The Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) Presidential Candidate Aspirant Nason Msoni has challenged President Rupiah Banda to consider retiring from public office to pave way for those with fresh ideas adding that he does not suit in the current political dispensation.

Mr. Msoni also said the republican President should not listen to political opportunists who were endorsing him as a sole candidate for the ruling party ahead of the tripartite elections.

He said people in bad standing at the party’s convention are the ones that Rupiah Banda handpicked or erroneously nominated as they cannot win any elections in the country.

Mr Msoni described assertion by party chairman of elections Mike Mulongoti that he is in bad standing in the MMD as another scheme to allow President Banda to go through unchallenged at the MMD convention.

Speaking in a telephone interview from the United Kingdom, Mr. Msoni said the assertion should be dismissed with the contempt it deserves.

Mr. Msoni has charged that the provisions in the MMD constitution should not be misused to bar perceived opponents from contesting for positions of their choice in the party.

He said the attempt to usher in President Banda as a sole Presidential candidate for the MMD has failed.

Mr Mson said the architects of Banda’s sole candidature should desist from drawing his name in their frustration adding that his only crime was to demand the observance of democratic principals in the party.

The Presidential aspirant has,however, expressed happiness that MMD members have now realized the importance of democracy and that he is ready and confident to scoop the party presidency.
[ QFM ]

The Committee of Citizens has alleged that it is aware of maneuvers by some donor countries advocating for regime change by working towards forming a parallel organization that will work alongside the existing Zambia centre for inter-party dialogue (ZCID).

Committee Executive Director Gregory Chifire told Qfm that a new organization that would be called National Institute for Democracy (NID) is specifically formed to coordinate funding of Anti Government NGOs and political parties opposite to the ruling MMD.

Mr. Chifire has disclosed that that the opposition political parties referred to as opposed to the ruling MMD are the UPND /PF.

He said according to the information he has gathered, the new organization would be funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) adding that the opposition political parties will be getting money alongside conventional Civil Society Organizations.

Mr. Chifire has alleged that the motive behind DFID to fund the NID is targeted at the Rupiah Banda led government after the failed ill conceived corruption fight against Second Republican President Dr Frederick Chiluba.

He said some individuals at DFID have a borne to chew with President Banda for refusing to accept their demands.

And Mr. Chifire has challenged those he alleges to be involved in the ploy to come in the open and explain why DFID wants to fund another organization to champion democracy when there is already another organization formed for the same purpose.

He said his organization would continue to hold the view that the motive by DFID to fund the NID is founded on ill motive unless it is convinced that the formation of NID is necessitated by failure of ZCID to perform.

Meanwhile, Zambia Center for Inter-party Dialogue has dismissed Executive Director Chomba Chela has dismissed Mr. Chifire’s assertions as false.

Mr. Chomba has told Qfm that ZCID was created to promote, defend and consolidate democracy in the country and that he will not agree to such assertions.
[ QFM ]

By Henry Kyambalesa

Currently, Zambia can, by and large, be classified predominantly as a “repressive state,” that is, a nation-state where leaders impose sufficient repression on opposition political parties in order to keep them weak and maintain their own power, while adhering to enough democratic formalities that they might just pass themselves off as democrats.

Mildly, the country fits the description of a “criminal state,” that is, a nation-state where the government is oblivious to crimes committed by government leaders and the elite and, among other things, individuals with criminal records are appointed to positions of authority.

Zambia also temperately meets the characteristics of a “patrimonial state,” where government leaders treat the state as their own piece of property. Moreover, the country fits the description of a “collapsed state,” that is, a nation-state in which common people are generally left to their own devices while government officials revel in conspicuous, state-financed luxury.

With respect to the country’s classification as a “repressive state,” we are very likely to see our beloved country turned into a de facto single-party state if the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) continues to rule the country beyond this year. I have provided a bird’s-eye view of the bases of my conclusion below.

MMD Maneuvers:

Vice President George Kunda is apparently tasked to spearhead MMD’s onslaught on Zambia’s major opposition political parties and their leaders—the Patriotic Front (PF) and the United Party for National Development (UPND), and Hakainde Hichilema and Michael Sata. His incessant attacks and misinformation aimed at discrediting the PF-UPND pact and its leaders are unprecedented in our country’s history.

MMD leaders’ machinations against major opposition political parties are clearly and deliberately designed to impose sufficient repression on them in order to make them weak and maintain MMD’s stronghold on power. The poaching and appointments of Heritage Party, PF and UNIP members of parliament to positions of authority, and the constant invitations to members of opposition political parties to join the MMD, have the same rationale.

Constitutional Clauses:

Article 203(2) of the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill 2010 states that “Any person or group of persons who desires to form a political party shall satisfy the Political Parties’ Commission that—(a) the party shall, within a period of twelve months from the date of its registration, have party structures in at least two-thirds of the number of provinces of Zambia. And in Article 205(1), it is stated that “The purpose of the Political Parties’ Fund shall be to provide financial support to registered political parties with seats in the National Assembly.”

Political parties are apparently expected to comply with the requirement in Article 203(2) with their own resources. Unfortunately, most political parties in the country do not have adequate financial and material resources to comply with this requirement. It is, therefore, essential for the Republican constitution to provide for a level-playing field so that it does not appear to favor political parties whose founders and members have deep pockets.

