GARRY NKOMBO LOOKS AHEAD

MAZABUKA Member of Parliament Garry Nkombo looks forward to the success of the UPND-PF pact. He also seem to be wooried about whether it would work or crack before next year's general elections.
Here Mr Nkombo is following a speech by his UPND president Hakainde Hichilema at the Lusaka international airport. This was when Mr Hiclema arrived from the USA where he had gone for a leadership programme.
Mr Hichilema has projected himself as the best person to lead Zambia because he is young and not old and rusty like his pact mate Michael Sata. He said the world is aware that he was a young person with energy and brains, just like David Cameron and Nick Clegg.
Mr Hichilema's speech implies that the pact has not yet agreed who their presidential candidate would be in next year's elections. It looks like there is a power struggle especially on who should lead the alliance. If they two parties have strategised, why are they still keeping the information to their chests? My view is that the sooner the two parties announce the presidential candidate the better. But from the look of things, it seems more work has to be done before a real pact is born.
The UPND and PF have postponed the launch of the pact, which was slated for April 2010. UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma said the postment was because of the recent by-elections in Kasama, Chitambo, Mufumbwe and Milanzi.
Critics in Zambia and members of the ruling MMD have projected a collapse of the UPND-PF alliance because both leaders seem not to be ready to deputise the other in the elections. In any case, the Mr Hichilema and Mr Sata have been campaigning seperately in different parts of Zambia.