By Gregory Mofu
In his recent article titled “Unbridled and Unrealistic Presidential Ambitions, An Achilles Heel for Political Cohesion Amongst the Opposition,” Muhabi Lungu paints a gloomy picture of opposition politics, dismissing many as delusional presidential hopefuls. While he marshals statistics to show how difficult it is to win State House, his analysis misses the real point. The crisis in Zambia’s opposition is not merely about ambition. It is about organization. And without addressing that, no amount of finger pointing will change the equation.
As of today, Zambia does not have an opposition leader who can genuinely inspire the masses. That is the blunt truth. The frustration ordinary citizens feel with government does not automatically translate into support for the opposition, because there is no figure or party that has built the kind of ground game capable of turning discontent into votes. People want change, but they also want to see seriousness in terms of structures, mobilization, and presence across the country.
Muhabi is right about one thing: unity is necessary if the opposition is to stand a chance in 2026. But unity cannot be built on air. Parties that come to the alliance table without members, without structures and without clear policies are bringing nothing to the equation. They weaken the collective rather than strengthen it. An alliance of empty shells is not a winning strategy, it is a recipe for ridicule.
And here is where Muhabi must look in the mirror. He is spokesperson of Zambia We Want, a party widely perceived by the public as having no real structures on the ground. How then can it be taken seriously in an alliance? How can it lecture other parties about maturity when it has not yet demonstrated the organizational backbone to stand on its own? Before telling others to tame their ambitions, should it not first prove that it exists beyond press statements and elite circles?
The truth is that alliances work only when parties bring something to the table. Frederick Chiluba’s MMD in 1991 was powered by the unions, real people, organized and mobilized. Michael Sata’s PF was built brick by brick, election after election, with a loyal base that never gave up.
These were not creations of wishful thinking or clever rhetoric. They were organizations rooted in communities.
So yes, the opposition must unite. But first, it must organize. The hard, unglamorous work of building branches, recruiting members and presenting credible policies must take precedence. Otherwise, talk of unity is meaningless. And no amount of condescending lectures will substitute for the structures that actually win elections.
That is why it is refreshing to see figures like Ms. Dolika Banda step onto the political scene. Muhabi dismisses such entrants as mere dreamers, but perhaps it is exactly those dreams that will one day come true. Zambia’s democracy has always been moved forward by men and women who dared to dream against the odds. Instead of ridiculing them, we should welcome new energy and ideas into the national conversation.
Until the opposition produces leaders who combine ambition with real structures, it will remain weak. And until parties like Zambia We Want prove they exist beyond rhetoric, their lectures will ring hollow. Zambians deserve more than statistics and cynicism, they deserve a credible alternative that is serious, organized and inspiring.
I stopped listening to this Muhabi guy the time I noticed in almost all his discourse that he was so engrossed in medieval times, “when I was special advisor to President Kaunda”
What people want to see and hear is a tangible plan/document that people can scrutinize and say this is a doable, solid and realistic plan that can lift people out of poverty and not just pipe dreams.
It is the reason why we are in such a mess with UPND currently, where Zambia is declared the 6th poorest country in the world and people who do not care about the country and not serious are busy shouting kwenyu.
I agree, most of these political parties say they have manifestos, but their manifestos are just stuff that people sit somewhere and write and normally disconnected from reality on the ground. We demand for a party that is going to put up a real conducive and attractive environment that will bring back the over 40 companies/industries that were in Ndola before the botched privatisation program. We want to see the HOW. Increased CDF and the crumbs we get from the mines will not lift people out of poverty as witnessed in the last four years. Yes, citizens need to work hard on their own but there must be government support – so far government support is inadequate and not well structured for sustainability
Even Dolika needs structures. MMD and UNIP are the only parties which still have structures and they are for sale to the highest bidder. If Dolika has DEEP handbags, she can wrestle these parties from the inept leaders at their helm. If one has enough money, they can pay Nevers to go back to the pulpit, but must outbid HH.
MMD, UNIP, floating corpses headed towards the drop otherwise called the falls.
Muhabi is just day dreaming terribly. He can not even dance vibuza. What can any body get from him, literally nothing. Muhabi, kagoneni mutulo jabe
why is he against wakumawa? i thought he should be in the forefront to support her. seeing that they come from the east. Please promote her!