EDITORIAL: THE PEACE EVERY PARTY NOW ENJOYS WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT
Zambia is going to the polls in peace.
Opposition candidate Brian Mundubile has now toured seven provinces without major incident. He told ZNBC this week that the calm has let him focus on explaining his vision to voters, and that his party will continue to campaign in the weeks ahead. That is exactly how a democracy should work.
But let us be honest about why he can say that at all.
Not so long ago, rallies were broken up. Supporters were intimidated. Cadres ran markets and streets while the police looked away. Zambians remember it, because many of them lived it.
What changed was not luck. It was leadership. President Hakainde Hichilema came into office promising to restore law and order and to give every Zambian back their freedom of association, and he has delivered it. He did so knowing full well that a level playing field would benefit his opponents as much as himself.
The whole campaign is now reaping the benefits. Every party can put its case. Every voter can hear it. Every candidate can travel without fear.
Mr Mundubile is right to call for peace to be maintained. It is a call the President has made from day one.
And yet some clergy claim Zambians are quaking in their boots because of fear when an opposition candidate is admitting having a free hand in his campaign.
And this coming from an Archbishop!
God help us.