Saturday, July 27, 2024

Edgar Lungu is a danger to this nation; a hardcore tribalist!

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The other day, former president, Edgar Lungu took to Social media to register his displeasure over what he deemed as prosecution of some of his supporters for hate speech; describing the same as, retrogressive and regionalism that undermines the “One Zambia, One Nation” motto.

He further wrote, “This morning, I have been reminded of Jackson Chama, a young Zambian who is serving one year imprisonment sentence in Kalomo prison since February 2024 for “hate speech” against the Tonga people. The offense was allegedly committed in Lusaka but the complainant emerged in Kalomo, Southern Province.”

He continues, “you all know the story of “Why Me”, another young man who is equally in police custody in Livingstone now for allegedly, “hate speech” against the Tonga people. The alleged offense was committed in Lusaka but again the complainant emerged from Southern Province.”

Lungu, can you really claim to be a lawyer of good standing in society? If indeed some folks in Southern province felt agrieved by those stupid remarks, do you honestly expect someone from Shan’gombo to file complaints, against the same ?

Lungu further alludes to the imprisonment of Chishimba Kambwili over the similar offenses of “hate speech” against the Tonga people. Interesting!

As a lawyer, we don’t expect Lungu to wantonly gloss over this issue by neglecting to help the public understand why the said individuals have found themselves into conflict with the law! We shall now seek to give a brief background of this without necessarily risking to bore our readers.

In February this year, Jackson Chama went ballistic on Tiktok declaring the people of Southern Province, unfit for government positions. Chama charged that; “no youth from Southern Province will be allowed to take up any government positions in the future because southerners are incapable to run the country as seen by your elders who have ruined your chances by their failure to run the nation…”

It’s shocking that an entire former president can find time to talk about “Why Me”. Were you the one sponsoring him to spew all that rubbish from the septic tank, Sir? “Why Me” is a perfect example of a poorly brought up creature! He has no morals or values at all. Once he got inebriated with his favourite Flying Fish, he’d take utmost pleasure in describing body anatomies in the most obscene, graphic and vile manner that would leave Bana Chimbusa in shock! At some point, he’d digress and vent his anger at “ifi ifibaTonga,” literally undressing them and describing them as the worst human beings!

As for Chishimba Kambwili, oh please, come on! Isn’t Lungu aware that Kambwili was once censured and banned from the campaign trail by the Electoral Commission of Zambia for making utterances that could have plunged our nation into total chaos?

Speaking during an interview on a live phone in radio station in Kasama, Kambwili claimed that the people in the southern region were so tribal that even if Jesus Christ came on earth and stood on a different political party, the people in the region would reject the Son of God and vote for their tribesman!”

Honestly, how can Lungu today complain of “ethnic injustice when a particular tribe has been a subject of contempt, ridicule and hate and even denied of job opportunities during the last 10 years of PF in power?

The behavioural pattern of Lungu in these past few days actually confirms what we’ve feared all along…..that Lungu is a hardcore tribalist, a danger to this nation!

Lungu must not even pretend to insinuate that “as a lawyer, former President, politician and law abiding citizen,” he is against any form of “hate speech” against any person, tribe, region or group of people anywhere!

For instance, when I wrote an article, Sata’s Family Forest Explained which detailed the extent of tribalism and regionalism in terms of individuals appointed to various senior government positions, Edgar Lungu as Home Affairs Minister wanted me to go to prison for treason, for simply stating the truth!

As our Republican President, he never ever bothered reigning in any of his senior officials or party members promoting tribalism or uttering tribal sentiments

During a Parliamentary by-election on Chilubi Island in 2020, Prof. Nkandu Luo would say, “In our land, in line with our tradition, you don’t just pick anyone to succeed me as Nkandu Luo, a Bisa, a Bemba. If I die, you can’t go and get a Tonga in Monze to succeed me.” What nonsense!

Did Lungu reprimand or ever seek to distance himself from such divisive remarks? Negative! He in fact went ahead and rewarded Luo as his running mate in the forthcoming crucial 2021 elections. This simply means he was in agreement with whatever she said.

A week earlier, Chanda Nyela, a staunch PF member openly asked the residents of Clhilubi against voting for any one connected to Tongas because they are bad people.

Did we see heads rolling for uttering such tribal sentiments? Negative!

It’s shocking that former president, Edgar Lungu should be the one to “see the speck in others today, when he actually ignored the log in his eyes” yesterday, when his own cabinet ministers and party cadres were in the forefront of openly sowing seeds of discord in the nation by uttering remarks that tend to expose certain ethnic groupings to contempt, ridicule and hate!

Lungu conveniently kept quiet when his own brutal cadres who had taken over the Lusaka Intercity Bus Terminus ambushed anyone arriving in the city, wearing any red attire and speaking iciTonga, by striping off their clothes and giving them a good beating for supporting the “cow!”

No, Sir! You are not the right person to be raising this issue, today.

