By Angela Moonga
Tonse-Pamodzi-Woza Alliance chairperson Sakwiba Sikota says for the first time in Zambia people are seeing unprecedented levels of “artificial incompetence (AI) on the part of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ.
In a press statement, Sikota charged that ECZ is displaying very high and amazing “AI skills.”
“ECZ is highly computerized and have even recently brought in digital experts to help with our elections. We have heard that they have even brought in gadgets to help transmit results from polling stations to central collation centre. We therefore do not expect any incompetence on the part of ECZ,” Sikota stated. “Incompetence is registering a party and not updating the register of political party symbols. Incompetence is telling independent candidates that they will have to choose election set out by ECZ and weeks later tell the independents that they will have to come and choose fresh electoral symbol weeks later.”
Sikota lambasted ECZ for making candidates spend resources preparing electoral material only to be told that they should stop after they had spent huge sums of money on the same.
“Incompetence is eating into candidates campaign time by making them spend a fortnight introducing a symbol that you tell them to change. Incompetence is telling independent candidates in far flung wards in areas like Luiwa National Park, Muchinga Escarpments, Chilubi Island or Lukulu, to travel to come and change their symbol,” Sikota stated. “Incompetence is not even telling the independent candidates where they should or can change their symbol. Incompetence is not realizing that in many parts of Zambia internet or cellphone connections are practically none existent and therefore candidates will not even learn of your failures on time. For the first time in Zambia we are seeing unprecedented levels of artificial incompetence (AI). ECZ AI.”
