I have spent the last few weeks reflecting on the happenings in our country. We have a situation that require sober minds. A situation that require leadership and level headedness. A situation that require sincerity and honesty. I know that politicians, typical of who they are will continue pretending as if all is well, but as citizens we should begin calling as spade as is and not a big spoon.
I have had to reflect on a number of issues among them the closure of the Post Newspaper and arresting of its editor in chief and the issues surrounding this matter, the continued political violence and intimidations, hate speech by different political players and indeed the media and how there are covering this year’s elections. I have found it very difficult to comprehend why we seem to be so ANGRY with each other. We have become enemies of our own brothers and sisters and this is not going down well for our country. Our government is engaged in an unnecessary squabbles with the diplomats accredited to our country.
[pullquote]I have found it very difficult to comprehend why we seem to be so ANGRY with each other[/pullquote]
This year’s campaigns will most likely go down in history as one of the worst in terms of how the political parties are selling their manifestos. They are spending huge sums of money holding rallies to just talk about their opponents and not how they will improve the lives of our citizens. Sadly our politicians are doing this with a clear conscious when most families can’t afford a decent meal. They know this is not right but they pretend because they know no one will bring up these issues. I can predict that we will have voter apathy if politicians don’t change the way they are handling the campaigns.
We have become a careless society that does not care about the wellbeing of our society. We are not paying enough attention to matters of national importance. Our police has become brutal and at will they use excessive force on defenceless citizens.
Today we have more TV and Radio adverts talking about violence. One would think that as a nation we should have been doing more adverts talking about the importance of the referendum and people’s involvement in the general elections which will be held side by side with the referendum.
Our political leaders have not strongly spoken against violence. From time to time our republican president has called on the police to deal with perpetrators of violence, but until now it looks as though all that is just mere rhetoric from the head of state. Even ‘Christians’ have now started campaigning openly for certain candidates.
The media is not spared. At a critical time such as this we expect the media to be neutral and show independence in the manner they report. This is not the case at the moment as most media houses seem to be politically inclined to one political party or the other. This however, is with the exception of few media houses that are not biased. There is a lot of intimidation happening at the moment and no one from those responsible for these actions seems to care. Lets me mention here also that when we speak the truth we must be ready for victimization because we are dealing with a society that is allergic to the truth. It is in our nature that many times we don’t like to hear the truth and yes what I am saying is true.
Our democracy is at stake and we don’t even show concern as citizens. Those of us who call ourselves ‘activists’ have become even more compromised such that we no longer give proper checks and balances but rather speak for those who give us talk time money. We have forgotten our role in the society and this makes sad reading. I remind us that all we are doing may not really affect our lives so much but our children will be victims of the damage we are so willingly causing to our country. They will grow up in a morally corrupt society.
My call this day goes to the church, the civil society organizations and the citizenry to stop giving a blind eye to the situation our country is faced with
Our leaders are slowly becoming our misleaders, those who support different political parties have continued supporting their leaders even when they do wrong things. They don’t care what we go through and what we feel after all. They are concerned about their own needs and selfish interest. Politicians have made us insult, injure and kill each other for selfish reasons. Every time I listen and read the news I am greeted by hate speech. Now it has even become a risk to openly criticise those holding political offices because we just don’t know what will come next.
Both the ruling party and the opposition are not helping the situation as they are the ones promoting lawlessness. They see it normal to fund violence in defence of attack. Goodness me! we have sunk so low that we can even record children on video insulting citizens and we see nothing wrong with that. What kind of morals are we really giving to these children? How will they respect us when we are doing the exact opposite of what is expected of us? Why have we found the abnormal to become normal? Where is our conscious when all this is happening in a nation that has been known as a mother of democracy in Africa? These are the type of questions that keep on reappearing on my mind.
For far too long we have sat and observed with pretense that all is well when in fact our country is going down. We are scared of being threatened and victimized when we speak out on matters of great importance to our nation.
