Governance Expert Brightone Tembo has observed that it will be very difficult for opposition political parties in Zambia to work and cooperate with the Government, because the culture of intolerance between the opposition and the ruling Party has been entrenched in Zambian politics for a long time.
Mr. Tembo tells Flava News that no so long ago, the UPND when in opposition never cooperated or agreed with the Patriotic Front Government in nearly all the decisions they made, which resulted in parliamentary and national event boycotts by the UPND.
He points out that the PF during their time in opposition also failed to cooperate with the ruling MMD and the same PF, in 2010 expelled over 18 of its Members of Parliament for attending the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) called for by the President Levy Mwanawasa.
Mr. Tembo states that the relationship between the ruling party and the opposition is always political and never based on national interest, stating that there has never been trust between political players.
He has further advised the UPND Government to understand that it will take a process in order to have the opposition and the ruling party work together on national matters.
Mr. Tembo is of the view that the call by President Hakainde Hichilema to the Kitwe Mayor to work with the ruling Party cannot yield positive results because of bad history between the opposition and the ruling party.
