Dear Dr. Mumba,
Your statement is nothing short of a self-serving charade, a testament to the betrayal of Zambians who look to opposition leaders for accountability, not opportunistic praise-singing. Your desperate attempt to defend the indefensible exposes the true motivation behind your newfound allegiance to the UPND government—a betrayal of principle for personal gain.
While you pontificate about the abuses of the PF regime—a tired and predictable deflection—the truth is that the UN Special Rapporteur is not here to discuss the past. They are here to scrutinize the current regime, your political benefactors, for their ongoing and escalating human rights violations. The Zambian people are not fools. We see through this smokescreen, crafted to shield your allies from accountability while pretending to uphold justice.
Your dismissal of concerns about human rights abuses as “insincere tears of offenders” is an insult to the victims of this regime’s brutality. Peaceful protesters being arrested, opposition members facing harassment, and dissenting voices being silenced are not “stories.” They are lived realities. The very freedoms you claim are flourishing under the UPND are being systematically undermined, and your convenient silence on these issues betrays your hypocrisy.
You extol the government’s anti-corruption drive as if it were a paragon of fairness, yet the selective prosecution of opposition members while shielding those within the ruling party reeks of political vindictiveness. This is not justice—it is a sham. You, Dr. Mumba, know better. Your willingness to participate in this charade suggests complicity, if not active endorsement, of this blatant abuse of power.
Your role as an opposition leader is to hold the government accountable, yet you have become a mere echo chamber for their propaganda. What benefits have you secured for this silence, Dr. Mumba? What price did you place on the principles you once claimed to hold? Your transformation from a leader to a puppet is a tragic indictment of your character and integrity.
The Zambian people are watching. No amount of polished statements or deflection will obscure the reality of the UPND’s failures. The UN Rapporteur’s presence in Zambia is a stark reminder that the world is watching, too. Your attempt to downplay these concerns in favor of partisan loyalty will not erase the growing evidence of oppression and selective justice under this government.
Dr. Mumba, your allegiance to this regime will not shield you from the judgment of history. You have abandoned the fight for justice and democracy in favor of personal convenience. If you cannot rise above self-interest to genuinely advocate for the Zambian people, then step aside. Zambia deserves leaders who stand for the truth, not opportunists who trade their voice for scraps from the government’s table.
We will not forget.
Ephraim Shakafuswa
Member – Tonse Alliance Council of Leaders