CONSORTIUM OF OPPOSITION WRITE TO HICHILEMA
…..“YOU ARE BEING CARELESS WITH THE PEACE AND SECURITY OF THE NATION”
CONCERNED CITIZENS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA
His Excellency Mr. Hakainde Hichilema
President of the Republic of Zambia
State House
Independence Avenue
Lusaka,Zambia
02 December 2025
REF: AN URGENT CALL FOR NATIONAL UNITY, DIALOGUE, AND RESPONSIBILITY
Your Excellency,
We write to you today not as adversaries, but as concerned Opposition Leaders who hold a profound love for our nation, Zambia. Our message is motivated by an alarming and growing national sentiment, echoed by faith leaders and the civil society, that “something is wrong in the way we are living as a nation,” where division and anger are slowly replacing our cherished unity and oneness.
Mr. President, we are particularly disturbed by your reckless claim that those opposed to this non-inclusive, rushed and politically-engineered constitution amendment process hate you because of your tribe.
Such a statement is unfortunate, dangerous and unbecoming of one who holds the highest office in the land. It is an attempt to weaponize regional sentiment and sow seeds of tribal mistrust for personal political gain. Zambia does not belong to any tribe or region, it belongs to all of us.
This letter therefore serves as a formal reprimand and an urgent appeal regarding your administration’s conduct in pursuing constitutional amendments and exercising executive authority. We are compelled to remind you of the foundational principles upon which our peaceful nation was built and to alert you to the dangerous path of division you are currently navigating. At every turn when you speak to the people regarding the constitution, you have opted to use the language that is divisive rather than that which seeks to unite the nation.
1. Seek Unity not Division:
A true leader seeks to unite, not divide. The process surrounding the proposed constitutional amendments Bill No. 7 has been characterized by language and actions that are deeply divisive. Leadership demands rising above partisan rhetoric to apply fairness, compassion, and common sense. We urge you to immediately cease any communication that funs the flames of ethnic or political discord and to embrace a language of national cohesion, love and reconciliation.
Your posture thus far is to perceive anyone opposed to the amendment as your enemy. In essence, your actions surrounding Bill 7 constitute a real and immediate threat to national peace, security, unity and social cohesion. Instead of healing the country, you have opted to divide it. Instead of building consensus, you are seeking to bulldoze and beat everyone into submission. Instead of strengthening democracy, you are eroding it.
2. Disregard of OASIS Forum:
In your selfish pursuit to see Bill 7 through by any means possible, you have exposed yourself to the point of having your hypocrisy laid bare for all to see.
The Oasis Forum you seek to demonize and humiliate through your surrogate institutions and gutter media outfits is the very Oasis Forum you walked shoulder to shoulder with in fighting Bill 10 that was a much better crafted Bill and was not meant to give the PF a lifeline as is the case with Bill 7.
The conduct displayed by your guests on Monday December, 1 2025 during the so-called Courtesy Call Meeting on Consultations for the Constitutional Review at State House is a clear manifestation of your mindset over this matter: chaotic, patronizing, divisive and insulting to say the least. You clearly gave your guests enough protection to use State House to insult the wisdom and integrity of the Oasis Forum, its membership and the Catholic Bishops.
We would like to remind you that it is the same Oasis Forum you are insulting today that stood by you in rejecting Bill 10 in 2021 and at that time you showered them with praises as it suited your intentions.
Your inconsistency has revealed to
us a leadership that is more interested in convenient alliances than principled governance.
3. Respect for the Church:
The Church in Zambia is a cornerstone of our moral and social fabric. It is not a political opponent to be vanquished. The collective voice of church leaders from the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB), the Council of Churches in Zambia, and the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia has unequivocally called for the withdrawal of Bill 7, citing the outcome of the ConCourt that ruled against the said bill as lacking consensus and the very spirit of constitution making. They have equally questioned the urgency of seeking to tie this constitution to the 2026 election cycle opting instead to allow for a more inclusive people driven process. Demeaning these institutions and dismissing their concerns—as some of your supporters have done by labeling bishops as “tribalists”—is an affront to a vast section of the Zambian populace and risks creating a painful and unnecessary rift within the body of Christ. The Church must remain a beacon of hope and dialogue.
Let it be placed on record that it is the same Catholic Church that stood by you when you were incarcerated and charged with treason.
For you to now permit attacks on the Church is hypocritical, disrespectful, and a betrayal of the moral voice of our nation.
4. National Division:
Your actions have reminded us of the prescient words of our founding father, Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda, who warned the nation of the risk the nation faced if the presidency was to be in your hands. We are sure you recall that he was very emphatic that anyone was better placed to lead this nation except one person who he feared would divide the country, and that’s – You. It is sad to witness that warning fast materialising and becoming a reality before our own eyes. The nation is boiling. The perception that your government is becoming increasingly intolerant to dissent and embracing intimidating tactics against the opposition, and eroding institutional independence is quite widespread.
