LET US REFLECT ON HOW ZAMBIA GOT TO THE TOP THREE MOST DEMOCRATIC COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD UNDER THE V-DEM REPORT 2024

• LET US REFLECT ON HOW ZAMBIA GOT TO THE TOP THREE MOST DEMOCRATIC COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD UNDER THE V-DEM REPORT 2024

By Mark Simuuwe

Let us all reflect on this huge achievement of our beloved 🇿🇲 Zambia .

What could be the reasons and what has changed about Zambia’s democracy ? What did the international organization see in Zambia , which is rare in many countries today ? How did we get to the top in two years ? What has HH and his team done ? These questions can be answered in this way :

1. Removal of criminal defamation of the President from Zambian laws has enhanced freedom of expression and has made Zambia’s President the most tolerant leader ;

2. Enactment of Access to Information Bill into Law demonstrates government commitment to being accountable to its own citizens;accountability is one of the beacons of democracy.

3. Free and Fair by-elections devoid of brandishing of guns , machetes , bloodshed , contrary to the case in the PF leadership;

4. Government putting an end to thuggery behavior, contrary to a situation in which citizens could be attacked for merely wearing opposition party regalia under Edgar Lungu’s reign ;

5. Media houses in Zambia are featuring people with dissenting views even more often than the ruling party panelists ;

6. HH’s pronouncements and commitment to ensuring there is a free press in Zambia ;

7. A lack of interference in the media by the state under the UPND New Dawn Administration ;

8. Tolerance to so many critical voices ;

9.Hesitation in applying a seriously oppressive cyber security and cyber crime law in cramping down dissenting views ;

10. Allowing the due process of the law in matters relating to prosecution of the previous government officials appearing in court for various offences;

11. An end to tramped up charges;

12. Removal of the death penalty by the UPND new Dawn administration;

13. Transparency in the procurement Process , thus creating more accountability which is a pillar of a successful democratic dispensation;

14. Openness in debt restructuring discussions which also opens up for accountability;

15. Stoppage to use of police to kill citizens for their rights as was the case under the previous leadership;

16. Running a Balanced cabinet which represents all the regions , contrary to a regional PF cabinet ;

17. A recruitment process into civil service which is representative of the whole country;

18. CDF funding to all regions in the country without discrimination , contrary to what used to be there under ECL and PF leadership ;

19. Fairness in the distribution of resources in general across all regions e.g all provinces to have New Airports this year and we’re all given new Landcruisers per constituency for the police and not what used to happen .

20. President’s commitment to uniting the country at every platform.

21. For the first time , the President is not censoring journalists when it comes to press conference questions – he has allowed the media to quiz him openly .

22. By not arresting all those who persecuted him without any cause , after spending 127 days in prison , HH has demonstrated true statesmanship to the world .

Ends //