The Anti Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) has called on all political parties to mobilize their members to register as voters during the continuous voter registration exercise slated to commence on June 21, 2010.
This follows the announcement by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) in Lusaka that the exercise would begin on June 21 for an initial period of 90 days.
AVAP Executive Director Bonny Tembo said all political parties should undertake a vigorous mobilization exercise and sensitize their members to register as voters in order to abate voter apathy in the 2011 tripartite
elections.
Mr Tembo has however cautioned politicians against ferrying potential voters to registration centres, saying the trend was illegal and was tantamount to flouting electoral procedures.
He told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that eligible voters should register as voters on their own free will and not be coerced to do so.
The AVAP Executive Director also urged the media to partner with the ECZ for them to fully understand the voter registration exercise for them to report professionally on the exercise.
He said since the media plays a vital role in the electoral processes, it should therefore have detailed information about the exercise in order to be able to enlighten society on the importance of the exercise.
Mr Tembo also urged the ECZ not to be selective in its media campaign butto work with all media house regardless of their status to capture a wide variety of potential voters.
[ ZANIS ]
Glaring omissions in the PF-UPND Pact launch
THE much-touted launch of the Patriotic Front-United Party for National Development Pact last Saturday is significant for its omission, not that it actually took place.
If the pact’s unofficial leader, Michael Sata, will want people to believe that the launch itself spells success, then it is clear why he has been the nearly-man in the past three elections.
Mr Sata, for some strange reason, appears unable to see past the clenched fists of rally crowds and has been bewildered when election results are tallied and he has lost.
Mr Sata does not seem to have learnt that there is a difference between a mob and a group of disciples, especially relating to the effect they have on the “undecided” thousands.
The mob (that his PF cadres largely represent) is off-putting by their garrulous arrogance.
Disciples, on the other hand, go about their business quietly engaging people and convincing potential supporters by their force of reason.
It is clear that in the matter of the launch of the pact, Mr Sata and his junior partner Hakainde Hichilema, would want people to believe that Saturday was a landmark event.
And it could have been had the group faced up to reality and addressed the issues the public has been craving to understand.
The two leaders must surely know that people, both supporters and opponents want to know who will lead the pact in the 2011 presidential election.
But Mr Sata and Mr Hichilema have shown both indecision and fear over this matter.
Street wisdom is that there exists a visceral fear that the choice of Mr Sata could fracture the UPND and actually spell the end of Mr Hichilema’s leadership of the party.
Even now, there is a very likely prospect that Mr Hichilema could find himself with only his urban supporters because the grassroots in Southern Province, his putative stronghold, is growing increasingly restive about his willingness to subordinate himself to Mr Sata.
The pact launch could, therefore, have had great significance had it been used to announce the decision of who would be put up as presidential candidate. Omission of this is unhealthy.
It cannot be masked by emotive analogies to marriage.
Even a marriage has to face its ugly facts or realities, otherwise it degenerates into a dangerous and unhappy pretence.
The two leaders should not pretend that the choice of candidate does not matter because “the people of Zambia want change”. It does, and the sooner they face up to this matter, the better for everyone.
Its omission from the launch on Saturday rendered the whole exercise a pointless rally to spew out regurgitated platitudes.
The second omission was no announcement of the work of the nine committees that were set up earlier to prepare for the launch.
Part of the work of the committees was to harmonise the manifestos of the two parties, and advise on integration.
It now appears that the work of the committees was announced simply to buy time and prevent the two parties from being stampeded into a hasty launch.
This appears to have failed because the launch appears to have been done hastily, hence the omission of these two important aspects.
This also points to the fact there must be a real difficulty in integrating the manifestos of the two parties. As former PF secretary general Edward Mumbi said, the PF has no manifesto to talk about, whereas the UPND’s document was authored by some of this country’s best intellectuals working under the leadership of late Anderson Mazoka.
You have to agree with Mr Mumbi that this launch was merely cosmetic.The most important questions still remain unanswered.
you chap whats wrong with your bolls.
this time every one is registering and Mwadya Mweka Dad is going to were UNIP has gone.Come 2011 you will be no more no food no nothing Amambala imwe.Shootiests criminals,muderers Ba Nyama.
If all people are shot and killed who are you going to lead and govern bakapoli imwe.
this time arround SATA is going to Govorn so you can learn from him how the Country should be Governed.
Im surprised you are making funny comments about PF-UPND manifesto.Does MMD have a manifesto?If yes, then its the worst manifesto ever.It has never worked anywhere in this country.The MMD manifesto that almost worked is MWANAWASAs manifesto, whatever you have is trash,its mere poems that will be swept under the carpet once peaople give you another 5 years which they wont.VIVA PACT
Am also surprised Mwata#2 is ranting carelessly. A manifesto is a paper and every political party has one even our neighbour ba BOB has. Have you seen what that does in relation to development of a country. Its possible you can have all the well learned proffessors to sit and jot down the MMD manifesto but delivering on promises is another. Recently, Kunda said UPND has similar values to MMD,have they been delivered? Sleeping sickness. Mwata problem is us people of NW are too sleepy!!!!!!!
Dont wast this whole blog oozing water from your ‘grey matter’. If RB can listen like Levy did, we will give him a vote. Someone must deliver or else we are depending on change. HH is. Time will come when they will announce who will stand. HH will. Dont be afraid.
MWATA@2, where you come from, people have never seen tared roads, 40something years past independence, no electricity, people stil dont wear shoes and MMD kavindele has been making money without developing his own area. look at FTJ, his own village cries foul. Not even a ramshacle. This is the trend.
I guess you know more about where you come from than ranting carelessly. All zambians want is change that was being initiated by Levy after reforming. If the current govt can show us what they have done for the past 19yrs or also, we are glad to hand them a part on the back through our vote. But as the situation entails, it looks like they are confused. You are talking about manifesto when the NCC cant even be finished by the same well learned people of MMD. Dullllllllllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!