political defections

Political Defections are they genuine?
By Chris Habeenzu
Zambia after every five years hold tripartite elections. It is during this period that the country's political arena is characterized by defections that sees people crossing from one political party to the other.
Some defections seem so genuine but alas are stage managed all aimed at deceiving political sympathizers. Would one be right to say it has become part of politicians to deceive or fool the electorate that they are gaining ground when actually not.
One would wonder whether this trend has worked or it is just a ploy for the people in the committees to deceive their superiors to splash more money. Just who is fooled between the political leaders or the supporters in this case?
Zambia is yet again this year heading for a general election and the political environment is slowly heating up with campaigns taking place way before an election date is announced.
In normal situation campaigns are supposed to take off after the dissolution of the parliament then cabinet and announcement of an election date. It is then that political parties know who their true members are other than that they risk campaigning and strategizing with enemies.
Of late Zambian politics has been characterized with political mudslinging especially between the Opposition Patriotic Front and the ruling MMD.
The two political parties have in the recent past been embroiled in heated character assassination all aimed at discrediting each other.
This has been done at the expense of issue based campaigns and this has not helped the country at all.
Character assassination become rampant when defections are taking place.
In recent past Zambian politics have experienced defections of politicians especially members of parliament and councilors all aimed at securing their positions during this year.
So are political defections genuine?

TENSION RISE AS ZAMBIA APPROACHS ELECTION

TENSION HEATS UP AS ZAMBIA APPROACHES ELECTIONS
By Chris Habeenzu
Zambia will this yet again go for the tripartite elections and tension in the country is slowly heating up.
With the elections date only known to the president political parties have embarked on a massive campaigns all in an effort to win the election.
Zambia's frontrunners have used all sorts of allegations against each other all aimed at winning support.
With opposition Patriotic Front's Michael Sata and MMD's Rupiah Banda being the frontrunners in the election, the outcome of the election has remained a challenge.
Some opinion polls have however shown that the PF leader is most popular presidential candidate followed by Rupiah Banda.
Some political pundits however states that opinion polls are not anything to go by saying that if conducted in an area where a particular political party or candidate is popular wins the poll.
THE recent defections by politicians leaves much to be desired as some sectors with a lot of questions on the genuineness. Some politicians among them former MMD's Katuba MP Jonas Shakafuswa, ULP's Batuke Imenda and Independent Dundumwezi MP Edgar Singombe defection to the UPND. Some civic leaders have also jumped on the band wagon all in an effort to remain in office.
Some spectators while sitting on the fence are scratching their heads all in doubt of the outcome or the perceived popularity of some candidates.
A number of projects have been initiated by the ruling party and one wonders whether these are genuine or they are a campaign ploy.
One needs to clarify what really a campaign is.

Chiluba put to rest

Zambia puts to rest former president
By Chris Habeenzu

Born in 1943 and having come from a humble background and rose to the highest position of the land was no more on June 18 2011.
Dr. Chiluba mostly known for his eloquence and charismatic has also been described a pioneer of democracy in Zambian politics.
Little did the family nor the country at large expect him to pass on did he just die much to the surprise of Zambians.
During the country's one party state Dr. Chiluba rose to the challenge when almost every Zambian feared to come out and challenge the country's first republican president Dr. Kenneth Kaunda popularly known as KK wamuyaya.
No one ever thought to take up the risk to challenge KK due to his grip on the security agencies. But to the surprise of many a movement that met at the popular Garden House Motel formed an organization that came up with the Movement for Multiparty Democracy-MMD in 1990.
Some think tanks in the name of Dipak Patel, Arthur Wina, his brother Sikota Wina, Princess Nakatindi Wina only to mention but a few met to come up with the MMD that was to challenge a the United National Independence Party-UNIP which was in power for twenty Seven years.Immediately the organization was registered as a political party and decided to challenge UNIP under KK.
With FTJ at the helm of this new political party Dr. Kaunda was forced to cut his term of office short to accommodate an election in 1991.
A wind of change had already started sweeping through the nation by the time Zambia's founding president set an election date.
With a common slogan, 'The Hour Has Come,' UNIP fanatics could not withstand the heat that came with the Zambian desire to call for change.
In 1991 in October Zambia went for an election that saw the MMD win it with a land slid.
Zambia's Eastern Province was the only part of the country that remained with the former ruling party.
In 1996 Zambia again went for another election but before an election date the countrymade amendments to its constitution that saw the first republican president Dr. Kenneth Kaunda barred from contesting the move that saw UNIP boycotting the entire election.
Zambia was again on the spot when the late Dr. Chiluba advocated for a third term the call that was vehemently rejected by Zambians.
Dr. Chiluba during this period saw a number of what he thought were his close allies satyed far away from him.
This forced the second Zambian president to pick on late Levy Mwanawasa much to the disappointment of now the PF leader Michael Sata.
Mwanawasa contest the 2001 election against the main opposition that time United Party for National Development-UPND led by the late Anderson Mazoka.
The late Mazoka claimed tat he won the 2001 election and sought the court's intervention but to no avail.

Mazoka used to be the chief executive officer of former Anglo- American Corporation, one of the world's biggest mining companies in Zambia, before he joined politics in 2001.

He formed the UPND after his bid to join the ruling party Movement for Multiparty Democracy was rejected.

He later contested the presidential elections in 2001 under the UPND and lost narrowly to Mwanawasa.

The late Mazoka could however not concede defeat thus sought courts intervention which could not help as it nullified his bid to nullify the outcome.

With only a few months in office late President Mwanawasa stripped of Dr. Chiluba;s imunity to pave way for an investigation into what he alleged misuse of public resources.