My call this day goes to the church, the civil society organizations and the citizenry to stop giving a blind eye to the situation our country is faced with. We can’t continued keeping quiet and watch our democracy die without voicing out. It is a risk we have to take if the future generation is to be protected. We can be insulted for doing right but we should always remember that God will give the final judgement.
I end here for now.
God bless Mother Zambia
By David Kapoma
Who the hell is David Kapoma ??
What Democracy?
What do you expect, when Lungu rose through the party structures using violence, voting by hands and legs in the air…..khikikiki…Until the day Zambians wake up, this will be the same on 11 August
Mr Kapoma, Zambia is at a crossroads – Chakolwa Chagwa wants to rape Zambian democracy so that he will be President until 2026. If Zambians allow this thug then we are doomed as a country to follow in the footsteps of other failed banana republics like Zimbabwe, DRC, Burundi and Somalia. There are no two ways about it. That’s why there’s so much anger among those who understand the problem we face. It is better to burn the country now while the lice has not infested the country than to try and reverse this after 2026. In 2026 there will be no Zambia if Chakolwa wins this year.
Chiwanangala – You are the people Kapoma is referring to. I don’t know this man but reading his article makes a lot of sense. Let us be responsible for once the way we respond to some of these issues. I may also repeat the question Kapoma has asked?. What has really gone wrong in our country with people like you who cant see the sense in what he is saying? Is that all you can respond such an important article.?
Iwe mune Ndetila nati, I am not disagreeing to what Kapoma is saying I am just asking who the hell is he ??
Male circumcision destroys sexual pleasure.
I agree. And there is no evidence that Luvales are living longer than any other tribe in Zambia.
too long an article i have no time to read, next time summarize.
Peace lover if you cannot read then this is not for you because WWW just has a lot of information for the able minds! It is not for small minds who suffer from TIME FAMINE AND INFROMATION AVERSE syndrome.
PEACE LOVER, EMBRACE THE READING CULTURE EFILYA BEBA ATI WHEN YOU WANT TO HIDE SOMETHING FROM AN AFRICAN PUT IT IN WRTTING AND THIS IS COSTING US AFIFINE NA CONSTITUTION VERY FEW ZAMBIAN HAVE UNDERSTOOD IT. SUMMARIZE EFYO MUCHITILA NA SUMMRISE LIFE UBUNANGANI
African democracy= A glass half-full
and american democracy is an illusion of choice!!!
This article is boring. awe calepamwe
The waste campaign we have ever had in the history of the country Zambia.Its all because of vodka chakolwa wrungu and his pf thieves…VIVA HH 2016
No my brother it is not because of Edgar. It is all because UPND cadres see a man from Chawama who does NOT, according to them deserve to lead them! They would rather see a wealthy man residing in Kabulonga to be their leader. If we all respected the will of the people when Lungu was elected president of Zambia, we would have had a different story today! We would have had a beautiful country where everyone went about their business. But now NO, everyone has become political trying to defend this one or that one! Mark my word if you will manage to put HH in office this country will be more divided.
If you put Chakolwa Chagwa in State House again after August, expect a completely failed Zambia thereafter. He is a thief and an incompetent. Zambia will become bankrupt in 2021/2 when the Eurobonds mature and have to be repaid. In the meantime Chakolwa will continue to steal the national treasury and add to his net worth. He makes Mobutu look like a Saint.
A fish starts rotting first from its head. Zambia is rotting and it`s no guess where it has started off first and where it is headed. The best thing to do for now, is to amputate the head on August 11. Serious leaders like the late Mwanawasa could not have allowed the situation to deteriorate like this. Chargwa seems to be having fun out of all this mess and he must be shown the door in August.
@ Ngosa, What good did Mwanawasa do except hate Bembas promote Lambas and Bantu Botatwe. He has really earned himself a goo name for that I suppose
I agree with Kabu, clearly UPND have sworn not to let ECL continue and that is the very reason the country is falling into the abyss.
