Laura Miti, Sishuwa Sishuwa in a social media spat over Nakacinda

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Laura Miti, Sishuwa Sishuwa in a social media spat over Nakacinda

ALLIANCE for Community Action executive director Laura Miti and University of Zambia academic Sishuwa Sishuwa were yesterday involved in a rare spat on Twitter over the detention of PF information and publicity chairperson Raphael Nakacinda.

Nakacinda was detained at Chelstone police station for alleged defamation of the President after the binoculars man claimed that Hakainde Hichilema has been meeting unnamed judges at Community House.

The detention of the PF official has drawn mixed reaction from the public.

Some people have argued that Nakacinda should be ignored because he is looking for political relevance.

Others have welcomed his arrest, saying his remarks were careless and have the potential to damage the integrity of the judiciary.

Following the detention of Nakacinda yesterday, celebrated human rights defender Laura Miti took to Twitter to demand for the repeal of the defamation law but not without taking a swipe at the opposition PF official.

“Defamation of the President is an archaic law that needs to be scrapped. The law is no less unpalatable when used on an obnoxious, annoying person like Raphael Nakachinda, who is clearly looking for trouble”, wrote the ACA director.

In response, Sishuwa criticised Miti for calling the suspect names.

The UNZA lecturer indirectly accused the civil society icon of double standards in how she was treating the failings of the New Dawn government compared to the administration of President Edgar Lungu.

“Could you not have made the point that the defamation of the President law is archaic without calling Nakacinda names? Under Lungu, you probably would have criticised the president in whose name the detention of Nakacinda is being carried out. Now you are criticising the victim?”, Sishuwa asked.

Some netizens criticised Miti as having become a UPND zealot since the election of President Hichileme while others took issue with Sishuwa’s characterisation of Nakacinda as a victim.

“…politics entanglement is when one utilised the opportunity to Express for boasting ….defaming others and ego hypertism..”, wrote Emmanuel Mwakyusa in a veiled criticism of Miti.

“Imagine, criticising the victim. Activism is not easy because you don’t have to take sides”, wrote Chileshe Soko while Phillip claimed that “Laura Miti is a sellout of the current regime. Her once upon time firebrand activism and patriotic citizen is gone. She’s now dancing to the regime music 4whatever reasons.”

Several of Miti’s supporters disagreed with Sishuwa’s characterisation of Nakacinda as a ‘victim’.

ES Lombe wrote “How is he a victim? Can he prove what he said? It puts the judicial system into disrepute and portrays them untrustworthy. He issued a statement of FACT he’s called upon to substantiate his statement with evidence. Victim no, irresponsible yes”.

Elijah Yamukani added “How is Nakachinda a victim here? did he defame the president? YES” while Katongo Mweshi expressed surprise with a meme that “Ine am shocked, ati Nakciinda is a victim”, to which Miti laughed in agreement.

In response, Sishuwa explained that Nakacinda “is a victim of the same law being acknowledged as archaic and one that should have no place in a democracy. While it is appropriate to criticise the defamation law, it is unfair and unjust to judge Nakacinda as guilty already because, it is said, he is “looking for trouble”.

Albin Njekwa, a supporter of the ACA director, defended Miti, saying “She’s stating a fact, Nakachinda is annoying and obnoxious. To her at least. And many others. It’s totally disingenuous of you to ignore her main point and make a meal of side note”

Sishuwa replied that “If I understood her point correctly, it is that the defamation of the president law is archaic and should have no place in a democracy. What was so difficult about stating this point without blaming the victim? Democracies are noisy and cantankerous by their very constitution”, he tweeted.

Njekwa advised Sishuwa to ignore Miti’s attacks on Nakacinda but instead focus on the archaic law.

“My point is that you’re straining at a gnat (Laura’s opinion of Nakachinda) while you swallow the camel (the archaic law). Priorities”, wrote Njekwa.

Another Twitter user, Given Chansa, disagreed with Njekwa, writing that “I am in support of
@ssishuwa
. We don’t need to practice tribal democracy of you are either with us or you are a very horrible human being. What democracy would it even be if all we did were things that sounded nice to each other? And who really gets to decide on who is obnoxious?”, Chanda asked.

“What I don’t get about madam Miti is that she appears to make a judgement call on which Zambians’ human rights & freedoms are deserving of her defence.Like how does that really work?”, tweeted Chansa.

Undone, Njekwa responded that “[The] Problem is the archaic law but Laura’s opinion of Nakachinda is all that draws your attention? Smh.”

Chansa stated that Miti was a human rights defender who should not choose whose rights to defend.

“To the extent that I am aware, Laura speaks on and for the freedoms & rights of the public, the Zambian public. Her opinion of the people she is meant to speak for matters perhaps more than anything else she does, the fact of that ought to be obvious”, tweeted Chansa.

Kalemba December 16, 2021

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