A Dawn of Hope: UPND’s First 100 Days

It has been a little over a week since the announcement of the 2021 General Elections results. The United Party for National Development (UPND) Alliance were victorious, winning a 59% majority presidential vote over the Patriotic Front (PF) and securing 52% of parliamentary seats.

People will be looking closely to see what the UPND Alliance will bring to the table, especially during their first 100 days in service. It’s one thing to have a well-drafted party manifesto, putting it into action is another thing.?

Highlighted below are a few key issues that most Zambians will be expecting the UPND Alliance government to address as they take office on the 24th of August, 2021.

Unite the People of Zambia Towards One Vision

The political scene in Zambia has been very divisive over the last decade or so. The situation had worsened in recent years as there was a deliberate agenda by a few individuals within the circles of power to pedal politics of division through ethnic origins. The people were incited to either choose to affiliate with proponents of the South-West (UPND aligned) or those of the North-East (PF aligned).

The government in Zambia is the biggest employer and hence the biggest player in the market. Access to a number of public opportunities seemed to be reserved for those affiliated with the PF, leaving the rest (both UPND-aligned and non-aligned) of the citizens to choose sides if they were to see any benefits.

The UPND throughout their campaigns had promised to correct this anomaly and bring about healing, and it is something that needs to be at the top of their agenda. Their vision for Zambia was to return the country to its roots, to bring unity amongst the people of all 72 tribes in the country.?

In his first public address on the 16th of August 2021, President-Elect Hakainde Hichilema reiterated his commitment to this cause to unify the country. To allow the people to exercise their rights to choose their preferred political affiliation without fear, to be free to choose what they want to be, and to have the opportunities available to them.?

In order to achieve their vision, the UPND Alliance will need EVERY Zambian to get behind their vision and work together to see it come to pass.??

?Provide Competent Leadership from the Top-to-Bottom

There is a saying that says, “you are only as good as your team”. In as much as President-Elect Hichilema Hakainde is individually regarded as a successful businessman and leader, he will not be able to bring about change alone. Therein lies the rub; Zambians will be keen to see whom the UPND will appoint to lead key government ministries.?

The national recovery and administration process in the country will require a team of very competent individuals to lead various wings of government with the utmost discipline and professionalism. President-Elect Hakainde Hichilema hinted towards this in his public address as he asked citizens and stakeholders alike to be patient but expect their commitment to transforming the country to be reflected in the Cabinet that will be announced when they officially take office.

The UPND cannot risk being another product of removal politics, where they pick up and continue from where the outgoing government will leave things. The people have demanded change and henceforth, the personalities that will be entrusted with bringing about this change must be the right people in the right positions.

Curtail the Economic Crisis

Since 2015, Zambia has been on a downward economic spiral which has seen the country struggle to stay afloat amid the ongoing global health crisis. Zambia’s currency has depreciated by more than 180% since 2015; inflation has risen from upper-end single-digit numbers of 7% in 2015 to highs of 23% as of May 2021; and, the country’s debt stock has risen from $12 billion in 2015 to over $27billion by the end of 2019. To add, Zambia was the first African country to default on its debt service obligations in November 2020.??

The most affected people in this economic downturn have been ordinary Zambian citizens. They have seen the value of their earnings cut in half, making it impossible for them to make ends meet on a daily basis. Moreover, a number of small and medium enterprises have closed down due to their inability to keep up with the current costs of doing business.

Therefore, it is of great importance that the UPND Alliance addresses the main economic challenges the country is facing today. According to Bloomberg, Zambia’s Eurobonds and currency rallied after the results of the 2021 general election were announced. This showed that there is a positive response from the international markets concerning Zambia’s economic standing with the UPND Allaince at the wheel.?

As the new government takes on the reins to address the economic plight, the people expect to see further currency appreciation, a gradual drop in inflation, and consistent and prudent monetary and fiscal policy to lead the economy back to sustainable levels.

To be specific, the UPND Alliance government should look to work on the following items in order to curtail the current looming economic crisis :?

(i.) Work on securing an IMF package for disbursement at early as Q1 2022.

(ii.) Attend to the looming debt crisis by negotiating with lenders to restructure Zambia’s external debt stock.?

(iii.) Install new leadership at top key public financial institutions in order to align fiscal & monetary policy, arrest the runaway currency depreciation, and bring down inflation in order to stabilize local price levels.?

(iv.) Prepare the UPND Alliance’s first national budget for 2022.

Addressing these immediate economic challenges will set the ball rolling along the path towards economic recovery and will provide much-needed assurance and certainty over Zambia’s short- to medium-term economic outlook both in terms of policy direction and potential economic growth in productivity.

Address The Challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The covid-19 pandemic has been the worst global pandemic that the world has seen in the last few decades in terms of bringing disruption to the global health systems. The health sector in Zambia has particularly struggled to contain the adverse effects of covid-19, especially during the third wave that struck the country this year.

The PF government had implemented multiple full and partial lock-down restrictions in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus. With the probability of a fourth wave, it’ll be paramount for the UPND Alliance government to set in place measures that'll protect the citizens and the cushion economy during the hard times.??

The UPND Alliance government will have to secure more batches of vaccines for its citizens and also increase the adoption of preventive measures among the citizenry. The trickle-down effects will not only benefit the health sector but other sectors as well such as Tourism and Education.?

Reforms within the Governance Structures of the Executive, Judiciary, and Legislature

Public confidence in the core executive, judicial and legislative institutions in the country have dwindled significantly over the last 6 years during the reign of the Patriotic Front government.

Zambia has experienced a decline in its ranking on a number of governance indices, mainly due to the authoritative model of governance that the PF government adopted in recent years. Restoring the rule of law in Zambia through objective governance within all wings of government should be top of the UPND Alliance’s list.?

