Perspective: The Party and… the candidate! PF has a mountain to climb

The governing Patriotic Front (PF) is the only party going into the forthcoming presidential by-election without a recognizable candidate at this stage, writes Zambian Eye Special Correspondent

The sooner he emerges, the better and the longer she/he remains under wraps the more the PF will lose time and time is of the essence.

But there is cause for some despair. It is not looking too good. There are already reports of bribery and the use of money to buy support by aspiring candidates or their proxies. Quite apart from being an archaic and outmoded kind of politics, it has already spawned internal conflict!

In addition a tug-of-war seems in the offing over the mode of adopting the candidate. There is the outline of two competing camps already. Those that appear to have made their calculations will not hear of any other mode, regardless except theirs! They are exuding a certain maniacal determination to prevail. There is fertile ground for internal conflict and dissension at what is a critical hour for the party.

The country was also witness to what had all the markings of a choreographed violent demonstration in Lusaka on the night of November 3 ostensibly to protest Edgar Lungu’s dismissal as PF General-Secretary. It didn’t help the PF as it merely cemented its reputation as a violent party and that isn’t the best of reputations for any party so close to a critical election.

However, there were glimpses of another PF soon after the November 4 meeting that reinstated Edgar Lungu as General-Secretary. The party now seemed more cohesive and purposeful. The PF statement of November 6 for instance sought to reassure the business community of continued support for business-friendly policies and the general public of scrupulous management of the transition.

It was the stuff expected of a responsible party of government. But that seemed only a hiatus. By the time of the burial tension had built up again.

The election will be tricky yet the PF is in a good position to prevail. Some have said that it will be different this time because the PF candidate will not have access to “state resources.” But if so, only slightly. The person who will have unfettered access to those resources will be a member of the PF and she/he won’t be campaigning for any other candidate. There is a sense in which the PF is in pole position.

In order to sustain that position, the first thing would be to project the image of a responsible and mature party capable of overcoming its differences. The stakes are high and without that the race could go down to the wire for what could turn out for the governing party to be a nasty or uncomfortable photo finish!

For, much as the party enjoys believing that it has covered itself in glory in the three years of its stewardship, on the ground it has not been quite so, the results have been mixed. The infra-structure roll out which had largely been in train even as the PF assumed office has gone well. But the majority of the people continue to live in poverty and want. Nothing so far has happened or been triggered that has positively impacted their lives.

“More money in your pockets” has been an abject failure or has been mismanaged. It has only led to a wage freeze for lowly –paid workers who deserve relief. Some say this point has been reached only because too much money went into the pockets of the holders of “constitutional offices.” Quite shamefully, the government has been unable to provide scholarships to students with university entry qualifications and the quality of education has continued its downward spiral. Thus,even from a cursory examination, it is clear that the PF cannot rely solely on its record in office.

It has for instance been permanently marred by the government-created fiasco over the new constitution. The PF went from fervently and repeatedly promising a new constitution to forbidding the publication of the draft altogether. Those who called for it were called names and by the powers that be! The volte-face was damaging. But government remained so adamant that even the release of the draft as part of the 50th anniversary of independence celebration seemed only a confused gesture.

So, despite the recent glowing tributes, there is a whole range of issues on which the PF could trip or be caught out. They will need a credible candidate and not one who buys his way in. In outline, it will need to be someone who will appeal to the same constituency that voted for Mr. Sata. He will need to inspire confidence. Mr. Sata was well ahead in 2011 and if that performance can be replicated, the PF could be sitting pretty after the final tally.

The main “cautionary notice” is that there is no Mr.Sata this time. He was only one of a kind and he is not coming back but is fondly remembered by his constituency. The PF should exploit that after all they are Mr. Sata’s party. But without him the PF has a mountain to climb.

They will need to make a careful choice. Age will matter in view of what has happened. There may not be much sympathy anymore for tottering old men fit only for retirement nor for that matter for impulsive youngsters eager for confrontation only because it is part of their nature!

It is the position however that not many young men who have ascended to the upper offices of government have been impressive. When they haven’t been jokers they have been tools used remorselessly by aging manipulators and discarded completely at short notice and when they can only be stranded! They have shown little understanding of the environment and have been used pretty much as one would a disposable product!

But the PF candidate will have to be more than a puppet. He will need to be a true democrat given the recent reverses. For despite all the moving tributes, Zambia in the past three years had veered off the democratic path in a fundamental way. Political violence was becoming a norm while the opposition for instance was for all intents and purposes proscribed. The police was heavily politicized and it is a matter of urgency that this is reversed.The slippage did not go unnoticed and was deeply troubling to many who wish Zambia well.

It does seem fitting that an era that started off with and was characterized by an unprecedented number of by-elections is ending with one, only this time at presidential level. Does the PF have what it take to win or will it remain mired in the quagmire of irrelevant side issues such as in the past few days? They owe victory to their departed leader who had he been alive would have fought above all for a PF victory!

The question is how many of the remainder in the PF today is still capable of doing the same? We should know soon enough!