By Staff Reporter
The anti-democratic moves of blocking the opposition from campaigning has affected their messaging to the electorate, says former Finance minister Ng’andu Magande.
And Magande said the messages he has managed to hear from both the ruling party and the opposition was the same, such that they could just all gather in one room and emerge with only one leader.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Magande said the environment has been very difficult for the opposition to campaign freely.
“People are reacting in a different way because if an opposition member wants to go and visit Lufwanyama and he has ideas on what to go and tell the people there but on the way he finds police men who say you can’t go there, so his mind obviously has to solve the immediate problem,” Magande said. “And that is the complication now, so people will spend time at the airport you know trying to convince a police man about traveling and by the time they get a lodge in Mongu the story is ‘how did you manage to get out of the police roadblock?’. So really that is the only thing, it can’t be the people that are discussing these things who are wrong but they are beginning to discuss things which they shouldn’t.”
Magande bemoaned the release of soldiers on to the streets, saying most people have never seen a police man holding a gun, let alone militarised soldiers on the streets.
“It’s now detracting People’s attention to things about their personal security instead of talking about the development of the country,” Magande said. “All I can is they (government) are still in control so we expect the peace we have enjoyed all these years is going to continue even after 12th August. I expect that whoever wins his interest will be to safeguard every Zambian whether they know how that Zambian voted or not.”
He said it was fallacy to resort to tribal politics, with all the intermarriages and sharing of names in Zambia.
“Even names like Mulenga it is found in Southern and Northern Province. Victimising someone on the basis of tribe you may end up victimising your own nephew…I hope the administration that will take over will work on mending this track,” Magande said. “Independence was to bring Zambians together so that we become a nation, and a nation is more important than individuals.”
And Magande said he was hearing the same message from the politicians, with all of them saying they will revamp agriculture, improve education; change the education syllabus and that they would distribute fertilizer on time.
“I guess from there somebody would just lock them inside and say you people who are here you should now, since you agree with one another you should come out of here and have one leader, because you have the same message. So really it’s not a question of lack of messages now it’s lack of leadership,” Magande said. “I mean there are too many people who think going to State House is how you will get a name. I haven’t been to State House but here I am…my name is all over the place because of what I did.”
Magande said what was required was for people to contribute in their own capability towards the development of the country.
“We don’t have to all go to State House. So really that is one of my disappointment because having people saying we will deliver fertilizer in good time, who can’t say that?” asked Magande. “Do you have to be at State House to deliver the fertilizer? You should be able to expose your brains by having plans for the country.”
