Resolve Pact presidency

Resolve Pact presidency
By The Post
Wed 21 July 2010, 04:00 CAT

“Admit when you are wrong, and you will avoid embarrassment” (Sirach 20:3). In this same light, we welcome the admission by the PF-UPND pact leaders that their recent differences over adoptions of local government and parliamentary by-election candidates showed that there were some weaknesses in their alliance. It is also interesting to note that they see the exposure of all this as a blessing in disguise.

When we first brought their differences or problems to the attention of the Zambian people and wrote editorial comments on what was going on in their pact, their first reaction was to accuse us of having joined the MMD wittingly or unwittingly to destroy their pact. This didn’t bother us that much because we have been well taught to keep our self-respect, but remain modest and always to value ourselves at our true worth.

Criticism is a good thing, and if it is valid, it must be made. If we have shortcomings, we should not be afraid to have them pointed out and criticised, because we serve the people. Anyone, no matter who, may point out our shortcomings. If he is right, we should correct them. If what he proposes will benefit the people, we should act upon it.

Honest politicians – politicians who are truly committed to serving the people – have no reason to fear criticism and the exposure of their problems or weaknesses because there is nothing personal in what they are doing and they base all their actions on the highest interests of the broadest masses of the Zambian people who are fully convinced of the justness of their cause.

Such politicians never balk at any personal sacrifice and are ready at all times to leave everything to the cause of the people and are never reluctant to discard any idea, viewpoint, opinion or method which is not suited to the interests and needs of the people. Such politicians will never allow political dust and germs to soil their clean faces or eat into their healthy organisms.

It is always necessary to remind ourselves of the countless, selfless people who fought for our independence and who sacrificed to give us the life we have today. Our hearts are filled with pain as we the living think of them – can there be any personal interest, then, that we should not sacrifice or any error that we would not discard?

What the events of the last two weeks should have taught the PF-UPND pact leaders and indeed their supporters across the width and breadth of our country is that they must not become complacent over any success.

The mere creation, the mere idea of a pact and its launch was a success for the weak, divided and fragmented opposition of this country in the sense that those who are ready to join hands can overcome the greatest challenges. We should check our complacency and constantly criticise our shortcomings, just as we should wash our faces or sweep the floor every day to remove the dirt and make them clean.

The events of the last two weeks should have also taught the Pact leaders something valuable concerning criticism. As for criticism, the lesson is that, it should be done in good time; we shouldn’t get into the habit of criticising only after the event. Taught by mistakes and setbacks, we expect them to become wiser and handle the affairs of their pact better.

It is hard for any political party, pact or person to avoid mistakes, but we should make as few as possible. Once a mistake is made, we should correct it, and the more quickly and thoroughly, the better.
Criticism should be an important weapon, tool for improving and strengthening the organisation of the PF-UPND pact and increasing its political competitive capacity.

And the PF-UPND pact leaders and supporters should realise that when we criticise their decisions and actions, the purpose is to increase their competitive capacity so that they can achieve their objectives, realise their political goals.

It is not used as a means of personal attack, or as some tribalists would like to believe, a tribal attack on them. We say this because there are, within the PF-UPND people who cannot see anything beyond tribe. This is a tendency and attitude they have to struggle viciously against because it is, to a large measure, one of the sources of their problems.

Another point that should be mentioned in connection with this criticism is that the leaders of this pact were ignoring the major issues and were simply confining their attention to minor points. And this is where they wanted criticism to be directed, and not to issues that really mattered.

They do not understand that the main task of criticism is to point out political and organisational mistakes. As to personal shortcomings, unless they are related to political and organisational mistakes, there is no need to be over-critical or those concerned will be at a loss as to what to do.

Moreover, once such criticism develops, there is the great danger that within the Pact, attention will be concentrated exclusively on minor issues, and everyone will become timid and overcautious and forget the Pact’s political task. Of course, in criticising, there is need to guard against subjectivism, arbitrariness and the vulgarisation of criticism; statements should be based on facts and criticism should stress the political side.

There is also need to bear in mind that opposition and struggle between ideas of different kinds constantly occur within any political organisation that is full of life. If there are no contradictions and no struggle to resolve them, the Pact’s life would come to an end.

We stand for active political struggle because it is the weapon for ensuring unity within the Pact. And all those involved should take up this weapon. But we know that opportunists never want any struggles because they are never ready to struggle and sacrifice for anything. And as such, they stand for unprincipled peace, thus giving rise to a decadent, philistine attitude and bringing about political degeneration in certain parts and individuals in the Pact.

Honest politicians do not fear criticism because the truth is on their side and the basic masses are on their side. Honest politicians are fearless.
We hope that the PF-UPND pact leaders will courageously shoulder their responsibilities and overcome all difficulties, fearing no setbacks or gibes.

As for us, we will never fear to expose their problems. And whenever they try to be dishonest and attempt to tell lies or to mislead our people, we will expose them. If we were not courageous enough to tell the Zambian people the truth about the state of the Pact, one day they would just wake up to find the Pact dead without having been seen to be ill – not even a short illness.

It is not good to hide the truth, the difficulties, the challenges of the Pact from the masses of our people. The only reason why leaders of the PF-UPND pact are uncomfortable with letting the people know that they have problems is because these problems are generated by them, they are a product of their selfishness, greed, dishonesty and vanity.

But we will never be part of any conspiracy to hide the truth from the masses of our people. It is said that “he who is not afraid of death by a thousand cuts dares to unhorse the emperor” – this is the indomitable spirit needed in the struggle to build a successful pact and a more just, fair and humane Zambia.

And the mark of great political leaders is the ability to understand the context in which they are operating and act accordingly. To be democratic is not merely to be able to cast a vote but to live in a way that respects and enhances the lives of others.

And as we have pointed out before, solutions can always be found even to disagreements that have come to seem intractable and such solutions emerge when those who are disagreeing reach out in honesty and sincerity to find the common ground.

Again, we would like to remind the leaders of the PF-UPND pact that theirs is not an alliance forged on the plane of political struggle but in some dark corner meetings, out of negotiations and compromises. And because of this, they have no other way out but to compromise. And the nature of compromising is that you will compromise on fundamental issues.

If you are not prepared to compromise, then there is no point trying to enter into a pact at all. Insignificant things, peripheral issues, don’t need any compromise. The fundamental issue that the PF and the UPND need to compromise on, first and foremost, is who will be their presidential candidate in next year’s elections.

Ours is predominantly a presidential political system where one who wins the presidency forms government unlike the parliamentary system where one who wins more parliamentary seats forms government. So the starting point for their pact to move forward is to resolve, in the shortest possible time, the issue of the PF-UPND pact presidential candidate. Starting from somewhere else will be a waste of time and mere ducking of the principal issue.

Once the presidential candidate issue is resolved, all else will easily fall in place. Acting otherwise will be like trying to catch a barbel or catfish by the tail instead of the head. And we know very well how easily it slips away if you try to catch it by the tail instead of the head. So our advice to the leaders of this pact is to be honest and sincere enough and meet the challenges of their pact truthfully without any posturing.

It is clear that the Zambian people want the Pact to succeed but they are being let down by the selfishness, greed, vanity and shortsightedness of their leaders. But we know that in the end, the people’s will triumph.