HICHILEMA AND DEPLOYING THE ARMY
Mr Hakainde Hichilema recently said he will use the army to bring sanity, if the police are failing to discharge their duties.
To begin with, it is within Mr Hichilema’s powers to do so. And any measure that guarantees the security and physical safety of all citizens regardless of their political affiliation is commendable. However, if not properly coordinated and thought through, such an order has potential to give rise to disastrous consequences, which may eventually be damaging to Mr Hichilema’s administration and legacy.
We say this because unlike the police, soldiers or combat training centers around how to kill, in order for them to do it more frequently and competently. It’s all about enabling them to use lethal violence and force. In short, unlike the police, soldiers are trained to kill without hesitation. And so, releasing soldiers on the streets can easily turn into a bloodbath overnight. Anyway, let Mr Hichilema unleash soldiers and see how many people will die. And why the army? Are we under a State of Emergency or is Mr Hichilema planning to declare a State of Emergency?
Also, for once, can Mr Hichilema stop the hypocrisy and lies. We have persistently warned him to let the police service operate impartially and ethically, and not like a UPND militia as is the case currently, but he didn’t listen. And now that they’ve succeeded in crushing and destroying the police service, they want to blame the police for this gigantic failure and ineptitude. On July 14, 2023, Mr Hichilema praised the Inspector General of Police Mr Graphael Musamba, for providing leadership in the police service, saying “I wish he came through when we took office”. And today, he wants to turn around and pass culpability on the same police command he was commending not so long ago.
If we may ask: if the police have failed, how have they failed? What is it that they’ve done wrong? So, when Mr Hichilema was choking the police service with UPND cadres, what did he expect to get in return? He has reconfigured the police into a UPND militia and they’ve been operating as such. Mr Hichilema sowed this confusion and incompetence in the police and he is only reaping what he sowed. For us, Mr Musamba is the worst Inspector General in history, and as long as the police remain loaded with UPND cadres we shall expect the nastiest policing and law enforcement. And why is Mr Hichilema blaming the police service after destroying it?
We sympathize with Mr Hichilema and we understand his fears and insecurities at the moment. No doubt, he has lost the people’s goodwill and support, pressure has mounted, and he knows that he has no time left to change the status quo. And the only option left is intimidation and scare tactics to silence citizens and critics. It’s clear, Mr Hichilema wants to govern without opposition hence this reckless talk of deploying the army but this too won’t help him.
If he insists, let him deploy the army and we shall see if it will fix the economy, reduce the price of fuel, mealie meal and other essential commodities. We want to see how the deployment of the army on the streets shall reduce the cost of living, unemployment, loadshedding and promote national unity and peace.
Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party
I am surprised with your narration and opinions Mr. Membe. You are the one who is dishonest. Do you think you are the only one with wisdom! You think the Army is indiscriminate and they don’t think? You started your talk very well, but lost it.
Mmembe is a problem. During the infamous gassing Edgar lungu unleashed the army to contain the situation and he never opened his loud mouth, but because it’s HH as president he finds his voice to condemn the decision. What a lost bitter soul!!
You are the same people who were complaining that cadres insulted Lungu few days ago, cadres harassed people at the funeral, cadres what and what, when HH comes in and say if police fail to do there job, he will bring the soldiers to clear the air then you are busy complaining again.
1 thing I love about soldiers is that they beat everyone around the area that is keeping a fool until you produce that fool out, so people will not associate with fools meaning in no time the country can be clean. You can’t have Zulu say what he was saying that day and people around him are busy smiling, soldiers would beat all of them and a lesson learnt immediately.
There is no point worth writing this article. Ashula nafuti Membe.