CAMPAIGNS UNDER COVID RESTRICTIONS COSTLY – HAMUDUDU

By ANDREW MUKOMA CONDUCTING campaigns ahead of the August 12 General Elections under the third wave of Covid-19 has become expensive for political parties, Party for National Unity (PNU) leader Hive Hamududu has observed. Mr Hamududu has observed that the pandemic has taught political leaders of how to use all means of communication in order …

CAMPAIGNS UNDER COVID RESTRICTIONS COSTLY – HAMUDUDU
By ANDREW MUKOMA CONDUCTING campaigns ahead of the August 12 General Elections under the third wave of Covid-19 has become expensive for political parties, Party for National Unity (PNU) leader Hive Hamududu has observed. Mr Hamududu has observed that the pandemic has taught political leaders of how to use all means of communication in order to reach  out to the electorates without conducting public rallies. He said that Covid-19 has put pressure on all political parties in terms of mobilizing their members. Mr Hanududu said despite that being the case, his party is busy on the ground conducting door to door campaigns. “We are a young political party, very promising and we hope not to disappoint Zambians. We will be very methodical, scientific, highly researched, highly organized from the very beginning,” he said. He said that his party is meeting the electorates without being engaged in name calling, character assassination or political violence. “There will be no name calling, as you know we don’t talk about other political parties, we only talk about what we are going to do because we need issue based politics in this country,” he said. Mr Hamududu said that his party is putting a high premium on the issues of policies so that when voted into office, the party will have a social contract as expulsed in its policies. “We are happy we are in the race, it is not easy and it’s expensive. We are going throughout the country, unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it but we are ready for the assignment. If tomorrow you decided to give us power, we will create one of the most organized governments that has right policies, policies that can change the course of this country because we have enough lessons learnt,” he said. “This country is still undeveloped, therefore it needs a lean government especially at the top so that you can release money for service delivery and for the motivation of what we call frontline workers,” he said. Asked on how many parliamentary candidates his party managed to field in, Mr Hamududu said; about 10 per cent. It is not the matter of fielding everywhere but when elections will come, we will shock you.” Mr Hanududu  said while others are making dust on the roads, his party is with the people on the ground. “We don’t meet people on the road, we meet people where they stay. We don’t make noise in the street, putting dust under Covid, no, we are there with the people,” he said.