HICHILEMA: BUTCHERING ZAMBIA’s DEMOCRACY WITH IMPUNITY- Fred M’membe

HICHILEMA: BUTCHERING ZAMBIA’s DEMOCRACY WITH IMPUNITY

Police in Kitwe yesterday disrupted a press conference by Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) president Mr Kasonde Mwenda and his entourage.

The police claimed that Mr Mwenda, who was in the company of his party officials and six journalists, when they visited the venue did not notify them about the press conference. They later demanded that the EFF leader and his entourage accompany them to the police station where they warned and advised them to stop any further illegal meetings.

Above are the brief facts on the matter, which were released yesterday.

It is shameful that Mr Hakainde Hichilema’s excessive acts of authoritarianism are getting worse every day and unfortunately, the Zambia police service is at the centre of these desperate manoeuvres by Mr Hichilema to manipulate and abuse citizens without any regard for the Constitution and the rule of law.

Today, Mr Hichilema wants his political competitors to notify the police to hold a press conference and attend a memorial service or church function? What type of paranoia is this? Why is Mr Hichilema such an authoritative, unjust, vengeful, controlling, and dominating person that only prioritises his own interests over the interests of others? Why is Mr Hichilema so brazen about eliminating oversight functions, principles, ethics, and rule of law in his governance? This is total anarchy and insanity!

When Mr Hichilema and the UPND were in opposition, did they ever notify the police about those press conferences they were holding in hotels, the party secretariat, Community House, and so on and so forth? Where did they ever get a permit to address the general public through press conferences? What has changed now? What law are they using to violate people’s freedoms and liberties in this manner?

There is absolutely no doubt that Mr Hichilema has turned into a full-blown despot leader. This corrupt puppet regime bears all symptoms of that, and the recent embarrassing, unjust, and partisan actions taking place in our court systems, parliament, state institutions, and law enforcement such as the police corroborate this standpoint.

It is clear that under Mr Hichilema, the new democracy that is unfolding in Zambia today is one camouflaged in ethnic solidarity, extreme vengeance, deceit and gross levels of grand corruption, and personal enrichment. Mr Hichilema has relegated public interest, patriotism, and the rule of law to the periphery of his governance system and elevated lies, deception, mediocrity, and ethnic or tribal inclinations.

But what he is forgetting is that these extremely risky and reckless manoeuvres are a foundation to social confusion, inequality, despair and economic, and political instability. A very dangerous and worrisome path!

We reiterate our call to the Zambian people not to be under any illusion that Mr Hichilema will ever subject himself to a genuinely democratic and fair contestation of political power in this country because he knows that by doing so, he runs the risk of an electoral defeat and more importantly to him and his league, this would endanger the corrupt networks of personal enrichment that this highly corrupt puppet regime has established since assuming office.

This country needs to break free from Mr Hichilema’s corrupt, failed, restrictive, unpatriotic, puppet, and despotic leadership.

This climate of impunity and arrogance of power must come to an end.

Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party