Twitterers debate Southern Province vote
Twitterers debate Southern Province vote
The voting margins and lopsided victories President Hakainde Hichilema is enjoying in Southern Province have raised debate on social media.
Tweepers have been reacting to a post by BBC journalist Dingindaba Jonah Buyoya after he posted the results from Dundumwezi constituency in Southern Province.
”Dundumwezi Constituency
Kalomo district, Southern Province
Hakainde Hichilema – 22,043
Brian Mundubile – 46,” posted Buyoya.
Commenting on the post, someone going by the name Meebz argued that candidates must find a way to appeal to everyone
”No, candidates have to find a way to appeal to everyone somehow. HH for the longest had to find a way to infiltrate the entire nation and not just the Southern region. Thats politics,” posted Meebz.
But another tweeper going by the handle Clean Kwati Bella, responded by suggesting that the nation should find a way of assigning weights to votes across regions, or as a minimum, a winner should be popular in >50% of the country (not just >50% of valid votes).
”At the moment, a single region has the power to elect someone who the rest of the country may not want,” Clean Kwati Bella stated. “I don’t think one region should be deciding the future of the country, it should be a collective decision.”
He also argued that Meebz argument was honestly dead on arrival.
“The truth is, people in other regions vote objectively … If you’ve noticed, HH is getting some decent votes in some places outside SP, why? It’s because voters are objective. They judge him based on his message and what he can deliver,” Clean Kwati Bella stated. “No one here can convince me that BM’s message only touched the hearts of 400 out of 22,000+ voters in SP. Ain’t adding up! People should start voting objectively.”
Clean Kwati Bella argued that if these were the only issues, previous/other opposition leaders wouldn’t have suffered the same fate.
“Even if BM had access to free and fair campaigns, results in this region would not have been different. We need to call out the elephant in the room, regionalism!” stated Clean Kwati Bella.