By: Anthony Bwalya

Let us be very clear, as the monumental 2021 general election draws nigh, the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) are all too aware, that they no longer command the uncoerced loyalty of the majority Zambian poor and thin middle class; the same support base that gave the PF and Michael their maiden political victory on the grand stage.

The PF have betrayed the hopes of the poor/middle-class, whom they promised MORE MONEY IN THEIR POCKETS, LOWER TAXES and ZERO CORRUPTION. Instead, the PF turned itself into an unprecedented looting machine for politicians and their private sector friends with focus having moved away from uplifting the welfare of the poor, and much towards the sharing of spoils in the form of public contracts, under the guise of “infrastructure development”, as well as positions awarded to cadres and friends of the party.

Under the PF regime, the poor/middle class are more poorer, hungrier, over taxed, with corruption the new public sector currency.

Infrastructure under the PF regime has been nothing but a vehicle for theft, plunder and looting. The infrastructure narrative has provided the perfect cover for the unhindered looting of over $12bn of debt money out of the total $20bn.

And while all this is going on, one Hakainde Hichilema has continued to endear himself to the popular Zambian cause as the inevitable Republican President in waiting.

This notion is reinforced by his CONSISTENT, RELENTLESS and always ACCURATE defence of the poor in the face of a political mafia cartel of the PF.

While the PF and their useless and hired surrogates in Edith, Sean, Andrew, Tayali and the rest of the insignificant bunch are all out maligning him, Hakainde Hichilema has taken a firm and clear position on the following issues:

1. Restoring leadership credibility in Zambia so that Zambia becomes a credible voice in global and regional leadership circles
2. Resolve the corruption fuelled $20bn debt crisis and put the country back to work
3. Resolve and dismantle the $3.5bn annual worth corruption cartel which continues to steal from Zambians
4. Reform and lower PAYE for maximum gains to workers
5. Reform PUBLIC PENSIONS and allow contributors partial access to pensions in real time to mitigate against the growing poverty trap
6. Improve the working conditions of health workers and restore the SERVICE YEARS lost when thousands of health workers were fired by the PF regime for merely speaking up
7. Lowering the price of the fuel pump price by cleaning up the fuel procurement/supply/distribution cycle and lower taxes on fuel
8. Lower the price of mealie meal by cutting the $500m annual fertilizer contracts and instead reinvest in NCZ so that we can produce fertilizer here in Zambia and create jobs for our youths
9. Restore meal allowances for university students and engage in conversation around expanding access to the same for other eligible students
10. Expand public education funding and put all the 50,000 trained and yet unemployed teachers to work.
11. Prioritizing healthcare funding and ensure availability of critical medicines and equipment for ordinary people

These are the kind of people centric commitments that are causing the PF regime and their surrogates panic and sleepless nights.

The UPND will not be drawn into playing cho-chise with PF surrogates, individuals with zero grassroots support base; whose only job is to make noise on behalf of the PF.

Sean will never be Republican President. Neither will Tayali, Edith or the rest of the insignificant bunch. And they know it. If these individuals had any belief in their ability to mobilize the grassroots and stage an actual claim to the Presidency, they would have been busy making their case to the Zambian people rather than going into the history books searching for ghosts that do not exist.

Zambians are marching forward and we will not be deterred.

This is bigger than the UPND and anyone who gets in the way of the people’s movement for change is fighting a battle they will never win.

Eventually, the people always win.

By Father Alex Muyebe, S.J. – Executive Director

The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) is calling on both the ruling and opposition political party leaders to immediately put an end to political violence in this Zambia. Mother Zambia has a hard earned reputation as a peaceful and friendly country. This reputation now hangs in the balance as we increasingly continue to experience unwarranted cases of political violence which are doing irreparable damage to our long standing motto of “One Zambia, One Nation.”

It is disheartening to see people from the same community engaging in physical violence and fights emanating from the political differences. Clashes between party cadres must never be allowed to take place in this country because we are one people who must always respect and accommodate each other’s political opinions. Political leaders must promote politics of mutual tolerance and mutual respect and must lead by example.

Political leaders must work together to stamp out this cancer of political violence that is slowly but surely spreading in the political fabric of this nation. The current politically charged environment in Zambia is being fueled by polarized media, institutionalization of cadreism, proliferation of hate speeches, cheap culture of handouts, promotion of geo-centric and ethnocentric-politics, and erosion of confidence in the electoral process.

Politics must be a tool of service for social, cultural, and economic progress of all the people. The objective of all forms of governance and power relations must be to foster the common good of the citizens. Political violence, on the contrary, is characterised by both physical and psychological acts aimed at injuring or intimidating the other, and in some instances occasioning deaths. In a country where we pride ourselves of being a Christian nation, we should be ashamed that incidents of political violence are now becoming a common occurrence.

It is worrisome that political party leaders in this country are not ashamed of exploiting or taking advantage of poor, unemployed and vulnerable youths to their advantage. Unemployed youths are being used as tools of violence that can easily be sacrificed like pawn pieces in a game of chess. It is also sad to note that some youths are allowing themselves to be brainwashed and to sacrifice their human dignity at the altar of political hooliganism. It is high time young people woke up and be in charge of their destiny.

“A JUST ZAMBIAN SOCIETY GUIDED BY FAITH, WHERE EVERYONE ENJOYS FULLNESS OF LIFE”

JCTR is therefore calling on all political leaders in Zambia to work together and take concrete steps to stem out the culture of political violence by addressing the root causes listed above. Politicians must take a lead in practicing and promoting politics of mutual tolerance and mutual respect. Mere public denunciation or condemnation of political violence alone will not stop violence. Leaders must teach by example. This country needs leaders that are capable of engaging in a constructive dialogue and honest reconciliation. Zambia needs leaders that are capable of putting the interest of the nation ahead of their personal interest or their cronies’ interest.

Attribute statement to Father Alex Muyebe, S.J. – Executive Director