ZAMBIA CAN LEARN LESSONS FROM MALAWI’S ELECTION, HH EXPLAINS
UPND Leader Hakainde Hichilema has suggested that Zambian political parties can learn important electoral campaign lessons from Malawi’s most recent presidential election. Last month, the democratic Tonse Alliance party stormed to victory in an historic election, toppling the former regime.
Speaking as part of the GAP webinar series, Mr Hichilema described President Lungu’s regime as a “dictatorship under the veil of democracy”.
Malawi’s recent election result has given Mr Hichilema a new lease of hope, however, for the potential for democracy in Zambia.
He said, “In Zambia, learning from Malawi, we need to allow the will of the people to prevail. The Malawians were strong when they felt their elections were not free and fair, they exercised their rights, their freedoms.”
Mr Hichilema also suggested that major changes needed to be made to electoral practice for Zambia to hold free and fair elections. The violence endemic in the election campaigns by “party thugs” must be removed, he argued, as well as “the militarisation of civilian lives and spaces.”
Mr Hichilema was noticeably critical of role the international community has played in supporting President Lungu’s government through foreign investment and perceived “indifference” to the perversion of human rights.
The opposition leader was particularly damning of international election monitors, accusing them of “staying in hotels and sipping tea” whilst President Lungu carried out corrupt electoral practices.
When asked about China’s particular involvement with Zambia in recent years, Mr Hichilema responded in more measured terms: “Without democracy, without rule of law, without respect for human rights, without removal of corruption, any money coming from donors; bilateral or indeed soft loans from multilaterals, will never yield their intended results in terms of uplifting the economy.”
Mr Hichilema closed his interview with a notably pointed attack on South Africa’s current policy towards Zambia.
He said, “South Africa cannot afford to be indifferent to what’s happening in the SADC region. We supported South Africa during apartheid, if we took the stance they’re now taking and did not support them it would have led to untold pain, like their indifference today will.”