Turn fake smiles into real unity, Mwila tells opposition
By Mast Reporter
IF OPPOSITION political party leaders do not turn fake smiles into genuine unity now, they risk gifting the United Party for National Development (UPND) with an easy victory in the august general election, Lusaka mayor spirant Simon Mwila has warned.
Mwila, a Lusaka-based lawyer, said in a statement yesterday if the opposition did not turn hugs into honest reconciliation and ambition into disciplined leadership it risked being overtaken by events because the UPND was not waiting to lose power without a fight.
He said the warmth with which the opposition leaders greeted and hugged one another last Monday at the Cathedral of the Child Jesus provided the people with momentary hope, but behind the public display of unity there were serious divisions, which he regretted.
“I genuinely wish those smiles could be real. I wish those hugs could translate into humility, unity and discipline. I wish our opposition leaders could finally set aside ego and accept a simple truth: there can only be one president at a time. Leadership requires patience, compromise and sometimes the courage to support another person rather than sabotage them,” Mwila said.
He warned Zambians were tired of unity that lasted only as long as the cameras were rolling, sympathy that doubled as self-promotion and leaders who looked united on Monday and fractured by Tuesday.
“As the opposition continues to wrestle with itself, time is quietly but firmly moving on. In the meantime, President Hakainde Hichilema has managed to change the tone of national conversation. Load shedding, once a daily source of anger and political mobilisation, has been largely stabilised,” he said.
“The lights are back in many homes and businesses. The kwacha is gaining ground, offering at least some breathing space to traders and households. These things matter.”
Mwila noted the political ground was shifting with load shedding no longer the blunt weapon it once was while economic signals were changing the national mood.
“The window for excuses is closing. Politics is not won on press statements alone. It is won on lived reality. When electricity improves and economic signals begin to stabilise, excuses shrink and expectations rise,” he said.
That was the context within which the opposition should now operate.
“Yet instead of matching this moment with seriousness, what we continue to see is theatre. Monday at the Cathedral was a painful reminder.
Politicians exchanged wide smiles and warm hugs, presenting an image of unity and sympathy in response to the summoning of Archbishop Dr. Alick Banda by the Drug Enforcement Commission,” Mwila said.
He said Zambians saw the public show of unity at the cathedral as nothing but an opportunity to score political mileage disguised as solidarity.
“The smiles looked rehearsed and the hugs felt strategic. What makes it worse is that these same leaders who smiled and embraced on Monday are often locked in bitter rivalry behind closed doors. The egos remain intact. The mistrust remains unresolved. The exaggerated belief in individual political muscle remains unchecked. And the public knows it,” Mwila said.
He warned voters were watching.
