JUSTICE Minister Given Lubinda has disparaged the Opposition Alliance’s potential to form government in 2021, saying they will not manage to replicate Malawi’s success because Zambia’s circumstances are different.

And Lubinda says he has not seen any billboards advocating for Constitution Amendment Bill Number 10 of 2019.

In an interview, Lubinda argued that the Opposition Alliance stood no chance of forming government.

“There have been alliances in Zambia, which died before people were able to pronounce the name of the alliance. I, myself, was involved in some of the alliances. I was involved in the alliance, which brought together UPND, FDD, the UDA, remember it died before even people knew that we had formed it. It died with Anderson Mazoka. The United Democratic Alliance, when Anderson Mazoka died, it also died. Then we also tried…there was an alliance between PF and the UPND, the pact, what happened? It died! Personally, I have experienced the issue of alliances in Zambia and none of them had ever yielded results,” Lubinda recalled.

He added that several factors were required to ensure a successful alliance, adding that forming them for the sake of ousting a sitting government would not work in Zambia.

“It is not just the question of alliances; it is based on a number of factors: are the people who form that alliance genuine? Are they sincere to the cause or is it an alliance of ‘riders and hope?’ Are these alliances consummated on the basis of offering alternative governments or are they only focussed on removing the government? Removing a government is one thing, but offering alternative government is another,” Lubinda said.

“So, you can form an alliance, you can form as big an alliance as you wish, ultimately, the people will ask: ‘what is this alliance for?’ Is this alliance going to offer alternatives and a better government? And if the people answer negatively to that question, then that alliance won’t even survive because even going to the nominations, people will be fighting about the reason for the alliance, then they will start talking about who is going to be president? Who is going to be minister? For as long as people are forcing each other purely to get positions, it won’t work!”

He also urged the opposition not to cut and paste Malawi’s successful alliance, which saw Dr Lazarous Chakwera emerge as that country’s Republican President.

“Remember that, you cannot cut and paste situations simply because an alliance works in Malawi does not necessarily mean that it could also work in Botswana, that it could also work in America, that it could also work in Zambia, no! The circumstances are totally different. It is the same as saying, ‘because my farmer neighbour this year has produced a bumper harvest, I will also produce a bumper harvest next year and the difference that I saw is that my farmer neighbour married two wives, so I am also going to marry two wives, and because of that I will have a bumper harvest,’ no! So, there are many factors that affect the success of these alliances,” Lubinda said.

And Lubinda said he had not seen any Bill 10 billboards.

“I haven’t seen any, no. I have just told you that I have not seen any billboard. If I say I have not seen any billboard, how can you ask any further questions? What would you want me to say? I have said I have not seen any billboards, that is all. I have said so I wouldn’t comment any further than that,” said Lubinda.