Political scientist Neo Simutanyi has observed that the PF has weakened Zambia’s democratic credentials in the short time it has been in power.
Dr Simutanyi who is also Centre for Policy Dialogue Director said the PF has worked hard in its two years in power to erode the democratic gains that Zambia had made over the past two decades.
“We thought we were heading somewhere as a nation and boom! The PF arrived and took away everything we had built as a democratic state,” Dr. Simutanyi charged.
“The democratic space is shrinking by the day. All this is not an accident, it was well planned out to weaken our country’s democracy and sadly they are succeeding.”
He cited the arrest of key opposition leaders over flimsy charges and the growing levels of political intolerance as one of the areas Zambia has fallen back in its democratic development.
He said President Michael Sata has turned out to be the opposite of what the nation expected.
“This is the man we thought after struggling in opposition for ten years, he would come in and help accelerate our democratic development but the man has turned out to be something else,” he said.
He further condemned the state’s defence of the subjective application of the Public Order Act.
“It is surprising that some of the people in government today opposed this law when they were on the other side and today they are busy defending it. President Sata is on record having condemned it and now that he is President he calls it a good law.”
Dr. Simutanyi urged the opposition political parties, the civil society, the media and the church to join hands and defend the country’s democracy.
you have a point though you are a Mr NOT Dr.
He is a late comer. Where was he? it was long when politicians where arrested. We are now talking about killings not arrests anymore.
@Bwalya Chiselema. Simutanyi has a PhD from Cambridge obtained in 1997. Go to the website of Cambridge University’s Centre of Governance and Human Rights at the department of Politics and international studies from which he obtained his PhD you will see what he is up to.
He is in Research team of three headed by Dr Sharath Srinivasan who is the head of the Centre as Principal Investigator and two co-investigators Professor Winnie Mitullah from the University of Nairobi and Dr Simutanyi from Zambia.
The man has a Doctorate from Cambridge and they respect him enough to involve him in their research work. You are free to criticise him on his views but please don’t spread lies started by one Mmembe in his sick Post opinion piece! It is Dr Neo Simutanyi . Full stop!
Maybe am wrong; I have always thought the people who will change Zambia are the members of Diaspora because of the education and exposure we have received while living abroad. That is not the case when you read on a daily basis the contributions from the bloggers on Lusaka Times. Our comments are usually insults and nothing to do the substance of the article, maybe this is why we are so much despised back home, they say we are just a butch of people changing old people’s diapers – again please examine the comments above you may get what i am saying.
l wouldn’t cross the road to listen to this guy who showed showed his” political judgements” by consistently predicting landslide victory for mmd before the last elections-lol-and he hasn’t even apologised for being RB lap dog
An opinion poll is not always right . It is just a prediction. Eve in America some opinion polls were well off the mark. Gallup for example got it wrong. The only one who got it right by national votes and state votes between Obama and Mit Romney was Nate Silver .
What we want to hear from you is your opinion of what Neo has said. It is not difficult to conclude that he has touched a raw nerve in you. What he has said is true and that is why you are diverting the issue like what all embarrassed people do. Don’t change the topic, Mr! Nice try but I will still give you a FAIL!
You have nothing to offer to Zambians apart from your fake predictions ,opinion polls .Please look for a job.what i discovered in Zambia ,most people do not work but wait for government positions.
Cakubaba! Truth hurts! Why the desperate attempt to change the topic. This about PF’s democracy deficit it is not about opinion pollls
Opinion polls can either turn out as predicted or differently. An opinion poll is a survey of a given populations views on a particular issue at a particular time. It is not carved in stone. Opinions change. That is why the commonly used phrase is ‘if elections were held today’ candidate A would prevail! It is not always that they turn out right otherwise polling organisations like Gallup or Yougov would have been out of business by now!
Please can we have an intelligent discussion!
LIST OF USEFUL *****S IN ZAMBIA.
1.Die hard Lusambo
2.Lifwekelo
3.Simutanyiii
4.williams Tekele Bandah.
5.Proud
6.Goma
7.Mwabi lungu
add more
Arrests vary in direct proportion to offenses. If opposition leaders choose confrontational style politics, then it is wrong to expect Police to let them scotch free. Democracy means talking sense (or even nonsense?). No hate speech. No lies. Democracy means expressing opinions freely. The right to create new political parties is still guaranteed under existing legislation. Beautiful ones are not yet born, or what? Personal complaints will be addressed on their own merit.
Mr Neo Simutanyi should stop masquerading as a PhD holder. He went to Cambridge and lamentably failed to get his doctorate after not listening to his supervisor. All his Zambian contemporaries at Cambridge can attest to that. The man is a fraud and not worth listening to.
Go to the Cambridge University Department of Politics and International, Centre of Governance and Human Rights website. You will find out what Dr Neo Simutanyi is busy with until 2014. Dr Simutanyi will be working with Dr Sharath Srinivasan who is the Head of the Centre and Prof Winnie Mitullah from University of Nairobi on a research project focusing on a Comparative study looking at effects of new information and communication technologies on public opinion making in African democratic practice.
My friend forget about the childish stuff mmembe wrote aboutr Dr Simutanyi in 2011. Mmembe is just foolish.Dr Simutanyi got his PhD in 1997. He attended Cambridge University from 1992 and was awarded his degree in 1997. He is a Cambridge PhD holder and Cambridge recognises him as such!
Laughing stock: you will never rise to anything tangible in Zambia since your mentor Hichilema will never, ever become president of Zambia.
Whatever the PF supporters bark on this strap, SATA and his PF are GOING DOWN !