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Letters - PF-UPND pact needs transformation now

PF-UPND pact needs transformation now
By Mazuba Mwiinga, Livingstone
Wed 21 July 2010, 09:10 CAT

Editor,

To win a war, you always need to get your facts correct, and always talk to your superior warmongers honestly; and the Pact people should honestly talk about it if it is to be a success story. Praising and singing sweet tunes marred by a bitter taste sometimes, will not take the Pact to State House; only honest talk characterised by resolute humility on the part of the leaders is the key to victory for the Pact.

When the anxiety in the Pact shows its colours at the grassroots, one wonders how solid its foundation is. If I have to be a devil’s advocate a little bit, as I have been plodding my pact friends before, delaying to announce the Pact’s 2011 Presidential candidate will cost this grouping dearly. In Tonga, we have a saying: Ntole-ntole injanya kali kule, literary meaning that procrastination leads to disaster.

The fact that PF-UPND pact members are competing against each other in ward by-elections is an indication that this pact is poorly organised at the grassroots. The founders have concentrated much on urban areas, on parliamentary by-elections, ignoring the fact that the MMD always garners votes from rural areas where the opposition never sees the need to sell themselves.

The Pact’s failure to resolve the impasse and decide to go ahead with the competition is a bold mark on the Pact’s sense of agreement. It has shown lack of decisiveness, direction and commitment to that which they want to achieve. It has shown lack of honesty and sincerity as The Post editorial of July 15, 2010 states. It also shows lack of humility among those who are in the driving seat of the Pact. They have courted pride for themselves and can’t let go of their political ego to allow for selfless mission to take root.

And this makes me suspicious that it could be the reason why the Pact is hesitating to choose a leader. The two parties fear for themselves. No-one is ready to give way to the other once the time of hitting the nail on the head comes. As The Post has reminded them, there will be no running away because the Pact will only need one leader, and the earlier they make a choice, the more time they will have to heal any wounds that may result.

They can run now, but will never hide from reality. We are now entering August, and about this time next year, we may be voting. This means that the Pact has less than 12 months to choose and sell its leader. They shouldn’t take it for granted that both leaders are known countrywide. That’s an assumption that may cause them to weep like children in broad daylight when the unexpected happens. Having councillors in urban areas is nothing for this Pact, for they just control a fraction of the politics of this nation.

If this Pact continues its hide-and-seek game, they will be awakened by a rude shock to hear that actually, we are voting in July 2011. And that’s when they will see how, even the most well known horse rider, throws up the rope because he cannot take the fusion of adrenaline flowing in his veins.

We all need this pack of the MMD government to march out. But we can’t just give them marching orders without knowing exactly who we are replacing them with.

Pact is not a party. It’s two parties working together. Working together for who and in what ways? We need this pact to transform itself now, into a sensible grouping with a leader and clearly defined structures of operation which the people they claim to have given them the mandate to be together need to know. If they wait for tomorrow, the sun may not rise and only darkness may be there for them gnashing their teeth with pain and shame. You can’t win an election overnight. The time to act is now!

Labels: PF-UPND

posted by MrK @ 11:43 AM