ZAMBIA HAS CHANGED. HAVE THE POLITICIANS NOTICED? One thing continues to puzzle me. Many political players appear not to have noticed that Zambia’s political terrain has fundamentally changed since 2021. The next election will probably be the most technical election our country has witnessed since Independence. This is no longer an era where slogans alone […]

ZAMBIA HAS CHANGED. HAVE THE POLITICIANS NOTICED?

One thing continues to puzzle me.

Many political players appear not to have noticed that Zambia’s political terrain has fundamentally changed since 2021. The next election will probably be the most technical election our country has witnessed since Independence.

This is no longer an era where slogans alone can carry the day. It is no longer enough to shout the loudest, insult the most, or manufacture tribal fears. Those methods have been tested repeatedly over the years. Zambia has heard them before.

The modern voter is exposed to more information than at any other time in our history. Citizens are comparing promises with outcomes, narratives with facts, and emotions with realities. Every statement is scrutinised. Every claim is challenged. Every argument is weighed.

That is why I believe those underwriting politics based on division, ethnic profiling, bitterness and perpetual outrage may be studying a Zambia that no longer exists.

The election ahead will not be a contest of who can provoke the most anger. It will be a contest of who best understands the aspirations and intelligence of the Zambian people. It’s time to speak to the hopes of the nation, not merely the fears of its tribes.

Saviour Chishimba
President
United Progressive People (UPP)