AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT HICHILEMA ON THE MORALITY DEFICIT IN THE PURSUIT OF NUMBERS

AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT HICHILEMA ON THE MORALITY DEFICIT IN THE PURSUIT OF NUMBERS

Dear President Hakainde Hichilema

I am writing to express my disappointment with recent political manoeuvrings, particularly the readmission of Innocent Kalimanshi popularly known as commander Aka Ama American, a figure notoriously associated with unprecedented past political violence, into the United Party for National Development (UPND), as well as the presentation of a substantial gift – a brand new Ford Ranger, as it highlights the tension between politics of numbers and ethical governance.

Mr President, Kalimanshi, a prominent figure within the Patriotic Front (PF) machinery known for leading violent cadres, has now been welcomed into the fold of the very party that frequently cites such thuggery as one of the reasons for its rise to power in 2021 and why it should be re-elected in 2026, as you recently highlighted in Choma.

This development raises serious concerns about the UPND’s commitment to the moral principles it championed from the time Mr Anderson Kambela Mazoka and his associate founded the party, implying a potential sacrifice of long-term ethical credibility for short-term electoral gains, particularly in the upcoming Chawama by-election.

Mr President, the central dilemma presented by Kalimanshi’s return lies in the strategic calculus that underpins the decision. Politics, fundamentally, is a game of numbers; victory in any election necessitates securing enough votes to cross the threshold of success. The Chawama by-election is undoubtedly a high stakes contest, and absorbing figures with established, albeit notorious, local influence might be viewed by your political advisor Mr Levy Ngoma as a necessary evil to sway undecided voters or neutralize the PF stronghold. The gift of a Ford Ranger further symbolizes the premium placed on securing such allegiances, regardless of the individual’s past actions.

However, Mr President, when the individual being embraced represents the exact type of political brutality that the current ruling party vehemently condemned while in opposition and continues to condemn by regularly invoking the suffering inflicted by PF political thugs leaves people perplexed that you are condemning violence while also embracing its symbolism in Kalimanshi. His presence now functionally reintroduces that very culture of violence into the UPND’s narrative, creating a profound cognitive dissonance for the electorate.

The decision regarding Kalimanshi is not isolated. It mirrors previous instances where political defectors, who had previously engaged in hate speech or political attacks against you and the UPND, have been absorbed into the ruling structures with little apparent penance. Figures such as Fr Frank Bwalya, Mr Amos Chanda, and Mr Chilufya Tayali, all once vocal critics or abusers, have since found common ground and amicable relations within the same political fold they once denounced or dehumanised.

While your advisors may argue that such acts demonstrate magnanimity or a commitment to national unity that transcends past grievances, others, particularly those who are still injured by the violence you continue to whip up in public events, see this as both as political opportunism and betrayal of morality. If change is genuine, it must be visible and credible; yet, embracing the architect of past violence without a substantial public reckoning undermines the credibility of any claim that the political culture is being reformed. The argument that Kalimanshi is a changed man, while potentially true, is an insufficient justification when his return serves as an endorsement of the very violent methods the UPND historically suffered from.

Mr President, for a governing party that ascended to power on a platform promising a departure from the perceived lawlessness and thuggery of its predecessor, this decision signals a profound compromise.  Politics of morality, Mr President, dictates that certain lines, particularly those concerning political violence and the safety of citizens, should remain inviolable.

The UPND’s actions suggest that these moral lines are now negotiable assets, traded away for electoral leverage.

This approach risks alienating the core support base that was mobilized precisely because they believed the UPND represented a fundamental shift towards ethical governance and the rule of law.

When political survival necessitates embracing the former symbol of violence, the integrity of the entire political project is jeopardized.

Mr President, while winning the Chawama by-election is a tangible, immediate goal, the long term damage inflicted by this perceived hypocrisy may outweigh any short term electoral advantage. The strategy relies on the assumption that the public will prioritize immediate political victories over the memory of past injustices or the consistency of political messaging. This undermines the UPND’s credibility as a transformative force.

Mr President, you once implied a commitment to working only with individuals of impeccable character when you said in opposition, “You will see the people I will be working with when we form government,” distinguishing your future governance from that of the ruling elements represented by figures such as Bowman Lusambo and Innocent Kalimanshi. The current accommodation of Kalimanshi appears to be a direct contradiction of this implied standard.

For a party that positioned itself as the antithesis of the PF’s perceived thuggery and lawlessness, incorporating figures identified with that very thuggery and lawlessness is a significant blow to its moral authority. It suggests that the politics of numbers has comprehensively eclipsed the politics of morality.

Mr President, politics that solely chases numbers without grounding itself in enduring ethical standards ultimately leads to a cycle where the means of achieving power become indistinguishable from the conduct of the previous regime. The expectation, especially from our enlightened citizenry, is that a mature democracy like ours require the UPND to maintain a clear moral compass, ensuring that expediency does not entirely eclipse principle.

The welcoming of a figure branded as a “king thug” into the party structure sends a message that past malfeasance can be laundered through defecting loyalty, thereby setting a dangerous precedent for future political conduct.

Let me conclude by saying that the UPND’s decision to welcome Innocent Kalimanshi back into its ranks, complete with significant material incentives, represents a watershed moment in which the politics of numbers have demonstrably triumphed over the politics of morality, explaining why corruption is rampant. While the immediate goal may be to win the Chawama by-election, the broader meaning is a softening of the UPND’s ethical base.

Mr President, your Political Advisor Levy Ngoma should know better that the successful navigation of modern governance requires balancing the necessities of electoral competition with an unwavering commitment to principles that protect the moral fabric of democracy. The current trajectory suggests the UPND is failing this essential test because true political progress requires that the politics of numbers be robustly anchored by an unyielding commitment to the politics of morality.

Sincerely Yours
Given Mutinta