Dr. Chiluba after the removal of his immunity coupled with his heart condition trekked from home to the courts and to hospital in South Africa.

The death of Dr. Mwanawasa and the assuming of office of President Rupiah Banda saw the acquittal of Dr. Chiluba.

Zambia this goes to the polls and the ruling MMD depended to Dr. Chiluba's political exeprience to assist them win this year's election but with his death all the plans will have to re-planned.

Dr. Chiluba was put to rest on June 27 2011 at the Embassy park next to President Mwanawasa.

ZAMBIA UNDER MICROSCOPE 2011
BY CHRIS HABEENZU
Zambia in the early 1990s shifted from being a one party state to the multi- partism kind of state. First republican president Dr. Kenneth Kaunda cut short his term of office to accommodate the demands by the Zambians for the country to go for an early election that saw the current ruling Movement for multiparty Democracy assuming office with a land slid victory. As if that was not humiliating enough Dr. Kaunda in 1996 tripartite elections decided to attempt contesting the presidency but was not successful due to what one may term as constitutional dribbling.
After Dr. Kaunda and his UNIP lose a number of issues arose among the changing of the constitution that saw the inclusion of parentage clause in the new constitution. The Clause without any malice attached was aimed at barring the first republican president from re-contesting the presidency in 1996.
Due to these frustrations Dr. Kaunda decided to boycott the elections that saw the Movement for Multiparty Democracy-(MMD) bouncing back into power with Frederick Titus Chiluba at the helm.
A few years down the line there appeared some man claiming to be Dr. Chiluba's biological father the matter that saw a huge amounts of debate engulfing the nation at the expanse of development.
Some of course as it is always the the case journalists from public Media were sent to go investigate facts as to which village Dr. Chiluba come from. And on the other hand some private media again sent their own staff to Democratic Republic of Congo to uproot the truth from that country all in an effort to come up with the truth of the origin of the second republican president.
As if that was not enough another debate erupted and this was to do with the third term.
A number of concerns and protests both secretly and some openly were staged to oppose the move intended by Dr. Chiluba.
Thise time around Dr. Chiluba lost on this and went ahead to hand pick Dr. Levy Mwanawasa who had resigned from active politics and the republican vice presidency position in 1993.
Late Dr. Mwanawasa accepted the offer and in no time won the 2001 election by a simple majority.
UPND leader then Late Anderson Mazoka protested saying he had been robbed his victory and petitioned the outcome of the election the move that did not yield any positive results.
President Mwanawasa again emerged the winner in the 2006 elections now beating Opposition Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata who also petitioned the election results but withdraw his petition along the way.
One year and some months into his second term of office Dr. Mwanawasa passed on while on duty in Egypt during the African Union summit leaving the instruments of power in the hands of Vice President Rupiah Banda.
The unexpected tragedy left the country wondering who will lead the most peaceful nation to the next election.
Some few ministers in the late Mwanawasa's administration rose up to take mantle of presidency but shied away after learning that the then republican Vice president had been convinced to contest the presidency. Among the aspirants included now Local government minister Dr. Brian Chituwo, former Finance Minister Ngandu Mangande who persisted until the MMD National Executive Committee-NEC picked on Mr. Banda.
Others never came out.
In 2008 November President Rupiah Banda assumed office after beating three of his challengers PF's Michael Sata the closest rival and UPND's Hakiande Hichilema who came third and Heritage Party's Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda coming fourth.
Zambia this year again goes to the general elections and President Banda has declared his candidature that has also seen other opposition leaders all trying to dislodge him from office.
With a few months before the election some reports have emerged alleging that President's parents come from Malawi.
This has also attracted heated debates. The initiator of the reports Milton Phiri has had numerous attacks and threats some going as far as vinyau soldiers sent to arrest him.
In an effort to clear the air public Media has been assigned to clear the misinformation well according to MMD. Some Media reports have been aired on ZNBC all aimed at clarifying the said misconception of the President's origins. But this debate will it benefit the nation?

President Banda holds secret meeting with Communist party of China
President Rupiah Banda Thursday held a closed-door meeting with delegation of the Communist Party of China (CPC).The Chinese delegation led by Bayanqolu, deputy secretary of CPC Jinlin Provincial Committee says it has been invited by the ruling party in Zambia, the MMD.The contents of the meeting with President Rupiah Banda have not yet emerged but it is reasonable to speculate that they discussed the forthcoming presidential elections.Bayanqolu, the head of the delegation told reporters who joined the feast at State House later that China will not interfere in the local politics of Zambia.The Chinese delegation came to Zambia barely a week after US secretary of State Hilary Clinton visited Zambia and warned that Chinese investment may not be so good for Zambia.Between 9 and 11 January 2011, Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China Hui Liangyu visited Zambia and also held a secret meeting with president Banda.State House sources disclosed then that Liangyu left a bag of hard currency with President Banda for this year’s elections.China is naturally worried about possible change of government in Zambia due to its huge direct investment which is above $1-billion.
Zambian Watchdog

A Zambian Worker

Zambian Worker
By Chris Habeenzu
Zambia has adequate labor laws if properly used can greatly assist the local people advance their lives as well as put enough food on the table.
The flooding of Chinese nationals in almost every nation has not spared Zambia, a country that is endored with numerous natural resources.
The Chinese have also invaded almost every sector of the country's economy. The most worrying thing about the increasing number of Chinese in the country has come with it both good and bad.
Zambian workers have been subjected to untold misery as hopes for them to be protected by government seem to be getting slimer and slimer similar to nothing.
Zambians have been further subjected to nothing thus miseries becoming order of the day.