By Daily Revelation Reporter
Activist Laura Miti says musian B-Flow made an unwise decision to go to State House alone.
And Miti the Alliance for Community Action (ACA) executive director says she thinks Bwembya was played and not paid.
Last week, Bwembya posted a video on his page where he talked about youth unemployment, golding mining, poor governance and abuse of workers’ rights by foreign investors among other governance issues.
A day later, Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo asked Bwembya and two others to apologise to President Edgar Lungu for using social media to insult him.
But the musian refused to apologize and vowed that he would never be intimated.
However, yesterday, pictures of Bwembya and Lusambo emerged from State House that the duo had reconcilled, a move that has angered some youths who have also taken to social media to condemn the musian.
Speaking with Daily Revelation on the development, Miti said there was nothing wrong with going to State House, but it was about wisdom as the government’s intention was to destroy the reputation of those that speak for others.
She has since advised young pepole not to go to such places alone.
“So young peope out there never go to those places alone. He was ill advised for him to go to State House alone. There is nothing wrong going to State House but it is more about being wise. One thing the government wants to do is to destroy the reputation of people that want to speak up. Because already they have destroyed the whole focus of the issue. Now instead of talking about young people, people are talking about B-Flow,”Miti said.”Government is very clever and has big machinery to play with. I don’t think he was paid. He was just unwise and probably not sure about how far he should go with what he is doing.”
Miti said the government chases after everybody who speaks and those who are not caught up understand how it works.
And Miti said the musian’s case had more to do with pressure on him by power holders.
“In the case of B-Flow, he was played. I don’t think it’s a case of wanting to be a sellout. I think it’s a case of so much pressure being brought on him by power holders. Being what he is and not understanding what going to State House is. Definitely everybody who speaks out will be invited to State House. It is wisdom to understand that you must control it. Once you are in State House, you are in their hands and they can do what they want with you. This is what they did to him. Put him there and showed pictures even before he had a chance to say what he had to say,” she said.
Miti advised youths to avoid State House but look for alternative venues and conduct meetings in the presence of the media.
“Meet somewhere else with the media so that no body comes back and claims something that did not happen,” she said.
Miti said young people should continue to ask questions on accountability.
“I think young people should not be destructive. They should continue to ask questions. If they want to assemble they should assemble,” Miti said.
She also said the revolution or ability to raise voices was never about anyone individual.
“This revolution. I am going to call it a revolution or ability to raise voices is never about anyone individual. It’s never about the leader. When you put your focus on individuals, the chances of that individual either being targeted by the government or being punished by the government are very high,” she said.
Meanwhile, Miti has charged that the country has a government that has weak understanding of Constitutionalism, Constitution as well as democracy.
She was reacting to President Lungu and other government officials threatening citizens that’s wish to conduct peaceful demonstrations with arrests.
She said it was a simple fact that leaders served at the pleasure of citizens and that when bcitizens speak, they should not ask for permission from them.
Miti said leaders should not begin to bully citizens into silence.
“We have a misunderstanding sometimes even by the citizens because they think if they want to ask questions, those in power will give them permission to do so. That’s not the way it works. So what I would say to those in power is that you serve at the pleasure of citizens and when citizens have something to say you must listen,” she said.
Miti said the right to expression was Constitutional and was not given to citizens by the government.