The Editor Zambia
As Zambia edges closer to the 2026 general election, voters must resist the temptation to judge political formations by their names alone.
Political parties may change their colours, logos, and alliances, but the more important question is whether they have genuinely changed their political culture. 
Many of the faces now championing the Tonse Alliance – NRPUP, if not all, are the very politicians who occupied senior positions in the Patriotic Front administration, a party that has left an ugly mark on the political history of Zambia.
While political realignments are perfectly legitimate in any democracy, rebranding alone does not erase history. It is, therefore, reasonable for citizens to ask whether the country is witnessing the birth of a genuinely new movement or simply the continuation of an old one under a different banner.
For many Zambians, memories of the PF years remain vivid. They recall an era in which cadreism became deeply entrenched in markets, bus stations, and other public spaces.
Cadres, for the first time in the history of this country, were above all security wings since they had immunity straight from State House of the late Edgar Lungu.
Political patronage appeared to flourish while ordinary citizens often complained of intimidation and lawlessness at the hands of cadres.
Unless one was not in Zambia, the perception of a government unable or unwilling to curb political excesses became one of the defining features of the PF government both under Michael Sata and Edgar Lungu.
Even more disturbing were repeated episodes of political violence that dominated newspaper headlines and nauseated Zambians even in the strongholds of the party leading to the removal of thw PF.
Elections should be contests of ideas, not demonstrations of physical force. Yet many citizens remember campaigns characterised by clashes, intimidation, and the disturbing image of machete-wielding thugs wearing green PF party regalia.
Those memories continue to shape how many voters assess today’s opposition alliances.
The Tonse Alliance- NRPUP with 99% former PF members cannot simply expect the electorate to forget those experiences because of a new political arrangement.
Many of its prominent leaders, like Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu, served at the highest levels of the PF government.
Inevitably, they carry the burden of explaining what lessons have been learnt and what concrete reforms distinguish today’s alliance from yesterday’s ruling party.
Rebranding is not reform. Changing a political vehicle without changing its drivers or its direction will naturally invite public scepticism.
Zambians are entitled to ask difficult questions. Has the politics of intimidation been abandoned? Has cadreism been rejected? What safeguards exist to ensure respect for the rule of law? How will public resources be protected? These are not unfair questions; they are essential questions in any mature democracy.
The burden rests squarely on those seeking public office. Democracy demands accountability, not selective memory.
Citizens should evaluate political leaders not only by campaign speeches but also by their governing record.
The credibility of any alliance depends less on the slogans it adopts than on the values it consistently demonstrates.
Zambia has made important democratic gains since 2021 when the UPND came into power, ending all the PF madness once and for all.
The country has every reason to protect peace, strengthen institutions, and ensure that elections remain peaceful contests of ideas rather than contests of intimidation.
Political competition should never become an excuse for violence or lawlessness.
Ultimately, the question before voters is larger than the Tonse Alliance- NRPUP itself. It is whether Zambia wishes to return to political practices that many citizens believe contributed to national division and institutional weakness or whether it wishes to continue demanding higher standards of governance from everyone seeking public office.
History should neither be forgotten nor manipulated. Political parties deserve the opportunity to reform, but genuine reform must be demonstrated through actions rather than branding exercises.
Until there is convincing evidence of a decisive break with the political culture many Zambians associate with the PF years, scepticism will remain understandable.
As the campaign season gathers momentum, voters should remember one simple truth: a change of name from PF to Tonse Alliance or NRPUP of thieves and perpetrators of lawlessness does not automatically amount to a change of character.
The ballot should reward those who have not merely changed their political attire but have convincingly demonstrated a commitment to peace, accountability, constitutionalism, and the rule of law.
Zambia’s democratic future deserves nothing less.
Miles Sampa, Manfred Chabinga presidents of PF are sharing the same bed with UPND.NRPUP will never be PF. Koseni fye, the opposition are the Zambian people.