Actions such as the suspension of Constitutional Court judges and the weaponization of laws like the Public Order Act are not signs of strength but of fragility, and they are tearing our social fabric apart. We would like to call upon you to reflect as to how you would like your legacy to be remembered when you leave office next year – a man who stood against all odds and united the nation or a man who threw everything to the wind and brought about division, tribal intolerance and regionalism.
5. A Call for the International Community:
We echo the painful lessons from our own recent history and that of our region: silence in the face of democratic backsliding is complicity. We, therefore, call upon the United Nations, the African Union (AU) Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU), and all international partners committed to democracy to pay close attention to the deteriorating political and social environment in Zambia. Do not wait until there is bloodletting begore you act. Preventive diplomacy and clear support for inclusive dialogue are required now. The international community played a crucial role in ensuring a peaceful transfer of power in 2021; that vigilance must not wane.
We, therefore, call upon you to take keen interest in Mr. Hichilema’s divisive conduct, which points to a worrying departure from democratic governance towards intolerance and authoritarian tendencies.
This is not the democracy we fought for in 1991 and it is certainly not the unity we pledged to uphold.
Conclusion: The Unifying Truth
Your Excellency, the ultimate power you wield is not to amend a constitution by force of will, but to steward the peace and unity of our nation. The prayer of Zambians today is for a dialogue that promotes “a people who do justice, who love goodness, and who walk humbly with their God”.
We conclude with the solemn and unifying truth that must guide all your actions: We have only one Zambia.
In this regards, we expect your immediate and public commitment to de-escalation, genuine national dialogue, and a leadership style that heals rather than wounds.
We therefore call upon you Mr. President to forthwith:
1. Abandon the divisive and confrontational approach you have taken on this Constitutional amendment process;
2. Withdraw the Bill 7 process until genuine, inclusive national dialogue is secured after the elections;
3. Respect the Church, Civil Society and all stakeholders who speak for the voiceless; and
4. Take responsibility for the rising political and tribal tensions and take steps toward national healing.
As opposition political parties, we reaffirm our commitment to stand with the Oasis Forum as they seek to speak for the Zambian citizens and defend our democracy, our Constitution, and our national unity.
Respectfully,
For and on behalf of the Concerned Citizens of the Republic of Zambia,
Harry Kalaba
President, Citizens First (CF)
Dr Fred M’membe
President, Socialist Party (SP)
Cc:
The Secretary-General,United Nations
The Secretary General – United Nations
The Chairperson, African Union Commission
The Executive Secretary, Southern African Development Community (SADC)
The Executive Director – Oasis Forum
The Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops(ZCCB)
The Council of Churches in Zambia
The Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia
All Media Houses
I believe we have a representative democracy in Zambia. It is not the organizations you are lobbying that make laws for Zambia. The Zambian parliament does. Bill 10 died in parliament. Let parliament decide the fate of Bill 7. Why all these threats of anarchy? In a democracy, the majority win. Like you have rightly calculated your numbers of MPs in parliament, don’t panic. If all independent and opposition MPs are instructed by their electorates to vote against the bill, it will not pass. If it passes, then the Zambians want it. No one should claim to speak for the people. I voted for my representatives. They will vote for me in parliament. These other organizations are churches have no mandate. Parliament is the only body mandated to speak for the people who voted for them.
It is now evident that our opposition has failed to conduct opposition work of checks and balances.They have now resorted to exaggerated style of causing alarm to small issues that they magnify in order to mislead.
* Constitution making has happened in this country in a similar manner and parten.
* The manners of coming up with bills and presenting before the Parliament have not changed, there is literally nothing that has changed.
* The church is still respected as before it is just a difference in opinion and the approach of the church on the part of bill 7.
* President Hichilema has not issued any statement of insult or discrediting the church at all.He is a church elder in his church.
* The opposition and church must allow President Hichilema to complete his term of office accordingly as he prepares to assume the second term if the people of our country demand that by voting for him again.
* The idea of making his work difficult is what is regrettable.
* All our former Presidents worked with regard to the laid down procedure of doing things just like the way President Hichilema is working.The behavior of the opposition is strange.
* They better organize themselves and run their political parties well with order and responsibility.
* Blame game is not opposition.
The election of 2026 is not the first one or last and it must not cause hate and violence.The negative behavior we are experiencing is not health.
Well articulated, infect, these, memba and kaleba do not qualify to advise HH. They are mambalas always negative to the President. Unfortunately ta mwakatekepo ba mamambala your time is not now.