Vote patterns must change, says political analyst

THERE is need for political paradigms to shift and electoral swings to change where electorates choose to attach significant value to their vote as opposed to flowing along the tides of regional and tribal politics, political activist Patrick Luneta has said.

Mr. Luneta said in an interview yesterday that it was time to look at the calibre of party presidents, Members of Parliament, mayors, councillors and indeed other elective office bearer and “filter so that the residue is thrown out.”

Mr. Luneta said the country was in dire need of a distilled representative leadership as opposed to those who peddled regional and tribal politics.

“We end up where we are, having high-ranking elected office bearers who are propagating tribalism, violence and embody elements of serious moral decay because we easily move with the tides.

“Voter patterns can attest that we vote based on external influence and not on value. It is only in 2006 in Livingstone where we saw a value-based vote pattern when they elected

Sakwiba Sikota as MP and voted for Levy Mwanawasa as president,” Mr. Luneta said.

He said there was need for enlightment among voters on the need to vote for credible individuals capable of transforming their lives as opposed to voting on tribal and party lines, a feat he said was responsible of lack of development in some parts of the country.

“We need to be detailed as we near the 2021 polls otherwise we will be putting the blame of politicians when we should have a fair share of the blame,” he said.