@jk: I suppose you admire Sata because he gave all jobs to Bembas or relatives to his concubines. It is funny how you tr¡balists only see the evil in other tribes when they try to protect their interests.
This guy just nailed it. Very true and full of sense. Seek heed.
Lawlessness is when people disregard law or want to create their own regulations. It is not only the known and rich who have the rights but the unknown and poor as well. You are concerned about the closure of the POST now but never published anything about the failure of the POST to pay tax. This is an issue os financial missmanagment at the POST. The are even lucky that the debt is with ZRA were you can drag GRZ and politics into the matter, with private company or bank you wouldnt have reflected on anything concerning the closure of the post. If you are concerned say something about the closure of the mines
Regarding the mines, we are anxiously waiting for PF and their relatives at ZRA to close the mines for not having paid the 20% mineral royalties over the last two years. If you can explain why the mines will never be closed, then you know why The Post had to be closed.
ChilufyaTayali I hope you have listened. Your friend has spoken sense…
Why is Lungu killing opposition supporters adorning opposition regalia.
Why did Lungu murder the young 24 year Malesu from UNZA in cold blood for wearing an opposition t-shirt.
Why is Lungu brutalizing opposition supporters and making them feel as though they are aliens in this nation
Why is Lungu flushing out opposition supporters at markets and bus stops
Why is Lungu ripping off opposition billboards (some erected as high as six metres off the ground), shredding posters
Why is Lungu lying that it is PF that has paid for the construction of roads and NOT the citizens including those in opposition who have provided the collateral for the US$12 billion borrowed
Why is Lungu lying that the Post matter is purely a tax affair when the K63 million is mostly made up of penalties and…
Chakolwa Chagwa is bent on destroying Zambia because of greed, despite his incompetence and gross ineptitude at running the national affairs.
Juito Chalipi, LuNGU is a confused chap. He needs to go ASAP.
Kapoma is a critical observer who has made analysis of the current situation in our beloved and only Nation. That is how I can describe him. Even when he seems to be neutral, the opposition seem not to TAKE THE HIGH ROAD and want to bring in the diplomats who have also a lot on their plates because where they come from, there is NO peace at all in my own opinion. Yes the diplomats can comment in the name of democracy but surely they have a limit. Leave the diplomats alone!
just pay taxes and the nightmare will be gone.
Zambians we need to workup actually i pray that PF wins elections so that we suffer more may be we can come out of this nonsense. i remember once said i can rule this country for 50 years
Your prayer is called self-hatred. You cannot learn anything from a self-inflicted suicide. Zambia will never come out of the hellhole of abject poverty if Chakolwa Chagwa wins in August. Zambia will be finished. Sell your assets and migrate then because Zambia will be another Somalia where nothing works and warlords roam the streets killing at will. PF warlords are already doing that in Mtendere and Lusaka City Centre. Chakolwa is headed for the ICC if he loses.
PRAYER IS USELESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chiluba said i can rule this country for 50 years because of Bupuba
Kapoma speaks sense umwaiche. Nomba mwefikulu you are failing to see beyond your nose. Shame on you
WHY SO MUCH HATERED FOR LUNGU?YOU CANT JUST BELIEVE FROM A LIST YOU YOU HAVE HARD LUNGU CAME FROM NOWHERE AND BECAME THE PRESIDENT.BA MWANAWASA HAD SO MUCH HATRED FOR CHILUBA THAT HE DID NOT REALISE HIS HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE WAS BECOMING WORSE EFILYA PA PODIUM KUMOKOKA FYE.WE ENDED UP SPENDING SO MUCH MONEY PURSUING CHILUBA THAT WHAT HE WAS BELIEVED TO HAVE STOLEN,INFACT HE IS THE FIRST LEADER THAT CAME WITH TRIBALISM IF YOU DONT KNOW.