By Henry Kyambalesa
The Patriotic Front (PF), the ruling political party in Zambia, should bear the blame for all the socioeconomic ills currently facing the country.
Such socioeconomic ills include the high level of corruption, the country’s declining economic performance, the high level of government-secured debts, the unprecedented levels of poverty and inequality, and the current escalation of political violence, among a host of other socioeconomic problems and crises.
With respect to the current spate of political violence, the following age-old proverb renders the verdict: “The fish start rotting from the head.”
Why do we have to continue to vote for a clique of government officials who do not consider the pursuit and preservation of peace and stability in our beloved country as one of their primary functions?
In this regard, I am reminded of the following warning by a PF official directed at UPND supporters and their president and, by extension, other political parties and their leaders and supporters:
“[Muchinga Province] … is a bedroom for President Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu. Muchinga remains so. And we as his sons are always ready to take care of the bedroom, to even kill the cockroaches as well as the rats that enter our father’s bedroom. That is our responsibility.” (See: https://www.zambiawatchdog.com/we-will-kill-for-lungu-says-pf-official/.)
I am also reminded of some chieftains, as well as bogus, wacky, and weird shepherds of the Lord’s flock—such as “Pastor” Sunday Sinyangwe—who do not embrace or espouse the virtue of being impartial in their handling of political matters. Besides, why, on Earth, would any level-headed human being “decree in the name of God” that another person fails to secure the necessary votes to hold an elective public office?
Does “pastor” Sinyangwe truly believe that such a prayer or “decree” would rise beyond the ceiling of his church? What kind of God or God would entertain such a prayer or “decree”? If it were in God’s nature to answer the silly prayers of the likes of “pastor” Sinyangwe, it would be commendable for Him to address the many recurrent socioeconomic problems and crises facing humanity.
There is also this brother of ours called “Kaizar Zulu,” an apparent and obviously uncivilised PF operative and sycophant who frequently makes unprovoked nasty, vulgar, insane, and ordinarily unprintable comments online targeting opposition political leaders and/or their supporters irrespective of the nature or subject of the news stories appearing on news outlets like the Lusaka Times Website.
Bwana Kaisar Zulu’s toxic, vile and hateful comments are apparently sanctioned by some PF officials, since he somewhat seems to be the party’s official online representative, and since the party has never cautioned him against making scandalous and outrageous comments on its behalf.
And his comments are clearly designed to incite inter-party violence. Therefore, it is shameful that some of our compatriots will very likely vote for candidates sponsored by a political party on whose behalf the likes of Kaisar Zulu proudly render their spiteful comments.
The pervasive spate of political violence which we are witnessing in our Motherland is clearly one of the numerous manifestations of government ineptitude. There are, therefore, no “Powerful forces pushing Zambia into instability.”
To reiterate, “The fish start rotting from the head.” To reverse the unfortunate incidence of such violence, the PF administration needed to make an earnest effort to build on the UNIP and the late Dr. Kenneth D. Kaunda’s timeless “One Zam¬bia, One Nation” slogan and the electric “Tiyende Pamodzi” mantra in our people’s quest to create a cohesive, unitary, compassionate, and peaceful country.
Dr. Kaunda—MHSRIP—reminded us of our civic and moral obligation in this regard in his message to Zambians in the Diaspora on October 24, 2020—Zambia’s 56th Independence Day—in the following words: “Let us love one another, and remember to maintain our Motto: One Zambia, One Nation.”
By this message, Dr. Kaunda apparently granted us the authority to use the “One Zambia, One Nation” slogan and the Tiyende Pamodzi” mantra during political rallies and campaigns, and in our political dealings and interactions with other members of the Zambian family.
Anyway, we will soon have the opportunity on August 12, 2021, to give other political players the mandate to form government—political players who will hopefully address the down-sliding trajectory of our beloved country and the worsening of the general welfare of most of its people.
I should perhaps reserve the rest of my comments concerning the sad situation in our beloved country for another day.