Such a requirement will eventually lead to a de facto one-party state, particularly in bad economic times, when political parties fail to raise enough financial and material resources to maintain the required party structures in at least two-thirds of the number of provinces of Zambia. It also imposes a one-size-fits-all type of organization structure on political parties. Some political parties may wish to operate from a single centralized location in order to reduce costs.

The question of whether or not a political party is regional or tribal should be left to voters. Voters are not daft; they will not popularly vote for presidential candidates from political parties which appear to be regional or tribal in nature. It is, therefore, enough to require all candidates for political office to have a specified number of supporters at the time of registration.

The Public Media:

Zambians are wary of the current situation whereby large segments of the mass media are state-owned, under tight controls by the MMD government, and the rights and freedoms of individuals and non-governmental institutions are subordinate to those of the ruling party and the state.

Unfortunately, this state of affairs has greatly and unfairly enhanced MMD’s competitive advantage over opposition political parties. And the continued push for statutory regulation of the media is a clear indication that MMD leaders represent their individual and partisan interests rather than the common interests of Zambians at large.

The express desire for statutory regulation of the media and the tight controls over public media institutions by the MMD are all partly designed to shut out the opposition and create a greater and unfair competitive edge for the MMD.

The Party and Its Government:

We have a political system that allows individuals to hold government and political party positions concurrently. This has inevitably distorted the boundary between national duties and party activities, and has culminated into what is commonly referred to as “the Party and Its Government” or “the PIG” phenomenon.

And we have failed to introduce provisos in the Republican constitution which would bar national leaders from actively performing political party functions. Also, we have failed to permit the Registrar of Societies to require all political parties in the country to include a clause in their constitutions providing for duties of party members who get elected or appointed to serve in either the judiciary or the executive branch of the national government to be assumed by incumbents of other offices within the party’s administrative and management structures.

The MMD is happy with the PIG since it has made it possible for the party to dominate the political arena through public resources used by government ministers during campaigns.

Conclusion:

Our country’s nascent political pluralism is clearly on the chopping block! If we ignore the foregoing signals and vote for the MMD later this year, we will actually be voting for a move to a new version of a one-party system of government. And we will be voting for a government that has thus far proved to be insensitive to the basic needs, expectations and aspirations of the majority of Zambians.

Nearly 20 years have passed since the MMD assumed the reins of power, but we still have a healthcare system which cannot meet the basic needs of the majority of citizens; tens of thousands of Grade 7 and Grade 9 students have continued to be spilled onto the streets every year; so many citizens have no access to clean water and electricity; and a critical shortage of decent public housing has compelled so many of our fellow citizens to live in shanty townships nationwide.

Moreover, public infrastructure and services are still deficient; civil servants are still not adequately compensated for their services; a lot of civil service retirees cannot get their hard-earned benefits; crime and unemployment are still widespread; taxes and interest rates are still very high; and, among many other socio-economic ills, the constitution-making process is still fraught with personal, partisan and short-term interests.

We need to pray hard for divine intervention in the governance of our Motherland. No sleep for our beloved country!

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“…No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him”
(1 Corinthians 2:9, NLT)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

What are the dreams and desires that you have for your future? Maybe you had some big dreams in the past, but things didn’t go the way you planned. So you put them aside and settled for status quo. We’ve all had disappointments and setbacks, but today is a new day, and we serve a God who makes all things new!

Let me challenge you to dig deep and dare to have a big dream for your life. I always say, when one dream dies, dream another dream. Don’t just settle for mediocrity, we serve a God who is above and beyond anything we can think of, and He wants to manifest His greatness through you. Remember, there’s nothing you can dream that God can’t do. Why don’t you ask Him to bring you the right people, the right opportunities, and the right resources? Trust that He is working behind the scenes on your behalf. Dare to believe and dare to dream another dream because He desires to do big things in and through you in this New Year!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, thank You for a new day to praise Your name. I dedicate myself to You fresh and anew. Lead me in the ways of my heart; help me to find that new dream, and let everything I do bring glory to You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

— Joel & Victoria Osteen

Chungu proudly announced that he has been out to some provinces particularly Luapula province where he discussed with a cross section of residents who are happy with presidents Banda’s achievements.

[pullquote]”I am aware of people’s anxiety to know his whereabouts and how he is surviving, stating that the past is now history and will never repeat itself,” Mr Chungu said.[/pullquote]
He added that president Banda would in this year’s general elections score the highest presidential victory ever in Luapula province contrary to media reports that the province is now almost a no go area for the opposition.

In a press statement made available to QFM, Chungu said president Banda has in his two years in office scored unprecedented successes which he says have been outstanding and beyond record in the history of Zambia’s independence.

He stated that the testing period he went through made him understand the political leadership of Zambia a little more.

“I am aware of people’s anxiety to know his whereabouts and how he is surviving, stating that the past is now history and will never repeat itself,” Mr Chungu said.

He has since urged all peace loving citizens to stand bold and appreciate that Zambia today has a president and political leadership in place to take the country to greater heights.
[ QFM ]

Mr. Mpombo said a level playing field has not been set by the national executive committee of the party.

He said that the party should not allow provinces to declare support for the candidates as that is defeating the sole purpose of democracy.

Mr. Mpombo pointed out that the party should not be selective on people who are supposed to contest for different position during the convention.

He added that the true value of democracy in the ruling party is slowly eroding because of certain individuals in the MMD.

The Member of Parliament said that the MMD should be seen to be in the forefront of promoting democracy unlike going against the principles it was set on.
[ QFM ]