ONE of the most important things a political party can do during an election campaign is to tell citizens exactly what it stands for. Voters deserve honesty, even when that honesty may not be politically convenient. In that regard, the National Republican Party United Party (NRPUP) has been remarkably consistent. Its leaders have repeatedly assured […]

ONE of the most important things a political party can do during an election campaign is to tell citizens exactly what it stands for. Voters deserve honesty, even when that honesty may not be politically convenient. In that regard, the National Republican Party United Party (NRPUP) has been remarkably consistent. Its leaders have repeatedly assured Zambians that, if elected into office, they will take the country back to the way it was governed under the Patriotic Front (PF) administration of former president Edgar Lungu.

This is not the first time we are hearing this. Soon after successfully filing his nomination papers, NRPUP presidential candidate Brian Mundubile openly declared that he would govern Zambia the way Edgar Lungu governed. The public reaction was swift and critical. Yet rather than clarify or retreat from that position, the party has doubled down. Now, Mr Mundubile’s running mate, Makebi Zulu, has gone even further by promising citizens that they will “go back to living the way we were living under Mr Lungu.” He says it will be Dununa Reverse once more.

At least there is clarity. NRPUP is not pretending to be a new political movement. It is not asking Zambians to judge it on fresh ideas or a new vision. It is proudly presenting itself as the continuation of the PF government that Zambians overwhelmingly rejected in the 2021 general election. The obvious question, therefore, is: why should citizens vote to bring back what they consciously voted out?

Every election is an assessment of the past and a choice about the future. In 2021, millions of Zambians made a deliberate decision to remove PF from office. That verdict was not accidental or emotional. It was informed by years of lived experience. Citizens complained about political violence, cadreism, intimidation of public servants, lawlessness in markets and bus stations, corruption, abuse of office, illegal land allocations and the breakdown of public order. Those were not inventions of political opponents but realities that dominated national conversation and ultimately influenced the ballot. Today, NRPUP appears to be asking the electorate to forget all that.

When party leaders promise to restore the PF way of governing, they cannot selectively inherit only the few pleasant memories, if there are any, while distancing themselves from the failures that defined that administration. Governance comes as a complete package. If one promises to restore the PF era, one must also explain what lessons have been learnt and what exactly will be different this time. Instead, the message coming from NRPUP seeks to romanticise the past without confronting the reasons why that past came to an end.

Even more worrying is the dangerous habit of recycling falsehoods in order to secure political support. Mr Zulu repeated the unsubstantiated allegation that voters will be given four presidential ballot papers to facilitate electoral fraud. Such claims, made without evidence, only serve to undermine public confidence in the electoral process and heighten unnecessary tension. Political parties have every right to question electoral processes where there is evidence of wrongdoing. But reckless allegations, unsupported by facts, weaken democracy rather than strengthen it.

A political party seeking national leadership should be offering solutions to unemployment, the cost of living, healthcare, education, energy security, mining productivity and economic growth. Instead, the conversation is increasingly revolving around resurrecting a political era that the electorate already examined and rejected.

Perhaps the most revealing aspect of this campaign is that NRPUP seems almost proud to carry the PF identity into this election under a different political banner. It is no longer a matter of speculation. The party itself is making that connection. It is effectively telling voters that this is the same project, only wearing different colours.

Citizens must therefore make their decision with open eyes. If they believe the PF years represented the best direction for Zambia, then NRPUP has clearly presented itself as that vehicle. But if they rejected that administration because of the culture of political violence, cadreism, corruption, abuse of authority, attacks on civil servants, illegal land encroachments and disregard for institutions, then they cannot reasonably expect different outcomes from leaders who openly promise to revive the same model of governance.

Political colours may change. Party names may change. Campaign songs may change. But leadership philosophy rarely changes unless there is a conscious admission of past mistakes and a demonstrated commitment to reform. So far, NRPUP has shown neither. Instead, it has embraced the PF legacy without qualification and without apology. That should concern every well-meaning citizen.

Trust is earned through reflection, reform and credibility. Those who insist that nothing was wrong yesterday should not be surprised when citizens conclude that nothing will be different tomorrow. Zambia deserves leaders whose vision is anchored in solving today’s problems and preparing the country for tomorrow’s opportunities, not those whose central campaign promise is to take the nation backwards.

Mr Mundubile and Mr Zulu are not leading a new political outfit, by their admission, they are leading the same PF that was rejected. NRPUP and the PF are one and the same thing. They are a clique of thieves desperate and ready to loot public resources.