Africa-Press – Zambia. Whenever presented an opportunity to engage with the electorates, the Patriotic Front (PF) has become notorious for using tribalism as a ‘trump card’ for winning sympathy or votes!
During the run up to the 2021 general elections for example, like they’ve done on numerous occasions, PF leaders went full throttle bashing and lampooning certain ethnic groupings.
“These people are so tribal. If Jesus were to come back and stand for elections with them, they’d still vote for one of their own!” they’d repeat such hogwash to their audiences.
It seems PF and their surrogates are yet to pick any lessons from the humiliating defeat they suffered during the last elections. As he was being released from custody the other day for criminally defaming two senior cabinet ministers, Munir Zulu attempted to play the usual trump card.
“Villagers of Lumezi are more intelligent than the villagers of Bweengwa…..” he proudly declared. He was flanked by non other than Brian Mundubile, who is in contention for the party’s top position, with a retinue of other senior leaders.
Non of them seemed to take issues with such disparaging remarks that have a potential to further polariize the nation, and plunge into civil strife of catastrophical magnitudes! This is the same Munir who prior to the elections stated that minority tribes must not be allowed to rule this nation during an interview on Prime TV whilst clad in PF regalia.
It seems PF leaders remain bogged down in the ‘Stone Age’ whereby one would simply get away with anything without necessarily being subjected to scrutiny. Hallo…..can you wake up from slumber!
During his first run for the White House job in 2008, Obama managed to captured the imagination of young people, the millenials, by addressing their concerns and aspirations. In addition to the traditional bread-and-butter issues, Obama tackled the crisis in Darfur, the war in Iraq, global warming and the environment; and how college expenses were too high.
According to political science professor Russell Dalton, the Millennial generation is the best educated, most cosmopolitan, most tolerant, and most socially concerned generation in modern American history. Their values are very different from senior Americans, who have many positive features but a distinctly different view of politics.
Obama’s campaign tapped into this potential among the young, and the result was a surge in youth participation and his victory as the Democratic nominee for president.
This is exactly the same strategy employed by Hakainde’s campaign team. Realizing that the youth would play a significant role in the polls, UPND packaged an attractive campaign message that would appeal to the electorates, particularly the young voters. While their opponents were busy peddling tribal remarks since they had nothing to offer; Hakainde offered to deliver free education, reintroduce University students’ bursaries, put an end to caderism which had proven a menace to the general public and accelerate youth employment by restoring donor/investor confidence etc.
And when the time came to vote, the youth woke up wee hours of the day and turned up at the polling stations enmass to usher in one Hakainde Hichilema by a staggering 1000 000 votes margin!
PF can continue wasting time talking about or championing tribalism, but the millennials won’t be swayed away from voting for reasonable leaders …..those that offer hope and confidence as opposed to tribalism and belligerence. And when the time of reckoning fast sets in, they shall surely punish the culprits at the ballot box for the second time!
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