Maravi

Loyal opposition

Loyal opposition
By Editor
Thursday March 29, 2007 [02:00]

Chief Macha’s statement that UPND president Hakainde Hichilema will be taking people, especially those from Southern Province where he has the largest following, for a ride if he met with President Levy Mwanawasa without their approval shows how most of our people don’t seem to appreciate the role of opposition parties in a multi-party setup.

This also shows that very few of our people recognise and understand the concept of loyal opposition.

Hichilema said he was ready to meet with Levy anywhere including State House to discuss national issues if doing so would contribute to national development. He further said: “We are available and we are not afraid of going to any place any time. People think when you go to State House, you are joining somebody. It’s a show of maturity to talk to somebody and raise your issues. Let’s take out enmity in our country.”

This is a progressive approach to national issues which our people, including chief Macha, should be encouraging our politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties to adopt. Zambia is constitutionally a multi-party democracy and this means we will always have politicians and political parties in opposition. In this setup, the opposition leaders together with their members and supporters should not see their role as that of opposing, frustrating and tearing to pieces anything coming from the rulers in government.

Multi-party democracy calls for a culture of compromise, tolerance and consensus building. When we talk about compromise, we are not asking our opposition leaders to compromise the principles on which their parties were founded for selfish, personal gains from the ruling party. We realise that both the ruling party and the opposition parties have the common responsibility of building the nation for the benefit of our people. Both the ruling party and opposition parties should agree in solving common problems and challenges that our nation faces. But these parties can only agree or disagree if they are on talking terms, not the quarrelling or insulting terms. How can they agree or disagree if they cannot sit around the same table to confront national issues?

As Nelson Mandela said, one can only compromise on fundamental issues. Insignificant things, peripheral issues, don’t need any compromise. We think that it is significant for our political leaders to ponder together the way out of our people’s squalor. This is not the responsibility of the MMD government alone.

Chief Macha said our people would only be liberated from poverty if the opposition got united. We think this is a mistaken view because even assuming that the opposition came together and formed a big force to dethrone the MMD government, they would still be expected to co-operate with the MMD as an opposition party.

That is why it is key for our people to appreciate the concept of “loyal opposition”. This concept is indispensable to a functioning of multi-party democracy. In essence, loyal opposition means that all sides in a multi-party democracy share a common commitment to its basic values.

Political competitors do not necessarily have to like each other. But they must tolerate one another and acknowledge that each one has a legitimate and important role to play. We must encourage tolerance and civility in the ways our politics are conducted. Competition in politics does not mean enmity among the political players. Hichilema does not need to shun Levy just because he is in opposition. He should feel free to approach Levy to discuss issues that are in the interest and for the benefit of Zambians. What will be wrong is for Hichilema to meet Levy for the sole purpose of cutting a deal for his personal benefits.

This is also true in case of other politicians, including those from the ruling party. The fact that these politicians in MMD are in the ruling party does not make them better citizens than those in the opposition. They should humble themselves and consult with their colleagues in the opposition because we have so many men and women in this category who have a lot to offer. It cannot be disputed that some of our opposition parties have very high calibre individuals who might actually be holding keys to some of our problems. But because of the arrogance and know-it-all attitude from those in the ruling party, these individuals are not consulted even in areas where their expertise might be required.

We say this because this country knows no single genius that can solve the many problems and challenges confronting our people. We need collective efforts to get our country out of its current difficulties.

Besides, in a multi-party democracy, those in government need the co-operation of those in opposition if they are to deliver the services required by our people in an effective and orderly manner.
The opposition political parties have a duty to participate in public life because they play an essential role in any democracy. As we have said before, the opposition are expected to be loyal not to the specific policies of those in government but to the fundamental legitimacy of the state and to the democratic process itself. This is because the opposition is also part of the state.

If the men and women in all our political parties are really patriots, their pre-occupation should be to see our country succeed in all areas of human endeavour regardless of who is in government.

Labels: EDITORIAL, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, MMD, UPND

posted by MrK @ 4:17 AM