BOLD STEPS

THE Patriotic Front (PF) and the United Party for National Development (UPND) should again be commended for their bold steps towards meaningful reconciliation. Last week, the two perceived arch rival parties met and agreed to call a truce and demilitarise their cadres ahead of tomorrow’s Lusaka mayoral by-election and local government elections in some districts. The parties had also agreed to meet on Friday this week to jointly announce measures aimed at tackling violence during and after the elections tomorrow. Yesterday again, the parties undertook what many people thought was an impossible feat, considering the animosity that existed between the two wellknown political heavyweights. After almost a decade of being at loggerheads, the two biggest political parties in the country met for the first time and drew a roadmap for their coexistence! The roadmap includes “forgiving political criminals, depoliticising markets, among others. But they went further than this - a delegation of UPND officials, in an act of good faith, paid a courtesy call on their PF counterparts at the ruling party’s secretariat where the two camps mooted more resolutions to strengthen the recently signed peace pact. Strange and incredible as it sounds, it happened! The impossible visit at first left some of the UPND officials in the entourage doubting and suspecting it was a trap or was it? As things turned out, it wasn’t as the UPND officials were amiably received and the two camps spent an hour coming up with crucial resolutions, notably depoliticising markets. This is a welcome move as markets and bus stations which reportedly appear to be good sources of income for some political cadres seem to be a major bone of contention and cause of political acrimony among parties. But this beautiful turnout of events certainly begs so many questions but also proves one important point - that despite differences in political ideologies, the PF and the UPND including other opposition parties can indeed coexist peacefully side by side for the sake of the nation. If indeed this is so, why have these two parties spent almost a decade fighting when they could have easily sat down a long time ago to dialogue? It is regrettable that as a result of years of squabbling characterised by needless political violence, some lives had been lost. The seemingly impossible but historical visit by UNPD officials to the PF secretariat undoubtedly marks a major milestone on the political landscape of the nation as well as on the relationship between the two parties. This is healthy for the welfare of citizens who are the major stakeholders and for enhancing the nation’s democracy. But many observers still have their own doubts about the newly hatched relationship and the ongoing reconciliation efforts between the two, with some saying this could merely be a smokescreen. But whatever is happening, the idea is good and long overdue especially for a country that is recovering from a disputed 2016 presidential election epitomised by tribal divisions, tension and violence. But it remains to the politicians themselves to win the trust of the citizens by sticking to their peace pact and other resolutions that are aimed at tackling violence and creating a win-win scenario for both. The sooner politicians accept that politics is simply a vehicle through which those in power with the help of the opposition parties can equitably distribute resources in a transparent manner for the benefit of all citizens, the better. However, politics of the belly, appeasement and self-aggrandisement have overshadowed all this. Zambians want peace and we once again applaud the reconciliation efforts by both parties. Citizens are watching the unfolding events with an eagle’s eye view. In what someone would have anticipated to be an impossibility, a delegation of UPND officials yesterday paid a courtesy call on their PF counterparts at the ruling party secretariat to come up with resolutions for the recently signed peace treaty. The courtesy call was characterised by hugs and smiles among members of the two biggest political parties which were once perceived to be enemies.