When Tongas were being brutalized in public places, you looked the other way; when Tongas were being stereotyped by PF cadres including some senior members of your party, you conveniently kept quiet; worse still, your PF government starting from Micheal Sata to your government, brazenly sidelined people from the Zambezi provinces when allocating government jobs thereby eroding the spirit of the very, “One Zambia, One Nation” motto you want to talk about.

That you want to pretend to be concerned about unity in the nation is a matter of grave concern to some of us; please, try in the next life, Sir!

Prince Bill M. Kaping’a
Political) Social Analyst

51 COMMENTS

  1. Can we please start working and stop focusing on Edgar Lungu, we are doing the same things we condemned Edgar Lungu for, using Police following him where ever he is going when Police should be were crime is at its peak in our compounds, am UPND myself but i do not approve the conduct of thr Police with non of our leaders condemning the unnecessary Police conduct on the former President.

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    • there is clear distinction between using the police to instill fear and the police instituting their duty to ensure the Zambian laws are respected and reinforced. anyone who breaks the law must faced the law enforcing institutions, and being in opposition isn’t an excuse to claim political persecution…

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  2. The article is as hollow as all the others before. Ministry of Agriculture, let us please support idle minds do something productive, in the absence of such initiatives, you will be seeing such articles that don’t add any value to the nation

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  3. This article is full of nonsense. Write on things that will build Zambia economically and empower Zambians to live better and not things that are divisive. One Zambia One Nation!

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    • My brother I have a strategy for reading Zambian articles. Immediately I open it I scroll down to the name of the author and when I see Bill Kapinga, I give it a miss. Because I know that Kapinga like Donald Trump, is a scratched record; he just says the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over…. Yeah precisely as boring as that

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    • You hv been raised to look down upon your fellow citizens to the extent that you consider their languages as a by-word for tribalism, backwardness. That’s the problem you have.

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  4. ……….

    The tribal supremacists don’t want to acknowledge these true facts……….

    Ontop of being a hard-core theif………

    Lungu is a devicive tribal agitator without morals , who would do anything to hang on to power……..

    If lungu can not acknowledge his short commings , let him deny them………..

    That is when we will stop talking about lungu……..

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  5. Rubbish, nonsensical, foolish write up.Find sensical things to write on,why are you my brothers from northwestern so shallow, wake up antang’a Yami.

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  6. This is factual. E C Lungu ought to know that Zambia is not a Federal country like the USA where States have different constitutions besides the Federal one. Zambia is a Unitary State with a Unitary Constitution meaning a Law-breaker is answerable anywhere within Zambia. Is Mr Lungu E L really a bona fide Lawyer?? I wonder!!!!

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  7. What can Lungu Chagwa tell us about tribal balancing today? He had 40 ministers and he had only one marginalized and daily humiliated Edify Hamukale as a Tonga minister from southern province. HH may have weaknesses but has a more balanced cabinet. Only two Tonga permanently secretaries Howard Sikwela and Sibanze Simuchoba were Tonga. All parastatal organization CEOS and diplomatic positions were dominated by people from the Northen Block and Eastern province. ECL should remove the 200-meter diameter tree log in his eye before worrying about a small grain of sand in HHs eyebrow. These are things which happened yesterday and thus people have not forgotten

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    • Anyone who accepted a position in PF cabinet became an enemy of the province. Please don’t pretend that you didn’t expell anyone who wanted to work with Lungu. Your trick is you provoke a situation and cry victim. Lungu had no MPs in the NO GO AREA so he had to nominate some to head those provinces. They became enemies of their tribes such that two had to swap places as provincial ministers.

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    • @Deja Vu stop wasting your time explaining to tribalists that their tribe was barred from joining PF by HH. The thing with tribalists is that they make up their minds and as far as they are concerned only a Tonga can take over from Mazoka

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    • Ba Lusaka times. Choose stories to publish. Zambia is fighting poverty and all you choose is to publish stories fit for the sewer treatment ponds. Lets discuss ideas and firm plans of how we shall get this country out of this economic malaise. Talk about opportunities, look for ready markets for agricultural produce that sometimes goes to waste not admitting trash. Let us advise government on the courses that we need in our collages and universities as we cant have over one hundred thousand unemployed teaches and still train ten thousand more the following years. Such are examples of stories you are supposed to be looking for bringing to the attention of the people in power.

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    • #Koapala… unfortunately when one attains political office one becomes all knowing. Try to give advice it’s either they call it nonsense or you want to take away their position.

  8. The only threat ECL is to the distillers
    Leave him be he is going nowhere, we are a stupid nation at the best of times
    but certaibly not that stupid !!!

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    • That is how far your tribalism goes, you have even recruited honorable Lamba people in your tribalism because you have migrated there to steal their land! Zambia has for much of its history lived on minerals from the Copperbelt(CB). CB is NOT Zambezi, and please DONT poison our people there who have no tribal and separatist policies. The nation was built by minerals from CB not what is now coming from North Western Province were your thieving tribal leaders have granted tax concessions with nothing to show for it What economic back bone does Western Province offer to Zambia compared to those province you hate!! FOR YOUR FUTURE KNOWLEDGE, THERE IS NO POOR PROVINCE IN ZAMBIA,EXCEPT SOME AREAS ARE JUST UNDER DEVELOPED!!

