POLITICS OF INCONSISTENCY

THE most consistent feature of Zambian politics is inconsistency. The saddest part of it all is that the vast majority of citizens take no keen interest in politics yet it is the decisions of politicians that are responsible for the progress or lack of progress that characterises various facets of our existence as a collective community of Zambians.  The decisions of today’s political office bearers will continue to yield fruits for generations to come. The national debt issue is a classic example of the impact of political choices on future generations.

The debts that our founding father acquired to build the country and deal with economic challenges then came back to haunt the country in ways that not only significantly affected the quality of life of Zambians but also resulted in premature death of a lot of them.   The Patriotic Front government is back on the path of borrowing this time not only from development finance institutions with concessional terms but also from open markets with high interest rates and stringent repayment terms. The Patriotic Front may not be in power in 2024 when both euro bonds fall due.  The current crop of leaders may not live long enough to witness the vulture funds land on national assets in a bid to recover unpaid debts.

In a more progressive society in as far as democracy and good governance are concerned the statement by Patriotic Front Secretary General Davies Chama to the effect that the party and government does not mind creating a one party state, would not go without widespread condemnation, punishment and protest.

 It is a shame that no one in the rank and file of the ruling party sees anything wrong with such a statement. Even more worrying is the fact that the statement has come at a time when the ruling party has literally swallowed up and obliterated a once vibrant political party in the Movement for Multi Party Democracy MMD. It is a shame that through the actions of the PF and its desire to dominate the political landscape of the country a credible voice in providing checks and balances is now at the verge of extinction.

Many Zambian living today may not have ben around when Zambia went through the one party state phase and may not fully understand what it means. The democracy we enjoy today whereby we have fundamental freedoms of expression, access to information, movement,  assembly and religion and conscience among others would not have existed without a determination to retain to multi-party democracy.

The animal of one party participatory democracy was nothing but a vehicle for totalitarian rule were the choices and decisions of a head of state cannot go unchallenged. This is what the PF desires, a state where critical voices can be silenced, where loans no matter how colossal can be secretly acquired without citizens knowing or questioning; when one would be proud to go into a general election and stand against a frog.

What is it that the PF have seen in being in power that they never saw when they were opposition? Would the PF had been in government today if MMD had chosen to abandon its principled position on plural politics?

The Patriotic Front have tasted the sweetness of incumbency. The amount of resources at its disposal are exciting and overwhelming. They can secure benefits through employment in the civil service and parastatals, through supply contracts to government and other means.

This is a political party that formed a company specifically to participate in bidding of supply contracts. The PF have realised how nice it is to control markets and bus stations. It is no wonder cries to have these places run by the council continue to fail whilst co-boys collect monies from bus operators without any form of accountability. They perceive a vibrant opposition as an obstacle to the enjoyment of the free flow of these benefits.

Can Zambians rise to the occasion and demand the protection of their democratic rights to enjoy plural politics?