ONE ZAMBIA, ONE NATION: LET US NOT LOSE THE BIGGER PICTURE
The Kalaba Interview, the Mukobeko Crisis and the Responsibility of Zambia’s Opposition
By EMV Staff Reporter ( Copperbelt)
There is a danger that we, as an opposition movement, may allow ourselves to be distracted by words while losing sight of the much bigger national question before us.
I listened carefully to the interview in which Citizens First President Harry Kalaba appeared on EMV and discussed the post-election situation, particularly the incarceration of President Brian Mundubile, his running mate Makebi Zulu, State Counsel George Chisanga and others.
My conclusion is simple: we should not allow disagreement over the choice of words to become greater than the suffering of our brothers and sisters who are behind bars.
President Kalaba made it clear that his position is informed by his dissatisfaction with the manner in which the 2026 election and the post-election process unfolded. He referred to the figures announced by the Electoral Commission of Zambia and argued that the scale of support received by Brian Mundubile cannot simply be wished away.
He also expressed his view that the closure of the courts during a critical period prevented the normal judicial validation of the presidential election through the petition process. Whether one agrees with every aspect of that argument or not, it is a legitimate political position that deserves to be debated through facts, evidence and the law rather than through personal attacks.
But there was another part of President Kalaba’s interview that, in my view, deserves far greater attention.
When he was asked what he would do if he were President, his immediate response was that he would seek a way of bringing the parties together, including asking Ambassador Emmanuel Mwamba to tone down his approach and, most importantly, *find a lasting solution that could lead to the release of those detained.*
That is the part of the interview we should not lose.
President Kalaba went further and spoke about the families of those incarcerated. He referred to the wives and families of people such as the late Hon. Mutotwe Kafwaya and those of Brian Mundubile and Makebi Zulu, asking the nation to imagine what it means for families to live with uncertainty about their loved ones.
That is not a small matter.
Politics must never make us lose our humanity.
We can disagree about elections. We can disagree about political strategy. We can disagree about whether a particular opposition leader has spoken too strongly or too softly. We can even disagree about whether one political party is positioning itself to occupy political space created by another.
But we must never disagree about the humanity of people who are suffering.
This is why I believe Ambassador Emmanuel Mwamba’s clarification should be understood in the spirit in which it was offered: as a warning that opposition leaders must not allow themselves to be divided or manipulated by political propaganda.
The danger is real.
Whenever opposition leaders disagree publicly, the ruling establishment can exploit those disagreements to create fragmentation within the opposition. A statement made carelessly can become tomorrow’s propaganda weapon.
We have seen this pattern before.
When opposition leaders are under pressure, there is sometimes a temptation for other opposition actors to see an opportunity to occupy the political space being vacated. That temptation must be resisted.
Today the issue is not who will inherit Brian Mundubile’s political space.
Today the issue is Brian Mundubile’s freedom.
It is not about who will become the next opposition kingmaker.
It is about the families of those behind bars.
It is not about scoring political points against Harry Kalaba.
It is about finding a route towards national healing.
And it is certainly not about attacking Emmanuel Mwamba because President Kalaba used the words “tone down.”
Let us stop fighting among ourselves while our colleagues remain incarcerated.
If anything, President Kalaba’s intervention should challenge every opposition leader to ask one question:
*What can I personally do to help bring this matter to a peaceful and lawful conclusion?*
That question should be asked by every opposition party, every church leader, every traditional leader, every civil society organisation and every patriotic Zambian.
And President Hakainde Hichilema has a particularly important responsibility.
Whether one voted for him or against him, whether one accepts or disputes the election outcome, he remains the Head of State of the Republic of Zambia.
He therefore has the greatest institutional and political capacity to change the temperature of the country.
The President holds the key to reconciliation.
He can demonstrate that presidential power is not merely about winning elections or commanding government institutions. It is also about knowing when to extend a hand to political opponents in the national interest.
If President Hichilema genuinely wants to leave behind a legacy of peace, unity and democratic maturity, this is an opportunity.
He can begin by listening.
He can engage the families.
He can encourage the relevant institutions to ensure that every allegation is dealt with through due process and that no Zambian is deprived of justice.
He can call upon his supporters to stop inflammatory rhetoric.
He can tell his party and government that opposition supporters are not enemies of Zambia.
And he can remind the nation that *there is only one Zambia.*
To our colleagues in the UPND, I say this directly: your political opponents are not foreigners. They are Zambians. They are your brothers, sisters, neighbours, workmates and fellow citizens.
The Constitution does not belong to UPND.
Zambia does not belong to PF.
Zambia does not belong to Tonse Pamodzi.
Zambia does not belong to Citizens First.
Zambia belongs to all of us.
We must therefore reject the poisonous politics of tribal suspicion, ethnic mobilisation and political hatred.
We are seventy-two tribes, but one nation.
We speak different languages, worship in different churches and support different political parties, but we share one national home.
One Zambia. One Nation. One Love.
President Hichilema has repeatedly spoken about unity. This is the moment to demonstrate that unity in practice.
Let him extend the hand of reconciliation.
Let him encourage a national conversation.
Let the opposition also lower unnecessary political temperatures without surrendering its legitimate demands.
Let lawyers do their work.
Let the courts do their work.
Let Parliament do its work.
Let the Electoral Commission answer questions about the electoral process where legitimate questions have been raised.
And let the families of those detained know that Zambia has not forgotten them.
At the same time, opposition leaders must be careful not to make pronouncements that can be twisted into evidence of division, incitement or political extremism.
We cannot afford to hand our opponents the weapons with which to destroy us.
We must challenge the government firmly, but intelligently.
We must demand accountability, but peacefully.
We must defend democracy, but through democratic means.
We must demand justice, but respect the rule of law.
And above all, we must remember that *political victory is meaningless if the nation itself is destroyed in the process.*
President Kalaba may have chosen words that some people interpreted differently. Ambassador Mwamba may have expressed concerns about how those words could be exploited. Others may have their own interpretations.
But let us not allow semantics to become more important than the human beings at the centre of this crisis.
The bigger picture is clear.
*Our brothers are behind bars. Their families are suffering. The country is politically divided. Trust in institutions is under enormous pressure. And Zambia needs leadership capable of bringing the temperature down.*
That is where our energy should go.
We should continue demanding answers on the election.
We should continue demanding transparency and accountability.
We should continue challenging anything we believe was unconstitutional or unlawful.
But simultaneously, we must pursue every peaceful and lawful avenue available to secure justice and, where legally possible, the release of those detained.
This is not surrender.
It is strategy.
It is not weakness.
It is statesmanship.
And it is not abandoning the struggle.
It is recognising that sometimes the most powerful political weapon is the ability to rise above political differences and fight for the dignity of every Zambian.
President Hakainde Hichilema has the opportunity to open a new chapter.
President Harry Kalaba has opened a conversation that should not be reduced to political rivalry.
Ambassador Emmanuel Mwamba has reminded the opposition that unity is essential.
And the opposition as a whole must now decide whether it wants to fragment itself over personalities or unite around the larger national interest.
Let us choose unity.
Let us choose peace.
Let us choose justice.
Let us choose dialogue.
Let us choose Zambia.
One Zambia. One Nation. One Love.
Because ultimately, the people in Mukobeko are not merely political names.
They are someone’s husbands.
Someone’s fathers.
Someone’s brothers.
Someone’s friends.
And above all, they are Zambians.
The time has come for every side to step back from the political battlefield long enough to remember the humanity of the people involved.
President Hichilema holds the key to opening the door to reconciliation. The question is whether he will use that key.