PEOPLE’S PACT SAYS ARREST OF OPPOSITION LEADER WORRYING AHEAD OF AUGUST ELECTIONS.
People’s Pact chaiperson Peter Sinkamba, says the arrest of Socialist Party president Fred M’membe, is aimed at intimidating political opponents ahead of this year’s general election scheduled for August.
Commenting on the arrest and detention of Dr M’membe by the police Mr. Sinkamba described the development as deeply disturbing, saying the opposition leader had allegedly been arrested on flimsy grounds.
Mr. Sinkamba, who is also president of the Green Party, said the People’s Pact has noted what it believes to be growing attempts by government to criminalise political speech.
“What we have noted is that the government is trying to start criminalising political speech. Very well-meant criticism is now being turned into criminal charges, which is very wrong,” said Peter Sinkamba, chairperson of the People’s Pact.
Mr. Sinkamba added that leaders must be prepared to accept criticism, especially on national matters such as issues surrounding the burial of a former president.
Icengelo Radio
Mr Sinkamba, there is a very big difference between a ‘hit and run’ and an individual throwing themselves under the bus to break a leg in order to win sympathy.
It has become fashionable now for those vying for the highest political office in the land to deliberately poke at the law to get arrested and be in the news. These are tactics used to accumulate arrest statistics for political narratives like yours Mr Sinkamba.
HH encourages discipline maturity from so called potential leaders, and understandably so.
Politics in Zambia are about finger pointing and not really issue based. Politicians must be able to convince Zambians with their capability to do better than HH, ( and I doubt if there is currently anyone) in terms of the magical turn around of the economy despite the many obstacles he has faced throughout his entire political career.
He survived a night raid at his house, survived wheezing bullets when ambushed in the middle of nowhere, escaped through rooftops when attacked at radio stations, narrowly escaped deathrole in that traffic drama, proved he was not a Satanist as some ‘Top Clergy’ shouted through their loud hailors and this can not be replicated by anyone to win the hearts of Zambians. He had a message that Zambians bought into, not ATI, ‘ He has been arrested, exiled, kept in the morgue for so long etc.
What economic formulae are these? Is this the message Zambians will trust to bring food on their tables, or reduce the price of fuel?
Sorry, you have an uphill battle against HH with this kind of politics.
Remember HH doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, is not a womanizer nor does he clutch juju in his fists when greeting his rivals!