    • No my brother Lambas are emancipated people. They are universal so you will find them in every party every undertaking everything to do with unity.

  9. The issue here is technical. Courts have jurisdiction. If you commit an offense in Zambia, a court in Malawi can not sentence you for the same offense. High court has jurisdiction over the whole country, but lower courts have jurisdiction in the location where the offense in committed or where the person lives. As this situation stands, the police and the courts are operating in a tribal manner which is a perversion of the judiciary. This is now institutionalized tribalism and selective justice. ECL also mentioned how members of certain tribes have become immune for committing the same offenses

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  10. There is a young lady called Nchimunya that insulted Bembas and the law has looked the other way. That is why [people like ECL are saying that the police and courts have peen weaponized against Zambians that are not Tongas. Why Me and Jackson Chama are political prisoners and not criminals. In one video Why Me was questioning the validity of the President’s qualifications (Matero University). These two young me are not criminals but concerned citizens of the country, My concern is how quiet people are when their food has been sold, electricity denied, mines sold to foreigners, taxes not collect etc. It has two taken those brave young me to speak for the multitudes of Zambians. Those young me should be at home with their families, they are not criminals

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  11. This Prince something’s is a waste of space. When I saw the headline, I scrolled down to confirm it was him, and therefore I have not bothered to read like I do on articles now.

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  12. Kapinga needs psychiatric evaluation. If he is being paid for writing these silly articles his days are numbered. Govts come and go. He must be talking about the peoples’ livelihoods that have been messed up by Hakainde who is in the habit of selling everything on his way he sold all the grain he found in FRA sheds and was part of the selling of state assets during the corrupt privatisation era. Tell your UPND to stop being childish, they are not the ones who give Zambian citizens freedom of movement and assembly it is our constitution. Why are UPND AFRAID OF LUNGU?

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  13. The best model of One Zambia, One Nation is the Copperbelt. A melting pot with its own dialect of Bemba where everyone just dissolves into it. Just look at Lubinda Habaazoka as a typical example, or anyone named anything for that matter. If we want to know what Zambia should look like, we should take a peek at the Copperbelt. I know, I know, someone will talk about Bemba again but, hey, the Kasama guy will tell you it is a funny Bemba nonetheless. That makes it interesting food for thought.

    • But sometimes things get nasty . At one CB former mine club to be fully welcome you must belong a certain tribe(s). You can’t report this lest you end up in the cells.

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    • @Damiano, report those to the police asap. That is NOT the Copperbelt some of us know. It sounds like an infiltration, an agitation, or simply a set up. Also, if it is a private club formed on such basis, it will operate for a limited time only — again, because that is not the Copperbelt we know.

  14. Kapinga is insulting all Zambians with his petty complaints. Go and stand as UNIP ward chairman iwe, others are in politics

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  15. MWEBANTU… Who is tribalist in this country??? Really !!!!!! Since when have we seen this issue of tribalism than now? We are NOT stupid or children to play with you know. This leadership is made of such tribalists & this mentality they have that it is THEIR TIME to rule is misguided. The economy is down & all you write is to PRAISE tribalists & condemn someone who did far better than your man. LT you suck big time together with your praise singers. .. must be ashamed of yourselves

  16. There goes LT the PRAISE SINGERS again. Who is tribalistic between the 2 leaders hey? We no kids man!!! Excuse us you freaks!!!!

  17. This govt will make huge blunders that even their western pals will turn against them.. watch. Everyone has the right of association but their biggest nightmare ECL cannot mingle with anyone. If you have done what you promised ECL would not be popular. Shame on you backward piop.. bakamushi imwe.

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  18. There is selective justice and police are not following the correct procedures when arresting suspects.

  19. Those two young men said bad things in frustration, but why should the govt not follow the right processes in delivering justice? They are supposed to be tried in Lusaka where the alleged crime took place and where they live. GRZ has perverted our justice system! Why should a person that commits a crime in Shan’gombo find himself/herself in a jail in Kawambwa! It is a violation of human rights and justice has miscarriaged. This should not be allowed in a democracy like Zambia, this practice belongs in a Police State (Gestapo). The nation has betrayed these young men and poor people can not receive humane treatment.

  20. Let the new dawn divide CDF into 3 parts: CDF itself, subsidy for mealie meal and subsidy for fuel. Otherwise the 2.8m number will keep dwindling till it reduces to 1.8m or even less. No wonder Edgar Lungu is capitalizing on this to regain his popularity. Edgar Lungu must never be allowed anywhere near the corridors of power again. He is very cruel. People will die when he comes back to power

  21. ECL is not capitalizing on anything, he is just making a fool of himself. It was ECL by the roadside, Ndola to Mufulira road, who was announcing 189Dollars for Ndola-Mufulira Road. The clip is with ZNBC. Now was the road done. We all know money went to South to that pigmy of a girl as tall as he is. You wonder how….?

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