Maravi

The MMD faces an uncertain future

COMMENT - It is not merely that the MMD has been in power for 20 years, it is that their ideology of neoliberal economics is wrong, and is crashing economies around the globe. I don't want the MMD to make a comeback with a more slick and attuned believer in 'free trade', deregulation and privatisation. We need Demand Side Economics, not Supply Side Economics, permanently.

The MMD faces an uncertain future
By The Post
Tue 25 Oct. 2011, 16:30 CAT

The MMD must begin by recognizing the scale of their defeat and of their problem. And the line Katele Kalumba is suggesting appears to be the most sensible and most viable approach. Katele, among other things, suggests:

"The history that has evolved over the years of MMD, as a corrupt party needs to be confronted by the MMD leadership by going to the Zambian people and talk about this history capably and where necessary, where mistakes have been made, to apologise to the Zambian people. What is needed is truthfulness as to how this scourge emerged within the ranks of the party.

There is nothing more healing than truth. I believe that MMD cannot present itself as a viable candidate to secure electoral mandate from the Zambian people if this perception continues, that it is a corrupt party that is into rigging and to some extent violent acts. I think this perception must be addressed and it cannot be cleaned up unless it is truthfully conceded that a wrong has been done."

It is true that the MMD became associated increasingly with the most disagreeable messages and thoughts. It was seen as a corrupt party, a party of corrupt elements. Sleaze disgraced the MMD in the eyes of the public. Their perception was of corruption and unfitness for public service. Such distasteful perceptions can endure and do them damage for a long time.

They should face these issues head-on and deal with them. The last three years of the MMD profoundly disappointed their supporters and disgusted many others due to the unbridled corruption of the Rupiah Banda regime. They removed laws that were enacted to prevent corruption in a way that was clearly seen to be encouraging impunity.

They were not ready to listen to anyone over issues of corruption. It became clear to all that the MMD had even corrupted the judiciary and magistrates and judges were delivering judgments, especially on corruption, in accordance with their will. And those who were in Parliament as MMD members and those who were in government, must bear a particular responsibility for all this.

People need a rest from the MMD, and they need time to reflect and listen and come to understand themselves and their problems better than they have done of late. They certainly need to do a lot about themselves. They need better and different organisation. They need to spread their appeal and attract different sorts of people.

They need to sort out the confusion and bad signals that arose while they were in government. They need to take a fresh look in the new circumstances. But, as Katele has correctly observed, all these things should not be done secretly but openly to ensure truthfulness and transparency. And to borrow from Lenin, the attitude - that is to say, the seriousness of purpose - of a political party is measured, basically, by the attitude it takes towards its own errors and problems.

And in the same way, the seriousness of purpose of the leadership and members of MMD will be measured by the attitude they take towards their own errors, problems. Of course, dealing with their problems openly, and not secretly, will attract the attention of their political competitors who will always be alert to know what errors they have committed and what problems they are facing. When errors are made and are not subjected to open and truthful criticism, political opponents take advantage of them. When those errors are made and are subjected to open self-criticism, they may be used by political competitors, but in a very different way.

This is because in the former case, the errors will not be corrected and in the latter, they would be. That's why we think the political line being suggested by Katele for the MMD to take a forthright and serious attitude towards their errors and problems deserves the support of all party members and leaders.

There is also something very important in the suggestion that Katele is making for the MMD to see a reversal of political fortunes. The MMD should go back to the founding spirit of patriotism. And that spirit of patriotism would force them to wish to see their country succeed with or without them in power. It will make them not gloat over political reverses nor want to pull down the work of PF in government. They would wish to see the economy strengthened and not look to bouncing back in power on the back of national failure.

MMD should not also underestimate Michael Sata and his achievements. Before the last elections, Michael skillfully laid bare the areas of life and policy where the public felt dissatisfied and angry with the MMD. Michael did not merely win by default, but because of his talent for capturing the public mood. The MMD of today should learn from that.

What the MMD needs to do to survive is to do the right thing. The wheel of fortune turns and that which once appeared fresh, with the passing of time goes to seed. What the MMD needs to do is to go back to its founding principles, values and political morality. Opportunities will be there if they are willing to make the necessary changes and make themselves relevant to the Zambian politics of today and of tomorrow. If they do all the necessary right things, their time will come again.

Losing an election after being in power for 20 years is not an easy thing to deal with. One may start to think that all is ended. This may not be true because this may just be the beginning of a new start. It is said that the greatness comes not when things go always good for you, but the greatness comes and you are really tested, when you take some knocks, some disappointments, some defeats, when sadness comes, because only if you have been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.

There are still some good people in the MMD. These also might have made serious mistakes, errors; they might have done wrong things. But not for personal gain. They did what they believed in. Sometimes right, sometimes wrong. The MMD needs to find such members and leaders and push them to the fore. We say this because this is where the future of MMD truly lies. Those who were involved in corruption and defended corruption like Rupiah can never be part of the future of a viable MMD.

The MMD needs to make themselves better understood by the people and show the people that they are a changed party. They also have to realise that they did not lose last month's elections because Michael and the PF despised them, but because Michael and the PF were better understood, supported and trusted. There is also need for the MMD to realise that there is no choice between being principled and unelectable; and electable and unprincipled.

They should win because of what they believe. If they continue to believe and to think that money is everything and is all what one needs to win an election, then they will continue losing elections until the party goes into extinction. They had all the money in the last election; they had bought all the campaign materials one could think of, but still lost last month's elections. Now they will never have such money again because the sources from which they obtained it corruptly will never be open to them again. They will go into future elections without the money they displayed and abused in last month's elections.

But the task of renewing the MMD is not one for the faint-hearted, or the weary or cynical. It is not a task for those afraid of hard choices, or those seeking a comfortable life. They have to change the style, character and identity of MMD. And change is an important part of that. As we have stated before, political parties that do not change die and if the MMD does not change, it will soon be turned into a historical monument. The MMD has to change to keep its relevance. And it also needs to change its ways, its attitude, its character to gain the nation's trust.

And Katele is right when he says that the MMD needs to be cleansed before it could be presented to the Zambian people as a viable political party. And indeed, tackling the corruption perception is very critical to the MMD future political prospects. The MMD needs to address the issue of corruption which has been associated with the party for the last 15 years or so. It has no sensible or meaningful alternative to this. Without these necessary changes, the MMD faces an uncertain future.

Labels: CORRUPTION, MMD

posted by MrK @ 11:16 PM