The new leaders of the UTM Party should forge ahead. They should not be distracted with the wrangling by the losers. They are doing so because they did not make it. My gut feeling is that they are protesting the outcome because they think they are more UTM than the party’s new president Dr Dalitso Kabambe. In that instance, they are confusionists.
But before I dive into the nitty-gritty, I want to congratulate Kabambe, for his victory in such a spectacular manner. We have seen democracy at work in UTM. So, it is not about how long one has been in a political party that matters. But what you can bring to it.
Unlike some of his competitors, Kabambe run a neat and issue-based campaign, focusing on real issues affecting the country and how he intends to tackle them. He eloquently articulated them to the nation. He spent quality time interacting with delegates across the country. His campaign was not based on petty issues and personal attacks which was the staple of other candidates.
Realising it was a total waste of time and energy going kilometers trying to endear himself to the late UTM Party president Dr. Saulos Chilima, he went straight hitting the nail on the head, articulating his vision.
Kaliati ignored clear advice from members of the public that her best contribution to the party would be through staying put as secretary general and not as party president. But she ignored it.
On his part, Kambala surprisingly sold himself not as the party’s torch bearer in 2025 elections but merely as party president. Did he really expect UTM to come again and hold another convention to choose a 2025 presidential candidate? Dr Mathews Mtumbuka, on the other hand, was long on telling the delegates what he had achieved as CEO of this or that firm, and how close he was to Chilima, but short on how his CEO experience would help solve the country’s economic problems or bolster UTM. Unfortunately, his speeches did not resonate with the aspirations of the delegates.
Now bac k to the grumblers. They are bad losers. To win they needed more than just associating with Chilima. In fact, they disregarded former UTM president Michael Usi’s advice. He had warned the party’s NEC and Convention Committee, not once but on several times, against u s ing shor tcuts and in the process flouting the party’s constitution in their preparations for the convention. But they took him as a useless and forgone rank outsider who they thought was only there throwing spanners in the works. It is ironical that today they are crying the loudest. And Usi, whose advice NEC dismissed as kicks of a dying horse, is quiet.
The talk about the selection of delegates and the election being manipulated in favour of Kabambe is nonsense, to say the least. Unlike Kaliati and Kambala, Kabambe was neither in the NEC nor in the Convention Committee. He, therefore, had nothing to do with either the hiring of the firm that managed the elections, nor the selection of the delegates.
That candidates were not informed about the firm that handled the elections is neither here nor there. If they were on top of their game, it was their responsibility to find out such issues. Chidanti Malunga who is Kambala’s spokesperson, is quoted as saying there were so many other irregularities about the elections. Was it not NEC’s mandate to ensure the Convention Committee was on top of its job? To which body was the committee reporting if not NEC which Kabambe was not part of?
Admitted, the grievances have to be heard. But this should be done in the spirit of what all the candidates promised before the nat i onal del e g a tes ’ conference that losers would support the winner for the party to forge ahead.
Going forward, the best thing that can happen to UTM now is for all leaders to support Kabambe in pursuit of fulfilling the party’s founding father’s vision. The most immediate task facing the party is wooing people to register as voters and not waste time talking against Smartmatics and MEC chair to resign which will only discourage people from registering as voters. Once again, all the best Kabambe.n
With Steven Nhlane
snhlane@mwnation.com; Cell: 0888833906
