HICHILEMA’S TRUST AND LEGITIMACY CRISIS- Fred M’membe

HICHILEMA’S TRUST AND LEGITIMACY CRISIS

There is a distinct and rapidly widening credibility gap between Mr Hakainde Hichilema’s public pronouncements or promises and what is actually practiced or happens. As such, the people’s lack of trust or believability in Mr Hichilema is inevitably high. Wherever you go in the Zambia today, it is evident that this government has lost legitimacy. They’re not wanted or accepted anywhere. Their mandate is not respected by the people anymore. They’re now identified and understood as fraudsters, liars, ethnic bigots and looters.

But it is not surprising. This was anticipated particularly that we all know that the legitimacy or acceptability of any government or leader exclusively depends on the confidence, respect and trust the people have deposited in them. And this confidence, respect and trust primarily hinges on the government or leader’s proven ability to keep their word or simply put, to tell the believable truth.

People always tend to draw closer to governments or leaders who tie their word with their actual practices. Those who value sincerity, integrity, transparency and accountability. Leaders who keep their promises. But once these values are violated, people become detached and annoyed, and the credibility gap widens resulting into serious mistrust and overall loss of respect and recognition for the government.

This is what Mr Hichilema and the UPND is facing today. No matter how hard they try to give people the illusion that they’re working hard and they’re being supported and appreciated by the majority of our people, the actual reality is that the people have read through them, they’re fed up and they’ve rejected them. And all these deceptions are simply adding insult to the injury. People have already made up their minds.

Even the irresponsible democracy they’re frantically trying to install by grossly destabilizing and crippling political opponents ahead of the 2026 general elections is all wasted effort. Their resolve to heighten undemocratic practices like electoral fraud and bribery, political violence, abductions, manipulation of the court system, and human rights violations among many, are all an exercise in futility. It will not work!

It is evident that Mr Hichilema and the UPND aim to transform into a dominant ruling party by choking the democratic space and senseless tyranny. But what they don’t realize is that these brutal political strategies they’ve adopted are making it worse for them. The anger and frustration towards this government is increasing at an exponential rate. And the political momentum is intensifying at a very fast pace too. As people are getting emboldened every day with increased desire to exercise their political and civic rights to change the status quo. People have rejected their oppressive governance methods.

Mr Hichilema must know that the shelving of routine or procedural elements of good governance and democracy coupled with the continuous flooding of the public space with lies, contradictory statements and more false promises is actually re-awakening the people’s conscious and building up a revolution whose devastating and irreversible cost to himself and his administration will be felt in the ballot in 2026.

This kind of democracy Mr Hichilema and his league are pretentiously advancing in this country today and expect competing political players to remain silent and watch won’t be tolerated. We will resist it. We will fight for our liberties and rights. We will not allow him to make this country an outpost of senseless oppression.

We will not allow Mr Hichilema to undermine the significance of democracy as a political process intended to guarantee citizen’s rights and freedoms. We will not allow him to diminish the inclusive reputation of governance in reflecting the shared desires of the masses.

Mr Hichilema must know that his desperate manoeuvres to decimate political opponents and critical voices will be fearlessly challenged. They can comfort each other by believing their own propaganda and renting crowds for their rallies but reality will dawn very soon.

Its over for them! Nabaya!

Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party