By Sara Imutowana Yeta II
Dear Lieutenant General William Sikazwe: Army Commander,
I write to remind you of some of your responsibilities as Zambia Army Commander.
In the 56 years of the existence of the Zambia Army, starting from the first local Army Commander, General Kingsley Chinkuli to your predecessor, Lieutenant General Paul Mihova, the Army has effectively served the Zambian people, defended our country, protected vital national interests, and fulfilled national military responsibilities in a substantially professional manner.
It is therefore your duty to ensure that the Army is not politicised by any person or group of people for whatever reason.
Sir, under the current regime, we have seen how many government institutions have been weakened because of political interference, and it is your duty to ensure that the Army does not become one of those compromised government entities.
A non-political and non-partisan Army is one of the norms underpinning our democracy and it is a feature of the professionalism of the Zambian Army.
As it has been since 24 October 1964 when the Army was born, let it serve the Constitution by protecting our people and democracy without regard for political party or partisan positions and, as Army Commander, let it be your sacred duty to ensure this.
On 12 August 2021 our country goes to the polls, a cornerstone of democratic governance and political stability.
Sir, it is through such elections that the past five regimes obtained their democratic mandate and were held accountable for their performance in office.
The concept of democratic elections guarantees the peaceful transfer of power between presidential administrations and ensures that people can make governance choices free from the threat of coercion.
General Sikazwe, in the past weeks we have read disturbing news about political interference in the work of the Army and about the alleged overt partisanship of your office while acting in an official capacity.
Sir, even more disturbing is the allegation that you are aiding the ruling party to undermine the electoral process. It is reported that you have received jamming equipment from Uganda to tangle up the electoral system.
Sir, whether this is true or not, my sincere appeal to you is not to allow the Army to become politicised. Neither should you allow yourself to become a political tool that will bring the long-standing image and reputation of the Army into disrepute.
Let the Army remain apolitical because it has always been so, and let it not become political under your watch. We do not want the Army to be the source of tension between our men and women in uniform and our national values.
I beg you, Sir, not to confuse servicemen and -women and the public alike by making the Army engage in electoral machinations with clear political consequences. Rather leave political competition to politicians to prevent partisan intentions from informing professional Army operations.
We implore you to refuse to be drawn into electoral gymnastics because we want the public to continue to trust the expertise of the Army. Never, Sir, should it be under your leadership that people should start to fail to count on the faithful service of Army owing to its collaboration with the ruling party in undermining the electoral system and our democracy.
For surely you know, Sir, that such conditions would break down the public’s confidence either in the disfavored political party or in the Army itself, which would damage the functioning of the government and democracy.
General Sikazwe, please search your soul, and the Army ethos, so that the Army may remain a non-partisan force to protect the country because our Army is designed to serve citizens equally and to defend the supreme law of our land.
May I end with the words of former Army Commander General Chinkuli, who said that the Army services treat the principle of non-partisan service as a foundational element of the military profession.
As Army Commander, may you be the one who encourages everyone in uniform to carry out the obligations of citizenship.
Never, Sir, should you allow yourself to be used as a puppet in the hands of avaricious politicians, who wish to destabilise elections, democracy, rule of law and our country, while acting in your official capacity as Army chief.
Preserve the grace of the position of Zambia Army Commander as a rank that always focuses squarely on the national interest, not on your fortunes and the fortunes of the ruling party.
Yours Sincerely,
Professor Sara Imutowana Yeta II, PhD & PhD
Cc: Office of the President, Zambia
Cc: Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Cc: United Nations
Cc: African Union Election Observation Mission
Cc: Diplomats Accredited to Zambia
Cc: Three church mother bodies in Zambia; the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) and the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB)
