Patriotic Front (PF) Matero Member of Parliament Miles Sampa has warned that the frequent arrest of opposition political party leaders is denting Zambia’s image to the international community.
Several opposition political parties have been arrested in recent times on assorted charges that border on defamation of the President or corruption.
Economic and Equity Party President Chilufya Tayali has just been released from police custody after being detained for four days on charges of bringing the name of President Hakainde Hichilema into disrepute.
Mr. Tayali was brutally arrested on Sunday by police after he went on facebook live to verbally attack President Hichilema.
But Mr. Sampa has said no government has gained credit for arresting or intimidating opponents.
The PF Presidential aspirant said police are being overzealous and in the process are only making the Republican President extremely unpopular to ordinary non-partisan citizens especially the youths and women.
“Good news, one opposition leader (Mr Chilufya Tayali) out of incarceration but bad news another opposition leader (NDC faction President Saboi Imboela) taken into incarceration and both for expressing themselves I suppose. Our police service has suddenly become a police force and is acting extra overzealous but in the process only making the Republican President extremely unpopular to ordinary non partisan citizens especially the youths and women. I can hardly think of a President anywhere in the World that benefited from arresting Opposition leaders. In any case no opposition leader ever simmers after arrests. Records show that it only makes them even stronger and more popular. Records are there to show but guess those in power refuse to lead from history. They choose to repeat history,” Mr. Sampa stated.
“In fact, It’s those (Presidents & their governing party) that allow opposition leaders to speak freely that end up getting good local and international approval ratings. The police (arresting officers & IG) report to someone (Minister) who reports to the President and therefore the back stops at the Statehouse. ‘Revenge of the Ninja’ approach to opposition leaders is a setback to pre 2021 campaign promises that has already eroded most of the kudos on President HH that we have been reading from the international media in the last few months,” Mr. Sampa said.
“Whoever is getting knee jerk satisfaction from these constant arrests of opposition leaders needs to think twice? It’s embarrassing our Country to the international community (The West and IMF).Our governance record has been bruised and dented. The global community must be saying. ku Africa nako,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sampa has condemned the recent detention of MUVI Television journalist Innocent Phiri and camera man Obvious Kaunda.
The two were picked up as they covered police raiding Chilufya Tayali’s House in Lusaka last Sunday and are also out after being charged with obstruction of the police.
“There is one unwritten rule on journalists for any leader and if broken, there begins maningi trouble. The rule is “Thou shall not harass, arrest and incarcerate journalists for doing the job they get paid for”. Even the worst dictators in the World have backed off intimidating and arresting journalists. If there was a man that mastered the art of using media to his advantage it was President HH before he became President last year. Journalists were his good buddies and mostly covered him on a voluntary basis without any ‘transport refund’. Today kaya what has gone wrong with now our republican President that covering the arrest of a political leader has become a crime? We would have begun to adopt the myth that living inside a state house tends to change people 360 degrees for the good or bad in some aspects. Well President HH does not live there,” Mr. Sampa said.
“The incarceration and charging of the Muvi journalist and camera man makes sad reading. The Police work under command from the IG and work under command from the Home affairs Minister. He too works under command from the President. The buck therefore stops with President HH. The guns the police hold have bullets and can scare, arrest and lead journalists to police cells or prisons. Journalists however have a more powerful gun. It’s called a Pen that uses ink and not bullets. It has brought down the world’s most powerful ever. Ink even used to run out those days but now, Journalists just need a Smartphone and ‘bando’ (phone data). ‘The power of a pen (phone data) is more dangerous than a gun’. Handle journalists with care,” Mr. Sampa warned.
The international community don’t care, they have much bigger problems of their own. The HH technique will not work for PF because to these greedy people you are the en3my. Why should they help you unseat someone who has their interest at heart? Ku Europe kuli nkondo which has claimed a Zambian life…think about that for a moment.
The international community are fully aware that sanity must be restored from the acsses of PF misrule and corruption…….
to take zambia forward…………
They are also fully aware that freedom of expression does not mean freedom to insult, disrespect and throw bases accusations at government meant incite civil strife…………
They are also aware tha there are very few african countries with the freedoms of expression practiced by zambias opposition parties………
Forward 2031………
What the International Community is shocked with is the level of insults in this Country.
You are a law maker, just go and change the laws. Police are just acting on the laws currently in place. Of course the Police are not allowed to brutalise anyone, but arrests are based on the laws left by the PF
What amazes me na tu -P1yefu, is they enacted & put into law, these same laws that are biting them, they thought they would rule forever, manje wayamba kulila??
Same there’s a crazy woman ku U.K who was not adopted by U.P.N.D & is now so BITTER & says “I left U.P.N.D as they don’t respect Women”
Really?? Have you forgotten the woman who was undressed in public, in full view of “the P.F Woman second in command of Chipani”?
How bout the Women who were shot dead by PFolice Cadre force.
It appears whenever one associates or sympathises with Panga Fraternity, the Brains sink from their cranium, straight down to the M@tako!
Arrests are dependent on how many times laws are broken. If law breakers reduce their mungulu the arrests will also reduce. That is just how it works
The West love someone and hate the other. China and others do not interfere in other countries politics. That is the international community for you Miles.
International community are in serious, social and economic need, leave them alone to solve their own problems. Our problem is rampant corruption that leaves vulnerable people with nothing and allows the fat cats to roll out ver everyone else and usually go scotch free.
Denting the image of Zambia to the international communiy?The international community cannot be hoodwinked.They dont see unfair arrests of political party leaders.They see one-man brief-case party leaders on the pay of plunderers of yesteryear and of no cosequence to the democratic integrity of HH and Zambia on the international scene.Thes muppets cannot take on the ruling party on important issues but only resigned to petty politics,asking for police reaction so they can cry out to the international community.But these wailers cannot be heard.
The PF had thugs and drug addicts calling themselves{ The Americans” They defiled America and their flag and others called themselves NATO forces commiting acts of vilolences and shocking lawlessness under the proteection of the PF Secretary…
…….under the protection of the PF Secretary General and some who were armed and equiped by Kampyongo as a PF police force.You cannot now fraudulently ask for inetrnational helpPF took ua 10 years backwards and we became an international laughing-stock..PF must be disbanded
The answer to these problems is very simple. As long as defaming the President is illegal, it is easy pickings for the police. They will keep on arresting people who break that law. Remember that the police are blind to the morality or justification of a law. If the law said that it is illegal to eat nshima while lying on your belly, the police will pounce on you if you did. It is not rocket science. Our only hope so far is that the New Dawn government has indicated that the defamation of the President law is going away. THE FIRST government in over 50 years to do this.
These opposition leaders without any followers are a problem. They cry foul each time they are called to account, like that weak soldier from Luanshya who also falls sick each time he is caged. Police also should not waste their energy on beating Tayali, much as the guy is way ward and without direction in his rants, just give him a call out. Loose canons are a problem by nature
When your enemy is making a mistake don’t interrupt him.
Recently and after the 2022 Kenya elections, I have observed that Ruto is a good leader and an excellent politician. Kenya is blessed.
Opposition political party leader my foot!!!
I doubt if even this punk’s wife is a member of his one-man party
Sanity in the country is what we ñeed. As long as you contiinue insulting , doing wrong t??ngs, the security ädated to maintain and promote peace nd order will contiue pouncing on yu. What ?ill dent zambia a bad name is ts failure to arrest thôse insnuating and promoting unwarranted behaviors