Maravi

Mwata welcomes PF, UPND pact

Mwata welcomes PF, UPND pact
Written by Patson Chilemba and Ernest Chanda
Thursday, June 11, 2009 12:41:07 PM

MWATA Kazembe of the Lunda people of Luapula Province has welcomed the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Patriotic Front (PF) and United Party for National Development (UPND), saying the country needs a strong opposition. And former UPND second vice-president Patrick Chisanga has welcomed the political pact.

Commenting on the recently signed MoU whose focus is to remove the ruling MMD from power, and assertions by critics that the pact would not work because both PF president Michael Sata and UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema were greedy for the presidency, Mwata Kazembe said the two should be given a benefit of doubt.

He said the pact would succeed if it were based on trust and honesty, saying the country had experienced a situation in the past where alliances crumbled because the parties involved had failed to agree on the presidency.

Mwata Kazembe said the pact was set to increase political competition in the country.

"In my own opinion, it's the first time people have come together. Maybe it's a good thing for the country because we need a strong opposition. In fact, in the meantime, let's give them some benefit of doubt. If they have got some principle, it will work out," said Mwata Kazembe. "If it is a marriage of convenience, it shall not work out."

And Chisanga said unity of purpose was something that should be supported by all well- meaning Zambians.

"...I wish to say that of the first of things this development is a step in the right direction. The Zambian people at large have been yearning to see a consolidation and unity amongst the opposition parties. As you know at every general election and in some cases even by-elections; the combined vote of the opposition has always outvoted the ruling party. So they [opposition] are a very strong constituency working together," Chisanga said. "I would say that it's a move which if properly managed and handled could result in consolidating Zambia's democracy because it will have the effect of giving the Zambian people a viable alternative in 2011. So it's a move in support of democracy."

Asked if he would consider rejoining active politics in light of the new development, Chisanga said he would do that if the new political unity was strengthened.

"I have always been for unity. I have fought for unity in the politics of our country and in the political parties where I have served. And I have only served in two parties: UNIP [United National Independence Party] and UPND. If such a development would evolve into reality in a serious committed and selfless manner, I'm sure that you will see it will not just be myself. There will be many other Zambians who are at the moment disillusioned and disappointed with the way things are going, who will line up in support of such a development," he said.

However, Chisanga urged the PF and UPND to draw lessons from the failures of pacts that were signed before in the country's political history.

"This is not the first time that political parties have come together in a form of a pact, an alliance or a working arrangement of some sort. The history of our country is loaded with many examples of such attempts. I do remember when I served the UPND with late Anderson Mazoka as president; we engaged a number of our colleagues in the opposition. We had an alliance, for instance, which brought together the UPND, UNIP, FDD [Forum for Democracy and Development and the Republican Party," he said. "It was a very solid alliance. We developed common documents, common manifestos and working arrangements and so on. But unfortunately every time we came up to an election, a by-election, or even a general election, somehow the bond that held us together failed to hold and we fell apart. Everybody went their separate ways. So the point I'm making is that what our colleagues in UPND and PF have done is not a new development in the political history of this country. And so they will be well advised to take stock of what has happened in the past, what went wrong, why did the bond between all these alliances and pacts fail to deliver the desired goals by the people. They need to examine that."

Chisanga said he personally had identified several reasons to the failures in past alliances and pacts.

"In my reflections and reconnections I recall that part of the problem was the self-centeredness amongst our leadership; the desire to lead and for others to follow. In short to be the one that leads the pact into State House. But each party, you see, always has its own followers who will prop up their own leader. I think that if this pact has to have any chance of maturing into political victory for the opposition, particularly the 2011 election, things of the past need to be buried," Chisanga said. "And I would like to urge president Hakainde and president Sata that they must remember that when two people ride a horse one of them must ride behind. And it is the only way that this arrangement can result into a meaningful development worthy of celebrating by the Zambian people that 'at last we have unity in the opposition ranks'. If the major between UPND and PF can be consolidated then we will see meaningful change talking place in 2011."

Recently, PF and UPND signed an MoU whose focus is to remove the ruling MMD from power.

In a joint communique signed by Sata and Hichilema, the two parties would work together on all matters of national importance.

Meanwhile, Chisanga expressed disappointment with the National Constitutional Conference (NCC)'s failure to adopt a clause which stops government from contracting loans without the approval of the National Assembly.

Chisanga said government should not expect the Zambians to let them contract new loans without the approval of their representatives in Parliament.

Article 312 clause 3 (a) of the Mung'omba draft constitution states as follows: "the terms and conditions of the loan shall be laid before the National Assembly and shall not come into operation unless they have been approved by resolution of the National Assembly."

Chisanga argued that it was important for people to know what they were borrowing for and the conditions attached to such loans.

"For me such a clause is consistent with the good governance principles of transparency and accountability. And the principles of accountability and transparency are best achieved where you operate under conditions of full disclosure of what you are doing. Looking back over the years you will recall that this country had accumulated a huge debt of about US $7 billion. And then under president Chiluba and later Mwanawasa, we began to knock at the doors of HIPC [Highly Indebted Poor Countries] completion point. And that debt was a shackle which had enslaved all of us," said Chisanga. "None of us, including parliamentarians, would really testify what these monies were borrowed for. No one can testify that it was for the genuine interest of an ordinary Zambian. So it is most unfortunate, it is highly regrettable that this clause was not adopted at the National Constitutional Conference."

Labels: MoU, MWATA KAZAMBE, PF, UPND

posted by MrK @ 11:45 AM