THE UPND’S VALENTINES' DAY CONVENTION
After much talk and speculation, the UPND general conference
(convention) is here. Not shocking that the party has settled for Valentine’s Day
on 14th February, 2021 considering red is its official colour.
UPND President Hakainde Hichilema in picture delivered a well constructed and impactful statement as he opened the conference. He earlier posted the following on his Twitter:
The convention was held virtually considering the
increase in the COVID-19 cases. UPND Chairman for elections Gary Nkombo
recently told the press that the change in dates from 21-23 January and the
mode of the meeting which was initially planned for Kabwe (Central Zambia) was
because of increasing cases of COVID-19 which has so far claimed hundreds of
Zambians.
Party Elections Chairman Gary Nkombo told Journalists that
all positions at National Management level, including that of the President are
open for contestation.
The party is holding its convention in fulfilment of Article
60 of the Republican Constitution. A total of 1, 500 delegates will form the
Electoral College including 6 constituency officials; 8 from the district; 34
from the Province. Nomination fees for aspiring candidates are pegged at K1,000
and one must have support of at least 2 provinces to be considered.
Other voters at the Convention include 30 students from
higher institutions of learning, all UPND Members of Parliament (MPs) and 10
members from the Diaspora.
The convention comes at a time when the party is desperate
for new blood, new ideas and new energy. There is growing pressure from the
public on the party and its leadership to rise to the challenge and provide
inspiration ahead of the August 2021 polls as many describe the party as
lacking in strategy and having no clear convincing message to stir up a wind of
change desirable to oust a sitting government.
It is my opinion that from the time UPND was formed in 1998 by Anderson
Mazoka its best chance of
forming government was in 2015 second only to the spectacular run Anderson gave
Levy Mwanawasa in 2001. The 2001 elections were in my view the last general
elections were frontrunners collected good votes across all the regions of the
country with no widespread tribal and regional voting as experienced in the
last three general elections.
There is
growing pressure from within and outside UPND for the party to choose a new
president to stir it forward giving that HH who is famously known as ‘bally’
has tumbled in the last five attempts at the presidency. However many still
feel he is the right man for the job adding that substituting a proven striker
in injury time can be suicidal.
I end with
an open letter from a friend of the UPND
OPEN LETTER TO THE UPND ELECTIVE GENERAL ASSEMBLY DELEGATES
By Sara Imutowana Yeta II
Dear UPND Elective General Assembly Delegates
I write to you ahead of the United Party for National
Development (UPND) elective General Assembly, scheduled for 14 February 2021,
to remind you of your solemn duty as people selected to represent your voting
precinct at the elective General Assembly.
It is your duty to elect leaders with a clear understanding
of the party’s liberal philosophy. That means leaders who will ensure that the
party does not deviate from its distinctive purpose, values, priorities,
practices, and projections aimed at promoting a system suitable for the
cultivation of free human beings by empowering them with knowledge and skills
supported by a stronger sense of values, ethics, and civic engagement to
develop themselves and others.
As delegates, it is your duty to elect competent leaders
because development is not a matter of chance, but rather of the ability to do
the job successfully.
This entails electing party leaders with sufficient
knowledge, skills, information, and intellectual capacity to implement the
manifesto and the pre-election promises, and in doing so, to translate the UPND
vision into action.
This is not an easy task; therefore, a need exists for
leaders able to perform their roles efficiently.
You are honoured to be delegates because you have the power
to elect leaders who are in touch with the masses. Elect leaders who are able
to appear in public and on the media, rather than hermits who rule in a silent,
untransparent, and isolated way from within the party’s palaces.
If truth be told, it is high time the party is led by people
who are outgoing, sociable, assertive, and gregarious, to be able to attract
more people to the party.
Vote wisely for principled men and women who do not change
their beliefs as the wind blows but who are able to push the party agenda,
despite obstacles.
There is no other time than now, when the party needs
leaders who are focused, hard-working, self-disciplined, conscientious in
achieving their party duties.
The people you represent at the assembly want you to elect
leaders who can set the tone for fighting political corruption including
bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, tribalism, patronage, influence
peddling, graft, and embezzlement. Therefore, elect people to reward the party
by being reliable, predictable, and trustworthy in the eyes of voters.
The UPND deserves leaders with whom the citizens will truly
identify. These leaders must know how to lead with confidence and must be ready
to take head-on the political challenges of our time.
The ball is in your court. Elect leaders who will shape the
challenges the country is facing beyond the UNPD campaign agenda, and who will
ultimately design the future of our great nation.
Delegates, elect people who are decisive to keep everyone in
the party moving forward, and on-task with motivation while also being
adaptable to our fast-changing political situation.
Make the people whom you will be representing at the
convention proud by electing leaders with a positive mental attitude. Being in
the opposition is tough; hence, the party needs leaders who know how to manage
party members during trying moments. These are leaders able to understand that
negativity exists in any political party but who will nevertheless make a
choice not to foster it but rather to inspire optimism among party members.
It will be a missed opportunity if, as delegates, you do not
elect solution-oriented leaders. To be a party in opposition comes with its own
set of challenges, which makes it imperative to have leaders who are focused on
solutions.
People do not want leaders who blame others when they are
faced with problems. They want leaders able to concentrate on the task at hand
and to do what is required to keep the party moving forward.
Honourable delegates, there is nothing that pleases citizens
more than having responsible leaders able to carry out party tasks and to
account for party failures and mistakes in order to pull them through the most
uncertain times.
Remember, people deserve leaders who are in touch with the
masses. They want leaders who will allow them to speak up and will listen to to
what they think. Therefore, elect leaders who understand the importance of
engagement and of contributing to the party without being side-lined.
The assembly should give the party humble leaders. Here I
mean leaders willing to be human, to interact with the people at grassroots
level, not only with their minds but also with their hearts. This is one of the
sure ways of winning the support of the masses.
The hour has come for leaders who are political
communicators. These leaders must be open in promoting the party’s connection
with the citizens by using different modes of interaction including persuasion,
sharing times of sorrow, and a mutual ethos.
The party needs courageous leaders who will not allow their
fear of consequences to prevent them from doing the right thing. It is time for
purposeful leaders who are prepared to sacrifice their lives for the party and
for the country as whole.
The UPND is a haven of talented leaders. Delegates should
therefore vote for role model leaders. These are leaders who understand that if
they want to influence their members, they first have to seek for it in
themselves and then set the example through the things they say and do for the
citizens to emulate them.
The question, however, is: Will the delegates seize this
golden opportunity to elect the desired leaders?
If they do, I contend that the party and the country will
move forward. If the opportunity is missed, the party’s relevance to our
society is at stake.
Sincerely,
Sara Imutowana Yeta II
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