And yesterday we all woke up to news that Mulenga Sata, son to 5th Zambian president, Micheal Sata had rejoined the ruling Patriotic Front from Upnd, a party he joined prior to the 2016 tripartite elections but hasn’t lasted two years in it. Usual reactions;
Praised by PF supporters as the return of the prodigal son and a regain of old members- a sign that people still have confidence in the party, on the other hand is rebuke and condemnation from the Upnd that he had ceased being their member two weeks ago when he sent himself in political retirement and that his joining the ruling party is of no effect as he is none entity.

Well, let me break the two reactions from the two major political parties over Mulenga’s defection and re-joinery.
– It is hypocritical for the Upnd to declare Mulenga Sata a nonentity now when they fielded him as a parliamentary candidate in one of the most delicate constituencies in the capital city – Kabwata just 22 months ago. How a serious party can do that is reason enough to question their decision making but hey it is the usual political rhetoric that we are accustomed to whenever a prominent member ditches a party for another.

Likewise, the claim by the ruling party, the Patriotic Front that Mulenga’s return is a sign of the confidence is both false and hypocritical in that the man is alone in his defection and that aside from his mayoral election or his appointment as State House deputy minister out of sympathy for being the founding member’s son he has no political credentials worth signaling as an express of public confidence in a party that is stained with corruption and has failed to turn the economy around.

The following are the most notable or major defections or ditches in recent years.

-Miles Sampa, ditching the PF to form DF and then rejoining in less than 3 months.

-Canisius Banda ditching the Upnd and seemingly now siding with the PF.

-GBM ditching the PF and joining the Upnd.

-Guy Scott ditching the PF and campaigning for the Upnd.

-Chishimba Kambwili ditching the PF and forming NDC.

-Mulenga Sata ditching the PF for the Upnd and now rejoining the PF.

-Obvious Mwaliteta ditching the PF and joining the Upnd.

-Harry Kalaba ditching the PF without openly declaring new political affiliation.

-Richard Kaputa ditching the Upnd and joining PF.

-Edwin Lifwekelo ditching PF for the Upnd and then rejoining it.

-Incarcerated Keith Mukata, from MMD, then serving in the PF government and then defecting the Upnd.

-Antonio Mwanza, ditching the FDD to
Join the PF.

Well, it doesn’t matter which party reacts which way or who defects to which party, there is something the Zambian voter doesn’t seem to know or notice about these political defections and the actual affects-

NOTICE-
-That most of these defections happen during election periods when there seems to be winds of change, some right after one party wins. Those that happen during none election periods have been of those joining the ruling party with the exception of those fired or suspended who in frustration have left and joined other parties or formed their own.

THE EFFECTS of DEFECTIONS-
1. That voters are denied a chance to have real political change as the same politicians circle around in different parties while maintaining their failures.

2. That voters that are denied opportunities to also serve in various top government and party positions as the defectors are entertained and welcomed in the name of experience and having a political following.

3. That the same people seem to benefit financially from political employment while the masses, who are voters are left unemployed and remain poor.

The defection case of Mulenga Sata is like that of many politicians, Miles Sampa inclusive whom common party members celebrate as being a gain of numbers when in the actual sense it is not.
Like i stated in one of my 2015 articles entitled “OF DEFECTIONS & DEFECTORS” the real losers in every defection are common men and women who are poor, unemployed and who queue up to vote for the same failed people only on different party cards all to remain politically employed at their expense.
And till the Zambian voter matures and stops entertaining and celebrating defectors they risk being like the children of Israel, “moving around the wilderness for 40 years without progress”

Mbanga, Irvine Ilukui.
Fayetteville, Arkansas.
United States of America.