FOCUS ON ZAMBIA: THE LAST THURSDAY POLITICAL THROWBACK

STATE OF AFFAIRS

China’s never ending thirty for mineral resources has helped many southern African countries like Zambia to experience massive economic breakthroughs. With Zambia’s copper been a key export has enabled china to flex its financial powers to acquire the resources, but concerns has risen over China’s recent slowdown or economic crisis which has had a negative impact on many African economies. 

With that in mind, many politicians in Zambia have found that reason enough to make many excuses, but the truth is Zambia’s economic has more to do with poor investment and financial mismanagement to the china slowdown the government attributes its problems to.

Furthermore, with a weak kwacha currency and economy Zambia’s future is definitively uncertain and the government seems not to be in the right position to restore confidence and former glory of the country. And this can be observed in the ‘gambling kind of borrowing’ the government has ventured into and forgetting the most recent national prayers that were done to seek spiritual interference an initiative that the president come up with since Zambia is a Christian nation.

With the above in mind, Zambia’s problems never seems to be ending or getting better, in a matter of months millions of dollars will be needed (borrowed) for elections and to keep the angry electorate and civil servants happy at the expense of a dying economy.

THE AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION

The idea of a new constitution has always been a cry among Zambians with many wanting to limit the powers of the presidency which the considered to be too powerful while other sectors of society wanting the introduction of a bill of human rights. However, the constitution making process was just a source of conflicts between the ruling and opposition political parties who had different motives to satisfy. And even though, military coup d’état are so uncommon in Zambia, I might confess constitutional coup d’état is the new anthem of the day and can be observed in the rejection of clauses that were equally important to those adopted by the so called majority in parliament. And to explain about the constitutional d’état, it’s simply a fashionable 21^st century kind of clinging to power through clauses, referendum and amendment of constitution in favor of the sitting president. In reality this whole process is supposed to be illegal, but since it’s done in a fashionable way, bloodless and without any guns people do not see its dangers.

ADOPTED CLAUSES	REJECTED CLAUSES
50+1 for winning the presidential candidate	Mixed Proportional representation
Running mate	Appointment of cabinet ministers outside parliament
Dual citizenship	Provincial assemblies

And as we cross our fingers in waiting for the Head of state to sign or reject the amendments a lot of reflections must be done by the people, political parties and the Head of state because the outcome of the constitution making process will determine the way forward of the country as a whole. Of course, it is impossible to satisfy all parties involved, but it is possible to put their respective arguments into consideration.

CALL FOR A COALITION GOVERNMENT

Unlike other countries of the world where formation of coalition governments is the norm of the day, Zambia cannot have such because the opposition parties are too weak to pose any serious opposition to the current government. And in the past year,  Zambia has had some coalition or pacts were as two parties coming up together to form one party, but all these coalitions or pacts could not agree on simple issues such as candidates to file on election. With the above in mind, coalitions or pacts in Zambia do not work because they expose the opposition parties’ many unknown and known weaknesses, therefore to avoid such exposure the opposition has to work extra hard to earn the respect and support of the electorates for nothing is impossible.

In conclusion, I believe 2016 is both a good and bad year for Zambian for a lot of activities ranging from elections to redeeming of the economy, awaits the population and all will depend on people’s attitudes towards national development and personal choices in the booth

Merry Christmas and a filled New Year and thank you for reading and commenting the blog throughout the year. For your reading and commenting is what has kept this blog going.

Until next year 2016 God bless. 

Sishumba Musanda