UPND ECZ TRUCK INTERCEPTION – A COMMON ELECTION INTELLIGENCE DECOCY By Kellys Kaunda To be charitable to UPND, the leadership may have innocently believed that a plot was underway by the ruling party with the collaboration of ECZ to “steal” the 2015 Presidential by-election. Unfortunately (even embarrassingly), the “loot” turned out to be something else! Which opposition party will sit idly by having received intelligence information to the effect that an election malpractice was to be performed? Africa, and Zambia is not excluded, is known for election malpractices perpetrated especially by ruling parties desperate to remain in power. Therefore, even when circumstances may have changed, mindsets may still be operating in the old mold. I therefore sympathize with both the UPND and the ECZ. To UPND, may I simply say that be cautious especially during election periods: many are the people that cash in by peddling false intelligence knowing that politicians will believe anything. To ECZ: understand where UPND is coming from. This is a country where the trust deficit has been deepening for many years, and there have never been any publicly known efforts to restore trust in electoral processes. ECZ has, over the years, introduced several administrative mechanisms – from inspecting the printing of ballot papers to the announcement of a winner – mechanisms that are verifiable and easy to follow by all interested parties. To PF: you have inherited a reputation left behind by parties that have governed before you – desperate to remain in power at whatever cost. Recently, you did the unthinkable when you publicly apologized for remarks made at your public meeting against HH. In this, you demonstrated a marked departure from the past where character assassination was accepted as normal political communication. In the same spirit, decently state your position in this matter and assure the public of your desire to open a new chapter of genuinely and fairly contested elections respecting the Zambian voter as the master who holds the last word. To the rest of you my friends: we have a collective duty to construct an electoral landscape that is honest and fair. We need to individually purpose in our hearts that “I will play an honest part in bringing into public office men and women to serve our collective interests”.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 06:36:01 +0000
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