We reiterate what we have always held; for our democracy to thrive, the Patriotic Front (PF) as a ruling party needs worthy competition in the form of a credible and dignified opposition worth its salt; one that knows where it stands, where it wants to go and how it plans to get there.
In the interest of the development of our country, PF covets a contest of ideas; not the challenge of regional allegiance; nor competition of the thickness of volume of the opposition’s catalogue of sorcery; nor the championing of fake news or size and use of machetes practised by some.
Violence and intimidation – whether physical or verbal has no place in our democracy.
We say again; it is possible for various players in our body politic to disagree and have differences of opinion whilst maintaining mutual respect for each other.
With their twenty years in existence, the UPND has the longest experience as an opposition party that has never formed government in Zambia and probably the world over. More maturity is therefore expected from them and their leader who having usurped leadership of his party in 2006, is also one of the longest serving opposition leaders in the world such that even Wikipedia refers to him as _“A perennial presidential candidate, having contested five times and lost all: in 2006, 2008, 2011, 2015 and 2016”.
More of maturity and less of violent juvenile tendencies is therefore expected from one with such a elongated record in the political arena.
VIOLENT LANGUAGE COMES FROM VIOLENT MINDS
As custodians of democracy, we are consequently appalled at the manner in which Mr Hakainde Hichilema and his spawn of briefcase political parties unceremoniously ejected their erstwhile partner- Andyford Banda and his Peoples Alliance for Change (PAC).
Like many other right thinking citizens, we note the demeaning language Hichilema’s seedy mouthpiece used in the process. Why does violent language and savagery in the form of analogies related with inflicting pain roll so easily off the tongue Mr Hakainde Hichilema and his pack of whatsapp based “alliance” “partners”?
It is extremely offensive how without provocation, Hichilema’s association of one man political parties disparagingly referred to their ex associate -Andyford Banda and PAC as an “infected toe” that needed to be “amputated”.
It is very clear that Sean Tembo, Elias Chipimo et al have quickly become students of violence and aggressive language from the Master of violent savagery and deceit; whose political career was born in the cradle of the infamous Mapatizya formula formula of brutality.
Hackings, machetes and gruesome blood thirsty thoughts are second nature to them; they breathe violence; eat violence; drink violence and violently think about amputating those that don’t agree with their leader’s violent mood swings.
OUR OBSERVATION OF THE “ALLIANCE” AS HICHILEMA’S USEFUL IDIOTS VINDICATED
It has been said: “if you want to know how the crocodile lives under the water, ask the Hippo”.
The recent reaction to the “amputation” from PAC provides an insider’s view that vindicates what Zambians have always observed – that the so called “alliance” is merely an association of Hichilema’s useful idiots.
After he was verbally hacked, and emotionally butchered, an “amputated” Andyford Banda in his response stated;
- “We noticed that the opposition alliance started dealing with issues that were very much outside the scope of the formation.
- It is at that point that we knew that we were about to be used some people for very personal agendas.
- The alliance started dealing with too many issues and we were slowly becoming one political party.”
- “…the alliance had no strategy; there was a serious lack of planning, no clear timetable._
- The alliance started focusing on issues that had nothing to do with the formation of the alliance and issues that clearly seemed to be an agenda to push the interest of one alliance member; …”
A naïve and gullible Andyford and his PAC discovered the hard way why the late President Levy Mwanawasa on Pages 211-212 of his memoirs described Hichilema as: _*“an opportunist, a cheat and one that was not truthful”.*_
For over twenty years the UPND has had a gruesome history of violence. They have been violent from the time Sean Tembo and Andyford Banda were probably still learning civic education or social studies in school!
UPND were champions and perpetrators of violence even before PF was born!
They championed violence from the MMD administrations of Presidents Mwanawasa and Rupiah Banda right through to PF administrations of our founding father President Michael Chilufya Sata and the incumbent His Excellency President Edgar Chagwa Lungu.
While PF is a vanguard of Statecraft; some others are champions of political “witchcraft”.
IF THE ALLIANCE PARTNERS ARE TOES, THEN WHO IS THE FETID TINY FOOT?
The Alliance’s language is very pompous and disrespectful.
It stems from a twisted superiority complex; it is fetid.
If PAC was just a toe in the “alliance” as the mouthpiece alleges; then what is Elias Chipimo the “yes-man” – is he the subservient pinkie toe of the UPND life President?
What about Charles Milupi- is he the calloused and time-worn bunion on the big toe of his master’s tiny feet?
What then is Sean Tembo- is he the smelly fungus that is spreading the rancid whiff from his paymaster’s small feet?
FINALY BRETHREN
Political parties and alliances are entities that are subject to public scrutiny and accountability. Our observations of the “alliance” acrimonious “amputation” of PAC should not be misconstrued or manipulated by the “alliance”.
While PAC is a fledgling opposition party and we do not share any ties with them, we note that their sentiments on civility agree with our long held outlook that we have carried on behalf of the majority of millions of Zambians; that our country needs a noble kind of politics; away from fake news, misinformation, scandal-mongering and violence that the “alliance” is pursuing to satisfy the manic cravings of one stunted eccentric.
Unfortunately, the UPND life President with his Party and “alliance” tag-alongs with their violence, maiming and amputations, being the misfits they are, do not fit into such a noble picture of politics.
The PF development agenda is premised on a mission with a clear vision seen through the clear lenses of the PF Manifesto, 7NDP and vision 2030.
We have so far been deprived of an opposition of excellence and integrity.
We are however cognisant that like everything and everybody else under the heavens; we are not perfect as we are subject to the vagaries of life in this world. We therefore welcome constructive criticism; in the same way we abhor cynicism with its off shoots of malice, violence and fake news.
We sincerely yearn for a contest of policy and ideas, from other political parties who are supposed to represent an alternative government (such as the UPND). We echo our challenge to them for noble politics; we challenge them to play the role of a proposition party.
How can they scream “dialogue” when they tried to block passage for the Presidential Motorcade in Sesheke?
How can they take “Zambia Forward” when they do not even have a manifesto?
How can the “alliance” be an alliance when the relationships are clearly founded on unequal terms?
How can the alliance be relevant to Zambia’s development agenda when it is promoting fake news locally and internationally and pushing for civil unrest to fulfil the violent agenda of one man?
We continue to hold that it is possible for various players in our body politic to disagree and have differences of opinion whilst maintaining mutual respect for each other;But it requires honesty.
That is what Patriotic Front strives for.
