Chisengalumbwe proposes government of national unity

…says to regain the people’s power, Zambia needs a Government of National Unity to rebuild the nation, tackle decades of governance failures

By NATION REPORTER

ZAMBIA needs a Government of National Unity (GNU) to re-engineer its political, economic and social landscape and set the country on a new path, and independent candidates are best placed to drive that transformation, United Front for a Strong Foundation president Brian Chisengalumbwe has said.

Mr Chisengalumbwe said independent lawmakers represented the dawn of the people’s real power because they were not answerable to political organisations, factional interests or rigid political ideologies.

In a statement issued yesterday, Mr Chisengalumbwe urged Zambians not to vote for a President, Member of Parliament and Councillor from the same political party, because doing so could weaken checks and balances in governance.

“Don’t vote for a President, MP and Councillor from the same party. You will become political slaves,” Mr Chisengalumbwe said.

He said independent candidates were free from political party control and manipulation and were better positioned to provide objective leadership.

“Independent candidates are independent of violence, corruption, tribalism, factionalism and lawsuits. Independent thinking requires courage,” the opposition leader said.

Mr Chisengalumbwe said political parties should focus on competing for the country’s presidency while citizens, churches and civil society organisations should seek greater influence over Parliament through the election of independent representatives.

He further claimed that political manifestos are largely ineffective and disconnected from the realities facing ordinary citizens.

Mr Chisengalumbwe claimed that voters in Zambia were rarely motivated by party ideologies or policy documents but were instead driven by a desire to remove governments they believed had failed to improve living conditions.

“The people are not choosing based on ideologies. They are focused on removing governments that have failed to improve the quality of life, failed to address violence, corruption, tribalism and the cost of living,” he said.

The opposition leader said many Zambians were more concerned with survival and putting food on the table than studying political manifestos.

“The majority of the people are too busy trying to survive to pay attention to rhetoric and promises. They want food and decent living,” Mr Chisengalumbwe said.

He said Zambia’s challenges were primarily political rather than economic and required structural reforms to address long-standing governance deficiencies.

He said the country required a Government of National Unity composed not only of politicians but also professionals, technocrats and other skilled citizens capable of rebuilding national institutions.

“Zambia needs a Government of National Unity, not just of political figures, but of the best brains in the country. People who can begin to re-engineer the political, economic and social landscape of the nation and create accountability and bankable plans that will set the country on a new course,” the opposition leader said.

Mr Chisengalumbwe also called for constitutional reforms aimed at addressing excessive presidential powers and the politicisation of public institutions.

“Zambia needs to amend the Constitution to address the causes of poor governance over the last 62 years, including excessive presidential powers, a politicised civil service and foreign service, and a weaponised police service,” he said.

Mr Chisengalumbwe said national rebuilding required broad participation beyond traditional political structures and urged voters to embrace independent leadership as a way of strengthening democracy and accountability.

ENDS