AT LONG LAST: JUSTICE FOR CLAYSON HAMASAKA!
By Kellys Kaunda
The Zambian political establishment has a very cruel culture. From UNIP to UPND, innocent Zambians have suffered indescribably and unjustifiably, often in silence because to complain publicly only yields ridicule. Clayson Hamasaka suffered this ordeal – losing his job while his wife, in mysterious ways, equally lost her job. A young family squeezed by the cruel hand of the state simply because Clayson chose to identify himself with a party of his choice, a perfectly legal and democratic thing to do. Thank God that finally justice has prevailed: the court has agreed with him and accordingly ordered the state to compensate him for malicious prosecution.
Clayson’s experience is an experience shared by hundreds, if not thousands of Zambians – from the government of the late Kenneth Kaunda to the present government of Hakainde Hichilema. It is a cruel culture of politics presided over by elected men devoid of the moral courage to change the corrupt system they inherit. Tragically, they are cheered on by supporters who sustain this system by swiftly suppressing any call for reforms. For victims of this culture of politics, who thought August 12, 2021, truly ushered in a new dawn, the often-cited absence of rule by political cadres and political violence is but a superficial cover under which lies the true monster – a culture of political victimization which has continued to claim its victims.
A few with the courage to share their experiences have decided to brave ridicule holding onto the strength of their convictions. Always called bitter by supporters of the current regime, they have and will continue to remind President Hichilema that he has done and continues to act unjustly towards thousands of innocent families across this country. Offloaded from the payroll even before their terminal benefits are paid, President Hichilema, like his predecessors, has thrown innocent men and women onto the streets not bothered where their next meal will come from. I would have thought that Mr. Hichilema would have known that God allowed him to suffer injustice at the hands of his predecessor so that he applies his presidency to justice for all.
Clayson is but one of the few Zambians that will ever get justice. The majority has and will go down their graves without one. Under the veneer of a Christian nation and a new dawn lies a predatory political system that continues to claim its political victims while the rest of the country stands idly by or cheers on entertained by the sight of the suffering of fellow citizens whose only crime is their perceived association with a political party loathed by the victors of the day.