WOLVES IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING
CIVIL SOCIETY VS POLITICAL PROXIES(Mushanina Bwali’s)
Putting into context the state of the nation before, during and after the 2021 general elections, I’ve been meaning to write this article for a very long time. Looking at how politically inclined the The Civil society is, it is safe to say that has largely found itself in a compromised state which has made the ordinary citizen a candidate of political manipulation. Perhaps this is a result of lack of knowledge on the true role of the civil society and the how political proxies mascaraed themselves. Some political proxies hide in the name of News Papers, TV stations, NGOs, “Activists”, e.t.c. Allow me to briefly explain the role of the civil society and how to identify a manipulative political proxy.
1. Civil society is defined as ‘the arena, outside of the family, the state, and the market, which is created by individual and collective actions, organisations and institutions to advance shared interests.’ The term ‘arena’ is used to describe the particular realm or space in a society where people come together to debate, discuss, associate, and seek to influence broader society.
2. The use of proxies in warfare is typically understood as a state sponsor’s reliance on military surrogates that are outside the purview of the state’s conventional armed or security forces, and that offer services to their benefactors in exchange for tangible material support. Thus, in a political sense, proxies are political entities hiding under the guise of being non political to push a political agenda.
3. It is important to differentiate the two and allow for citizens to know who means well for them or who is just helping someone gain political milage using manipulation.
4. Civil society desire to contribute towards improving the way society functions. This is the primary motive for association among like minded individuals and groups. While on the other hand, political proxies don’t subscribe to norms and values but align themselves with politicians in the name of being in an NGO. So whenever you see someone or and organization say things that align first with a politician instead of Zambia, you have your self a manipulative political proxy.
5. Civil society is supposed to be independent in terms of management and control from the state. The state and government are only supposed to provide an enabling environment such as an enabling legal framework for organised action for various groups but not to interfere in the running of such organizations. One the other hand political proxies are directly sponsored by the state or political entities to push agendas that don’t align with the values of a country but with the Values of who is sponsoring them.
6. No one should force anybody to join or belong to a particular organisation. Joining or forming civil society organisations runs on a voluntary basis. On the other hand, proxies like to belittle individuals who don’t align themselves with their agenda. They use what we call a “band wagon” strategy to make sure people feel insecure about their freedom of association and are forced to join the proxy or political entity that the proxy is advocating for.
In conclusion, it is clear that Zambia has become a more political country. Many Zambian right now are victims of political manipulation without knowing because of political proxies that have influenced them, especially leading up to the 2021 general elections. It is for this reason that citizens need to know who actually stands for Zambia without fear or favour and who hides in the name of activism to push agendas of politicians as mushanina Bwali’s. Look out for part two as I debunk political manipulation.
By Walter Shacilyata Kasempa
The Lion of Africa
#ZAMBIA_FIRST🇿🇲
#Making_Zambia_Great_Again