There still remains a debate as to whether the Constitutional Court made the right decision to rule in favor of the incumbent President Dr. Edgar Lungu to stand for a ‘full second term’ in the recent past 2021 general elections. This comes off the bat of other decisions and actions the ConCourt has ruled over, in relation to constitutional and political cases, which left the public indifferent. There have been arguments by parts of the general citizenry that there was an indication of compromise in some of the rulings.?

In order to restore confidence in the Executive, Judiciary, and Legislature; the President-Elect, His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema, should look into making reshuffles and new appointments across different structures within the three wings of government. An ideal setting would see the appointments of individuals with an overwhelming backing within their respective fraternities for being impartial in executing their duties, and competent above board.

Corruption under the PF government was one vice that seemed to increase year-to-year in the public sector and there was no real effort from the PF leadership to address this problem. Zambia currently ranks 117 out of 179 countries on the global corruption perceptions index and has scored poorly on other AfroBarometer corruption indices.

Calls for action from the citizens and civil societies to address corruption were met with lip service and at times muteness. In addition, the Anti-Corruption Commission on a few occasions did drop corruption cases citing the lack of evidence to pursue the cases further. As has been outlined in the UPND manifesto, the citizens expect the incoming government to strengthen the capacity of the Anti Corruption Commission, Drug Enforcement Commission, Financial Intelligence Center, Auditor General’s Office, and the Courts of Law by allowing the institutions to operate autonomously within their full capacities in executing their mandates.??

During the UPND Alliance’s first 100 days in office, the newly elected government must signal their intent to restore the credibility of other Zambian public institutions and agencies as well. On a positive note, the Lusaka City Council on the 19th of August of 2021 announced that it successfully regained control of revenue collection at Lusaka’s Inter-City Bus Terminus from political cadres. The council is reported to have been losing over K2 million in revenue on a monthly basis. The people expect a similar trend to sweep through other public institutions across the country.

Crackdown on Violence, Hate Speech, and Other Forms of Lawlessness

The political landscape in the last 10 years has been marred by violence from both leading camps on the political front. So much so that countless lives have been lost in the political deliberations. It is unfortunate that the country was turned into a battlefield that led to so much unnecessary bloodshed. No life is worth losing on account of politics. The true nature of the Zambian people is that of a peaceful people. The citizens of Zambia will be eager to put this kind of violent political discord behind them once and for all.

Secondly, there were a series of targeted hate speech utterances made on different political fora by senior party officials within the PF camp. This was a sad sight to see. Zambia has always stood on the uniting principle of ‘One Zambia, One Nation’ coined by the founding father of the nation, the first Republican President Dr. Kenneth Kaunda.

At the end of it all, the continued tribalistic tendencies observed during the election campaigns were not successful in dividing the nation. Rather, the voting patterns seemed to show that Zambians disregarded tribal origin when casting their vote and relied on issue-based factors as the victors of the election received significant votes from all the 10 provinces of Zambia.?

But now is the time for national healing and the UPND Alliance government should take the responsibility to lead this effort to unite the country with love; even for those that cast a stone against their brothers and sisters. The law enforcement wings must deem tribal hate speech a criminal offense; and, any individual promoting division amongst the people through tribal hate speech must be prosecuted.

President-elect Mr. Hichilema Hakainde will need to make a serious statement on human rights. Any obstruction or infringement of a citizen's rights should not be condoned at any level; as every citizen has the right and freedom to express themselves within the confines of the law.

Additionally, all forms of party militia or party security known as ‘cadres’ should be disbanded. The youths who participate in these groupings are better placed using their energies and efforts by being productive in other sectors of society. Political parties should solely rely on the police force to provide them with protection.

Citizen Empowerment

Lastly, the UPND Alliance government should within its first 100 days outline a clear road map for job creation, business support, and other forms of citizen empowerment programs that it intends to roll out in the coming months. This will allow citizens to better place themselves in position(s) to be able to take advantage of the opportunities that will present themselves through the government's interventions.

Unemployment remains a big issue in the country, with a majority of the youth struggling to find decent work due to various reasons. The youth made their ‘needs and wants' known to the incoming government during the election campaigns. It is now up to the government to follow through and enable the job market (both private and public) to take in more and more unemployed youth, as well as other experienced and qualified citizens. In addition, skills development will also be essential in preparing those inexperienced and/or unqualified to participate in the labor market as well.???

Likewise, the government will have to provide ample support towards Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises. Entrepreneurs are the future backbone of society as they represent a strong core of Zambian-owned businesses which provide the economy an alternative source of much-needed employment opportunities and public revenue (through taxes, which are then used to fund citizen empowerment programs).?

Therefore, creating a conducive environment for local businesses to thrive benefits the agenda of the government as the positive externalities that accrue from MSME growth feed into the macro framework of job creation and citizen empowerment.

Conclusion

The above list of policy items is not exhaustive. All the major key areas that demand immediate attention in the country should be addressed first in order to facilitate much broader reforms across the different sectors. In other words, the necessary conditions for social, political, and economic structural transformation.

As the UPND Alliance crosses the 100-day mark, the government should provide a self-assessment of their progress in addressing the key core issues currently being faced in the country. They have asked the citizens to engage the government and hold them accountable for the delivery of their promises.

Lastly, the government should be in a position to provide more information on other important issues that will gradually fall on the agenda and will likely be of concern to the people. These will include Climate Change, Social Protection, Foreign Policy, Industrial Development Policy, Financial Inclusion among others. For more on this, we look forward to hearing from the President Elect’s inauguration speech on the 24th of August 2021.

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any political or government affiliation.