By Kellys Kaunda
HICHILEMA’S COMMENTS ON THE SACREDNESS OF LIFE RING HOLLOW
“WE commend all the candidates who participated in the Presidential, paliamentary and local government elections. It takes courage to offer oneself for public service and to subject one’s ideas to the judgment of the people. But it should never reach the point where it becomes a matter between life and death. LIFE IS SACRED”.
If this part of the inauguration speech was addressed to an audience that did not live through the events of the past few days, Hichilema would have come across as a sincere national leader.
But not so with a Zambian audience. Hichilema was addressing the opposition when he said elections “should never reach the point where it becomes a matter between life and death. LIFE IS SACRED”.
Specifically, he was blaming Brian and Makebi along with their colleagues who he has placed in detention facing treason charges.
He was saying that Brian and Makebi sought to kill for the sake of elections. In fact, he was saying these men sought to kill him and take over power illegally. This means they have no respect for life. Therefore, it was justified to arrest them and charge them with treason.
In this case, he and his government are therefore not to blame for the death of Mutotwe Kafwaya. After all, the latter was a militia member who was therefore regarded as armed and dangerous.
Because an international audience was present, Hichilema also had them in mind. He knew that they were accessing information on this matter from various sources but hoped they would believe his characterization of events.
But the statement in question is basic and generic. It can be applied before, during and after an election anywhere in the world.
Furthermore, it can be applied to Hichilema just as much as it can be applied to Mundubile. Mundubile can deliver it and it would be welcome by anyone just as it was delivered by Hichilema and resonated with the audience.
It’s a kind of remark one makes as an introduction to a report on elections that registered a death or deaths promising specifics later.
The specifics are known by Zambians who have lived through the events in question. They have the sequence of events and the statements so far made by all the parties involved. And they have taken note of partisan as well as objective comments.
Using a generic statement was strategic, after all, it was an inauguration when specifics must be left for another day or the courts of law. But the mere fact that he made reference to the matter was intended to convey the message that he was not guilty of anything and that his conscience was clear.
Subsequently, he hoped that his target audience changes the narrative from one that suggested he could be guilty to one that clears him.
Well, the bottomline is this: there are audiences that still believe Hichilema orchestrated the whole militia story which led to the death of Mutotwe Kafwaya as a diversionary tact from the presentation of a Presidential petition which would have exposed potential evidence of a flawed election.
And of course, there are those that believe the version told by the UPND government.
The matter now rests with the courts to hear it and render their judgment.
Who has made you Judge over your fellow Brother?
Mr. Kelly’s Kaunda, when did you become the assessor and Judge of the President’s speech? And who appointed you, if you are one? HH’s address was not meant to impress one person like you, it was meant to impress 21 million Zambians. But in democracy, there’s no single speech that can impress everyone in the nation, because opposers, haters, bitter and jealous people like you are always there in our midst. But just know that there are others including me who were impressed. As for you, too bad for you, just wait for 2031, maybe the one who will succeed HH will give an impressive speech to you.
Ba Kaunda, kabiyeni mukulima. Ba FRA are paying promptly!
Ba Kellys, where were you when Mr. Binwell Mpundu was declaring that for this election he was willing to kill or be killed? Iam sure as far as you are concerned, it was the President’s fault that Mr. Mpundu said those inflammatory words.
The fact that Mr. Kafwaya lost his life does not diminish the significance of the statement. If anything it amplifys its relevance. But clearly, you are more interested in pointing an accussing finger than taking the words for what they truly stand for.
Try to be objective instead of always seeing the bad in whatever the President does or says.
HH did not pull the trigger madam. The person who did it had their own reason. It is very likely that they felt that their life was in danger. It does not make sense that they went to kill Mundubile but ended up killing only one person. Professionals cannot miss at point blank. Have you also not considered the possibility that Kafwaya was shot by his side in the confusion? There are many possibilities of what happened at Mundubile’s house. But one thing is certain, HH did not send the security officers to go and kill anyone.