Hichilema showing classic dictatorial tendencies – Sakwiba Sikota

Hichilema showing classic dictatorial tendencies – Saki

By Fanny Kalonda(The Mast)

LAWS should not be rushed, says United Kwacha Alliance (UKA) chairperson Sakwiba Sikota.

Sikota says President Hakainde Hichilema is not letting the police do their work thereby showing classic dictatorial tendencies.

He told The Mast that the threats to democracy are very large at the moment.

President Hichilema recently announced plans to stiffen laws on hate speech or tribalism.

“Laws should not be rushed. Laws should not be at just one individual’s whim. Laws are supposed to be discussed. The proposed laws should be put out to the general public, stakeholders to comment, on traditional leaders to comment, on churches, NGOs, to comment on. Not that a set of 23 people, that’s the Cabinet, sits down and decides that we’re going to rush through this legislation. I have got no idea what they’re proposing in that legislation,” he said. “There could be many pitfalls with it. There could be many areas where it could be improved and if we have a government which is not consultative, it’s the wrong government, that’s not the way our laws should be enacted. It appears that he’s even ordering his people to say you are going to have to do this. So even internally amongst their own party, they’ve not discussed it. That is bringing about autocratic rule. That is not the way a democracy works.”

And Sikota said the fact that all stakeholders have told the government that it is wrong not to allow rallies but they ignore has shown that they are dictators.

“He’s just showing you one example with this law that he says it’s going to run through without having consultation. You also have a situation where he’s directing the police to go and pick up an individual, he’s not letting the police do their work. He says you must reopen that case ( the Emmanuel Jay Jay Banda case], classic dictatorial tendencies. He should be staying away from interfering with what other bodies should be doing, who are supposed to be independent. There’s so many examples of dictatorial tendencies. You have a constitution and he says he doesn’t care about it so you get the Mopani thing done, totally ignoring the provisions of the Constitution,” he said. “You have the Auditor General, again the law very clear, but because he’s a dictator he decides he will just ignore the Constitution. Another sign, his last statement he says to the civil servants and to his ministers if a law is going to delay things just ignore it. Again that shows a lack of respect for the rule of law and it is absolutely dictatorial. He has an Inspector General of Police who goes and makes a blanket ban saying opposition cannot have rallies and his response is this is the best Inspector General I’ve ever had, I wish I had gotten him earlier. A person who rules by decree. Another decree he has made I’m not talking about whether it’s a good thing or not but the process is what I’m talking about. He says that the ministries and everything must put up solar panels. There’s no budget for that. Where are they going to get the money? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that putting up solar panels is wrong. Don’t get me wrong. What I’m saying is that you have to do things in an orderly fashion.”

Sikota said the government should ensure that everything is done is an orderly manner.

“You cannot just…then what’s the point of having budgets? Why go through all that process of paying MPs for three months discussing a budget if it means nothing because a dictator can come and say do this and this which was not in the budget? There are so many examples of dictatorial rule,” said Sikota. “The threats to democracy are very large. Right now we are here at the British High Commission, the last statement the British High Commission made if you remember when they saw the home affairs minister, they said this is wrong. It’s not only them who have said that, even the Human Rights Commission has said this is wrong. The churches have said this is wrong. But this government doesn’t care that everybody tells them this is wrong. They still go ahead and say no rallies. Again showing you that they are dictators.”