UPND AT IT AGAIN

REPORTS that the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) has shunned the Zambia Centre for Interparty national democracy stakeholders’ summit which started in Lusaka yesterday make sad reading.

The opposition party, through its spokesperson, Charles Kakoma, refused to attend the stakeholders’ summit claiming, the event was pushed by the Patriotic Front.

While the party’s decision to boycott the meeting is not surprising, it is, however, irrational for the party to claim the meeting was pushed by the Patriotic Front without substantiating the allegation.

The UPND’s decision has yet again proved what we have severally alluded to on this platform before that the party is always whining about everything and nothing – playing the cry baby.

Question is how long will the party play the cry-baby? Unless the party substantiates its claims, its complaints hold no water at all.

This is the same organisation that claims to be the champion of democracy, castigating other parties’ democratic shortcomings, yet has remained stubborn, refusing to attend wellintended crucial meetings where they could air their views and be heard.

This is also a party whose members of Parliament have made it a hobby to walk out of Parliament whenever they felt aggrieved, claiming it was their democratic right to do so.

What democracy when by walking out they are doing a disservice to the electorate? Similarly, in whose interest is the party boycotting the Lusaka summit or even refusing to participate in the national dialogue process unless it is facilitated by the Commonwealth?

In the recent past, the UPND has stubbornly insisted it would only participate in national political dialogue facilitated by the Commonwealth despite appeals from the various stakeholders for the party to rescind its stand.

We therefore can’t help but agree with ZCID board chairperson Nathan Mulonga that it is unfair for the opposition party to cry foul even when all political parties have been given an opportunity to present their concerns at the summit.

The UPND insists that ZCID has no capacity to facilitate or lead the talks and would rather attend talks led by the Church.

We find this statement baffling because as usual, the UPND has never come out to explain its claims convincingly to the nation that ZCID has no capacity to lead the dialogue process.

Unless, the party does so, its concerns remain worthless and the more people will continue to lose faith in the organisation.

And since when did the party accept Church led dialogue?

Instead of shunning vital national meetings and being grouchy, the party will do well to refocus on its politics by accepting to participate in forums where it could propound its concerns and view.

At the moment, the UPND seems to be preoccupied with its rivalry against the PF centred on rejecting anything its leaders perceive to have been initiated by the ruling party.

Yes, the PF government should be criticised constructively where they go wrong as a way of providing proper checks and balance, but sadly the UPND seems have developed propensity for rejecting anything PF.

While the party has gone flat out to criticise the PF and shun important national events and meetings, the PF is delivering on its promises.

Its seems the UPND has no interest in listening to concerns by its grassroots, except what the top leadership wants as evidenced in the adoption process of the candidate for the Chilanga constituency parliamentary by-election on June 5.

Perhaps time has come for the party to listen to its grassroots before it completely becomes irrelevant.