DO NOT TRUST BINWELL MPUNDU WITH PEACE SO EASILY- UPND MUST BE CAREFUL WHO IT ALLOWS IN THE CIRCLE.
By Chadrin Nseemani
I have seen the message from Honourable Binwell Mpundu where he is now calling for peace and asking to meet President Hakainde Hichilema. On the surface it looks good and enticing. Every Zambian wants peace and we are already enjoying that peace. But we must be honest and ask ourselves if we can trust this peace call especially from Mpundu.
Let us look at what has been happening before, during and after elections. Before elections, the same man was preaching violence and fear. During elections, he was telling people that elections would be rigged and that lives were at stake. After elections, he came up with serious allegations about abductions that had no evidence and only caused fear among Zambians. This pattern is not accidental. It is well organized, I used to respect Mpundu but after the route he chose to take, my Honourable respect for him is gone.
What am saying is that UPND must be careful when trusting people like Mpundu with peace, Remember these people are very organized . They know when to shout division and when to shout peace. They shout division when they want to cause panic, and they shout peace when they see that Zambians have refused to be divided and the law is following them.
My wise counsel to UPND is simple. Do not rush to trust him. Trusting Mpundu is like trusting a lion not to eat you while you put a hand in it’s mouth. A lion may look calm and quiet today, but its nature does not change. A person who was ready to talk about killing and dying over politics a few weeks ago cannot become a messenger of peace overnight without first correcting his mistakes. Let him face the law first then talks will come after law decides.
President Hakainde Hichilema has shown us what real peace looks like. He has been insulted, arrested and provoked many times, but he has never called for violence. He removed political cadres without revenge and allowed every Zambian to wear any party regalia freely. That is true peace.
If Mpundu really wants peace, let him start by apologizing for the fear he has caused, and by withdrawing the statements that divided Zambians. Peace cannot be built on pretence, it cannot be built on the fact that life is expensive where he is, It must be built on truth, respect and consistency. Zambia needs real peace, not political games.
By: Chadrin Nseemani
Political Analyst/Governance Expert