HH should be held accountable for his lies – Singoyi
By Fanny Kalonda
PAN-AFRICANIST, Kachingwe Singoyi, has called on citizens to hold President Hakainde Hichilema accountable for his campaign promises, including ending load shedding.
Singoyi who is based in the US says it should not be normal for every politician to lie their way through to the presidency and get away with it.
He implores Zambians to stop tolerating such behavior, adding that those who lie should be kicked out immediately.
‘’We can’t continue with these lies from our political leaders. It’s important to note that these lies become political slogans during election campaigns that parties use to disguise their lack of vision on economic and social issues. President Hakainde Hilchilema lied about the Zesco power crisis during his campaigns, period,’’ he said in a statement. ‘’And he should be held accountable. It’s high time we started holding our politicians accountable for the lies they make during campaigns. It should no longer be business as usual. Zambians have often underestimated the harm of political lies by simply analysing a lie only from the perspective of the liar. Why did he or she lie? Was it done with cunning or courage? Lying is the most dangerous body of deceit. This is not because all politicians lie, as common cynicism holds. To the contrary, there is a notable difference between political societies that honour the principle of veracity and political societies that don’t.’’
Singoyi explained the difference between the two schools of thought, arguing that people should be respected by politicians.
‘’And here is the difference, President Hakainde lied with a straight face and courage when he was being interviewed by HotFM Radio presenters Pizzy and Hope last year and it’s on record. If our political society respected the principle of veracity the people of Zambia would have forced President Hakainde Hichilema to resign on moral ground. But here we are, tolerating him to justify the lie when the repercussions of such a dangerous body of deceit is out there for all to see,’’ Singoyi explained. ‘’We can’t have a leader lying with impunity and expect to socially and economically develop as a nation. The President lied both during campaigns and recently as the Head of State. Zambians need to hold the President accountable for his lies, he should apologise for lying to the people who entrusted him to run their affairs before he goes on believing his own lies and justifying them.’’
He said the country was founded on dignity; hence it is wrong for a president to lie.
‘’This country was founded on dignity and peace, and these are the values that leaders and those who aspire to be leaders of this nation should live by and hold in high esteem. There is no dignity in lying to the people you are leading; leading with dignity entails being accountable to the electorate, and a commitment to servant leadership. Zambia as a nation was founded on dignity and peace as enshrined in our national anthem. These are noble principles which our forefathers saw the need to build our nation on,’’ said Singoyi. ‘’Dignity and peace neath Zambia’s sky, not lies and political violence neath Zambia’s sky. The principle of peaceful coexistence always encourages finding a common ground and not to create differences as we see in our politics today. The principle of dignity refers to the intrinsic value and worth of every human being, and to words, actions, or conditions that either affirm human dignity or violate it. On the contrary lying yourself into political office does not speak to value and worth of every Zambian and to words and actions as espoused by our forefathers.