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Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) 2026 running mate, Sean Tembo, has criticised what he called the “mis-characterising” of all opposition leaders based on the actions of a few, urging the media and public to assess politicians individually.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Tembo said it was wrong to paint all opposition leaders with the same brush simply because some had defected to the ruling party or disrupted public meetings.
“There is this tendency by some media houses, and by extension, some members of the public, to characterize all opposition leaders as being the same, based on the bad behaviour of a few, that is wrong,” he said.
He cited two recurring questions directed at the opposition: “How can we trust you, the opposition, when most of you are defecting to the ruling UPND party almost on a daily basis?” and “How can the Zambian people take you, the opposition, seriously, looking at the behaviour of some of you during the ECZ interactive meeting at Mulungushi International Conference Centre?”
Tembo said Zambia had many opposition leaders and that democracy imposed no entry barriers, noting that anyone could form a political movement at any time.
He called for merit-based scrutiny of political actors, saying that when one opposition leader misbehaves, accountability should be directed at that individual and not the broader opposition.
“If they need to be condemned, you must condemn that particular opposition leader, based on their misbehaviour. Do not generalize the condemnation to all opposition leaders,” he said.
Using an analogy, Tembo compared the situation to domestic relationships, saying some husbands live happily while others are in constant conflict.
“It is like women. Some of us live well and are happy with our women at home. Others live in constant conflict with their women at home,” he said.
Tembo said: “The fact that you are always fighting with your woman at home… does not mean that all women are like your woman.”
He added: “You need to localize your problems with your woman to yourself and not generalize them. Don’t say; ‘why are women like this…’ You must say; ‘why is my woman like this…’ I hope that my point is crystal clear.”
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