I’m Ready To Expose The Gays At State House And The Upnd Dealings With Gay Groups- Fred M’membe

I’M READY TO EXPOSE THE GAYS AT STATE HOUSE AND THE UPND DEALINGS WITH GAY GROUPS

HICHILEMA, STATE HOUSE AND DEFENDERS OF GAY RIGHTS

We would like to counsel Mr Hakainde Hichilema’s newly installed mouthpiece, Mr Cornelius Mweetwa that State House is deeply anchored with gays and defenders, protectors and promoters of gay rights.

We say this as a reminder to Mr Mweetwa and his desperate UPND league, who think they can use us to spit malice and hate in order to talk their way out of the present social, political and economic mess they find themselves in. We know they are desperate and worried about their loss of popularity countrywide but this should not put them on a senseless path of malice and hate towards political competitors like ourselves.

We also know that they’re lost and in disarray because quite frankly, they don’t have solutions to the numerous problems they are currently faced with. Their lies, deception and crookedness have boomeranged and their credibility and acceptability in the eyes of the general populace is at its lowest.

Mr Hichilema and his corrupt puppet regime have been weighed against their own words and actions, and they have been exposed as a bunch of pretentious, dangerous and greedy coward politicians. And they will not solve anything by being malicious, evil and hateful to anyone, especially if those they’re trying to paint black are not anywhere near what they’re alleging them to be. Their sadistic, evil and malicious intentions will not work.

We therefore, find it unacceptable and unwise for Mr Hichilema through his new spokesperson to make reckless and silly insinuations about the issue of LGBTQI and gay rights.

We have stated before and we shall state again that at no time have I as an individual or we collectively as the Socialist Party Zambia supported LGBTQI, gay practices.

And that remains our individual and collective position. That is the position of the great majority of our people, our religious teachings, our cultural practices and of our national laws. The desperation by Mr Hichilema and his panicking minions like Mr Mweetwa to paint me, us black on these issues and sometimes pushing contrary words in our mouths is malicious, mischievous and won’t do.

If Mr Mweetwa thinks he can launch himself in his new designation by replicating discredited scripts from Mr Hichilema’s rogue guerrilla channels – Zambian Watchdog and Koswe – which are managed by the State House media team to spread hate speech and malice then we feel very sorry for him because he will turn out to be ignorant, dishonest and worse than we anticipated.

Of course, we know he is not the finest of brains to execute his new assignment as Mr Hichilema’s lead attack dog but we also didn’t think he will be this worse off and dull than his predecessor.

Nonetheless, if Mr Mweetwa and the UPND really want to know who is dealing with defenders, protectors and promoters of gay rights, they should start with Mr Hichilema’s State House.

This regime and State House in particular’s association with gays and defenders, protectors and promoters of gay rights are not a secret. No wonder, known gay rights ambassadors like Mr Tony Blair – the former British Prime Minister, are frequenting Zambia today like it’s their backyard.

On September 29, 2021, Mr Hichilema hosted Mr Blair at State House. Mr Hichilema held talks with Mr Blair on the possible collaboration between Zambia and the Tony Blair Institute for global change.

Mr Hichilema said the institute is doing commendable work and hopes it can assist Zambia.

Mr Blair said his institute stands ready to help the new dawn administration.

Mr Blair has been recognised as one of the top gay icons of the past three decades, along with figures such as Boy George, Sir Ian McKellen and Barbra Streisand. In fact, Gay Times said Blair’s status as an ambassador of gay rights was undeniable.

Mr Blair, as British prime minister, introduced laws recognising trans people, civil partnerships, banned employers from sacking employees because of who they love and made homophobia a hate crime. And just last week, Mr Blair was back in Zambia, hosted and celebrated by Mr Hichilema and his team.

Mr Joe Biden, on May 4, 2012 told NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ anchor David Gregory: ‘I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties. Who do you love? And will you be loyal to the person you love? And that’s what people are finding out is what all marriages, at their root, are about, whether they’re marriages of lesbians or gay men or heterosexuals.’

This is the President of United States today, the current occupant of the White House. And early in his presidency Mr Hichilema was a guest at the White House – something they were very proud of, were boasting about!

On June 23, 2023, Mr Hichilema visited European Union Parliament in Brussels and addressed it. Gay rights in the European Union are protected under the European Union’s (EU) treaties and law. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in all EU states and discrimination in employment has been banned since 2000.

