By AUSTIN KALUBA –

NORMALLY, democracy should promote diverse political parties thriving towards common principles of freedom, justice and creation of a better society.
Thus opposition political parties are social organisations with a representative function that embody particular interests, aggregate and communicate them to political and Government institutions.
Alas, in Zambia opposition political parties serve a different purpose of striving to remove the incumbent at all costs.
I say this considering that Zambian opposition politics has reached its nadir with strange bedfellows forming alliances and coming together for the sole purpose of removing the President.
One would wonder if this is the plural politics that Zambia reverted to in 1991 after many years of the one-party rule that was condemned and criminalised as being undemocratic.
Zambia’s opposition politicians now constitute a bunch of the most unprincipled, selfish, shallow and self-serving politicians who can even kill just to get into power.
A recent classic example of this political buffoonery is that of one opposition leader who has been in the political limelight for forming a political party on whose ticket he wanted to stand as president with the sole purpose of removing the incumbent.
When he realised it was not that easy, he joined hands with fellow tribesmen to form an alliance. Since there was no serious agenda apart from removing the incumbent, our good politician left the alliance to join the main opposition party.
One would wonder what kind of politicians we have in Zambia. Contrary to what many people think, I think we were better-off with a one-party State than plural politics that has polarised Zambia along tribal lines and exposed the worst forms of political skylarking.
I say this considering that plural politics is even more unworkable now than it was when it was banned after the signing of the Choma Declaration in 1973.
The opposition in Zambia needs massive re-education for it to realise its main role of questioning the Government of the day and hold it accountable to the public.
It should also be emphasised that opposition represents an alternative government, and is responsible for challenging the policies of the Government and producing different policies where appropriate.
However, our opposition leaders in Zambia seem to be looking at a different music sheet since to them opposition means removing the incumbent even before he sits down on his throne after being elected.
It is, therefore, heartening to hear the cry of indignation from the Rainbow Party leader Wynter Kabimba who cautioned his fellow opposition politicians that their goal should not be to remove the incumbent.
The public should also raise concern at the circus that has characterised opposition politics complete with mass defections, mudslinging, purposeless alliances and other forms of clowning that has cheapened plural politics.