation, and plunge into civil strife of catastrophical magnitudes! This is the same Munir who prior to the elections stated that minority tribes must not be allowed to rule this nation during an interview on Prime TV whilst clad in PF regalia.
It seems PF leaders remain bogged down in the ‘Stone Age’ whereby one would simply get away with anything without necessarily being subjected to scrutiny. Hallo…..can you wake up from slumber!
During his first run for the White House job in 2008, Obama managed to captured the imagination of young people, the millenials, by addressing their concerns and aspirations. In addition to the traditional bread-and-butter issues, Obama tackled the crisis in Darfur, the war in Iraq, global warming and the environment; and how college expenses were too high.
According to political science professor Russell Dalton, the Millennial generation is the best educated, most cosmopolitan, most tolerant, and most socially concerned generation in modern American history. Their values are very different from senior Americans, who have many positive features but a distinctly different view of politics.
Obama’s campaign tapped into this potential among the young, and the result was a surge in youth participation and his victory as the Democratic nominee for president.
This is exactly the same strategy employed by Hakainde’s campaign team. Realizing that the youth would play a significant role in the polls, UPND packaged an attractive campaign message that would appeal to the electorates, particularly the young voters. While their opponents were busy peddling tribal remarks since they had nothing to offer; Hakainde offered to deliver free education, reintroduce University students’ bursaries, put an end to caderism which had proven a menace to the general public and accelerate youth employment by restoring donor/investor confidence etc.
And when the time came to vote, the youth woke up wee hours of the day and turned up at the polling stations enmass to usher in one Hakainde Hichilema by a staggering 1000 000 votes margin!
PF can continue wasting time talking about or championing tribalism, but the millennials won’t be swayed away from voting for reasonable leaders …..those that offer hope and confidence as opposed to tribalism and belligerence. And when the time of reckoning fast sets in, they shall surely punish the culprits at the ballot box for the second time!
It looks like Uncle Bill is more tribo than those he is accusing of peddling the vise. This is the 3rd or 4th time he is given a grand stage on LT to sell his agenda by talking about the same Lumezi boy. As a social analyst, please break the sameness, bring in another food on the menu. Let’s have a balanced diet. Tired of this monotony.
Actually that’s my conclusion. I have always read between the lines of whatever he’s written. It’s all bleached with tribal sentiments. He’s more tribal than the people he’s accusing.
Why is it not a crime for a Tonga to say Bembas are thieves but becomes a crime when a bemba associates a Tonga with cattle rearing?
Why shouldn’t one complain when one ethnic group is favored above other groups?
What I heard Munir say was that he was a villager from Lumezi. “This villager from Lumezi is more clever than the villager from Bweengwa”. My interpretation is that he meant that he’s cleverer than HH who’s said to be from Bweengwa. By that, Munir accused HH of instigating his arrest. So what’s the issue? This Kaping’a seems to have lost it, he may be out of his mind. That’s the problem with tribalists, they see things differently
Bill Kaping’a is totally justified in what he has written. He’s writing about an issue that is still in the news. Munir Zulu thinks tribes govern; they do not because it’s political parties that form government. Munir Zulu himself is a millenial at only 35. So who pumped tribal hatred into him?
Kapinga lost his right to comment on this issue when he referred to Munir Zulu physically and begun attacking him personally.
You cannot objectively write when you have something personal against your subject.
And be clear when you say PF leaders, it’s only Kambwili who issued tribal statements.
Munir Zulu is independent. @Ayatollah, don’t try to justify Munir’s statement, he clearly said that villagers in Lumezi are more intelligent than villagers in Bweengwa. Taken in their ordinary meaning, he did utter a tribal remark against one tribe.
“I am a villager from Lumezi, but villagers of Lumezi are more intelligent than those from Bweengwa.”
Gunner+in+Zambia
There are so many things in the news today.
One is that our president was in State House (spookhouse) yesterday wearing surgical gloves as if he was in theatre about to operate on the 19 justices and 3 other officials. Some days back, he was outside on the ‘kapinga’ with US visitors holding a twin conference, but wore no hand protectives. It only confirms that the inside of the House is dirty, haunted, foul and poisoned needing thorough cleansing.
Commend him for scoring the first on the judiciary reforms than bringing this rancid, story about the self proclaimed wise Lumezi boy.
Some judge has sat on HH’s case (without hatching it) for 19 years; perhaps the reason for the number 19 of law lords. That’s newsworthy.
Do u think the Judiciary will feel embarrassed by this?
The president feels that by creating several widows of judges, aggressive competition amongst themselves would yield caution, “diligence” and proactive effectiveness.
How they feel and react to that is a different matter all together, but can easily be seen in cases disposal.
The Millenials from provinces other than Southern, Western and Northwestern who voted UPND because they thought they had more employment opportunities with UPND but have seen their friends from the three provinces employed whilst they remain unemployed will be more easily swayed by tribalism. Last year, ZRA advertised for jobs. Without conducting apttitude tests and interviews for shortlisted candidates, UPND influenced the selection process and picked only 30 of their own people who have since been trained and deployed by ZRA in different stations. I say this because a UPND member from Western Province told this to me while boasting about how her child was picked.
It’s a fact. And Munir didn’t mention a tribe. In a civilised country this wouldn’t hold… it’s like I saw a red car… would someone say I am talking about a Corolla?