The Treaty on European Union, in its last version as updated by the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007 and in force as of 2009, makes the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union legally binding for the member state of the European Union and the European Union itself. In turn, Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union includes an anti-discrimination provision that states that ‘any discrimination based on any ground such as […] sexual orientation shall be prohibited.’

Furthermore, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union provides in Articles 10 that the European Union has a positive duty to combat discrimination (among other things) on the grounds of sexual orientation and provides in Article 19 ways for the Council and the European Parliament to actively propose pass legislation to do so. These provisions were enacted by the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1999.

In June 2010, the Council of the European Union adopted a non-binding toolkit to promote LGBT people’s human rights. In June 2013, the Council upgraded it to binding LGBTI Guidelines instructing EU diplomats around the world to defend the human rights of LGBTI people.

And for the first time in this country and under Mr Hichilema’s presidency, in May 2022, we saw some EU embassies flying gay pride flags in support and commitment to gay rights on Zambian soil.

Then also the UPND is a member of the African Liberal Network (ALN), which also is a member of the Liberal International (LI). And LI Human Rights Committee Bulletin 4th Edition – LGBTI Rights states:

“In the year since Liberal International launched its Human Rights Bulletin, the final edition of the publication for 2015 – which has attracted contributions from senior ministers, UN diplomats, and prominent activists – has been released, with a focus in this edition on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) rights.

Contributors from Africa, Asia, and Latin America have written and been interviewed about their experiences in fighting for a cause at the heart of all liberals – equality. In this fourth edition of the Bulletin, politicians, activists, and advisors offered insights and practical advice for overcoming the challenges of standing up for minority groups in countries and across continents.

Writing about the landmark human rights manifesto for Africa, adopted in 2014 by member parties of LI cooperating organisation, Africa Liberal Network (ALN), ALN vice-president Rosemary Machua, of the Kenyan liberals, ODM (LI member), emphasised the importance of having a ‘human rights framework for Africa, by Africans’. The fact that sexual orientation is included in the Declaration is a tremendous achievement for African liberals. It firmly entrenches our view that LGBTI rights are important, recognized, and above all that they are human rights, added Mrs. Machua.

These are views from the organisations to which the UPND belongs.

Further, before going on a rampage spilling senseless malice and hate towards innocent citizens, let Mr Mweetwa ask himself why the Church and other critical voices rose in unison just a few weeks ago to reject the appointment of Mr Jean Mafart, an openly gay man whose male husband is a convicted drug trafficker, as French Ambassador accredited to Zambia.

For the first time in history, a foreign government decided to send an individual to Zambia whose own lifestyle was against our laws, customs and culture. The reason why all this is happening now is simple, Mr Hichilema’s friends and corroborators in Europe and the US know that this regime is receptive and supportive of gay rights and activities.

So before pointing an accusing finger at innocent citizens, Mr Mweetwa must know that this regime is regarded to be not sincere enough to protect our Christian values and traditions as a country. The Zambian people are aware of the UPND’s hidden agenda, identity and ideological beliefs. And they will not look any better or become believable by scandalizing us.

Let Mr Hichilema and Mr Mweetwa address his government’s proven links with LGBTQI networks and people like Mr Blair and Mr Biden before being malicious and dishonest in their failed attempts to defend this corrupt, divisive and untrustworthy government.

We reiterate that if Mr Mweetwa wants to know who is dealing with gays and defenders, protectors and promoters of gay rights, State House will be a good starting point because they’re there and working with them.

This is the problem with malice, it boomerangs. And whoever digs a pit of inequity, will definitely fall in it.

And when it comes to allegations of being involved in gay activities, at least two names constantly come up from State House. Again, we emphasize that if the UPND really want to know who is involved with gay activities and issues in this country they should start with themselves as a party and State House.

On that basis, we throw back the challenge to Mr Mweetwa that if there is a party that needs to come out clean over its dealings with gays and defenders, protectors and promotors of gay rights, it’s the UPND and State House, not us.

In fact, if they are denying this fact, I offer myself for a public debate on national television with Mr Hichilema and Mr Mweetwa combined together. Let them come and I will expose their links and dark dealings on gay issues.

So that we can put to rest this disgraceful propaganda emanating from a discredited and highly corrupt regime.

I will be waiting for their favourable response so that we take this discourse to its highest and final level and rest it there.

Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party