OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT HAKAINDE HICHILEMA
REF: HATE SPEECH IN ZAMBIA
Greetings to you and your family.
Your Excellency Hakainde Hichilema,
I’m writing to you specifically on this topic because it is painful and I trust you are the only one and the president who can stop this issue of tribal hate speech. Your predecessor, Mr. Edgar Lungu, is the reason why this has escalated to this level. He allowed his ministers, cadres, and government officials to insult other tribes without reprimanding them. This is why some people still feel comfortable waking up and insulting particular groups with impunity especially after coming back to active politics.
I believe our current law on hate speech needs to be revised. The minimum sentence should be increased and made non-bailable. Your Excellency, a few weeks ago, you were preaching unity and the value of being one Zambia, one nation, when you were asked about the Barotseland issue, which is very important. But today, we have some misguided lawmakers, former government leaders, some church leaders, and even individuals we thought were senior citizens championing this harmful route.
Please, Mr. President, don’t handle criminals with kid gloves; they will not only harm you but the entire country. When criminals sense danger for their activities, they can do anything to protect their interests. Politicians are a small fraction of our national population, and those who have committed crimes should answer as individuals, not as representatives of their tribe, as it is being misconstrued.
Pay attention to your predecessor’s statements; we read and watch his sentiments daily, and they do not promote unity or statesmanship. He lied in his BBC interviews, and unfortunately, the journalists failed to ask him what the laws of Zambia say about a former president who decides to join active politics. Remind him that being a former president does not grant him the right to incite revolt against those he dislikes like you. He should behave like someone who held a senior position in our country.
Every day, we see other sections of society being insulted, and some of us are earmarked for severe punishment if you lose or when you leave the office, why should it be like this? These are the same narratives we endured under the past administration. We were brutalized and subjected to unfair treatment, not because we committed any crime, but because we were viewed as coming from a particular region and expressed our divergent views on national matters. You know very well all these struggles your excellency.
This fire that selfish individuals masquerading as opposition politicians are igniting each day will one day cost the entire nation dearly. As things stand, we recently saw WhatsApp groups being formed in certain sections of society, suggesting that some Tongas should leave certain provinces before they are harmed, I have attached screen shot. Surely, why should we sink so low as a nation to start killing each other when many of us are connected through intermarriage? Such narratives of hate speech have been coined and propagated by hopeless politicians who thrive on divide-and-rule tactics.
You need to come out strongly, Your Excellency, on this issue, because if you leave it unaddressed, when you leave the office, Zambia will be in trouble.You saved us from thugs who could do anything, I believe you can save us from this hate speech as well. I don’t see anyone reasonable enough among our opposition politicians with a sober mind who can ascend to the presidency and honestly protect the 20 million Zambians. Let all tribes be protected and feel free to stay in any province of their choice without feeling unsafe.
Please, sir, I plead with you, save lives by not tolerating anyone who uses hate speech. Some of us have been insulted and made to feel un-Zambian for a long period of time, yet we have committed no crime and when we don’t even thrive on political handouts. The freedom you have given the nation is being used to propagate hate speech by those on the left wing. Let us argue and disagree on ideas, not tribal politics. It is too much, and we need to ensure that offenders are given punishments that will teach them a lesson, and fast-track court proceedings.
Yours faithfully,
SIKAILE C. SIKAILE
GOOD GOVERNANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST
28/05/2024
