SOCIAL MEDIA YENA HICHILEMA ABEPELEFYE
We are not shocked that Mr Hakainde Hichilema revealed at his press conference yesterday that he was spying on citizens, who were engaging in political expression through various social media channels such as the WhatsApp messaging application.
Mr Hichilema’s confirmation of such ruthless state surveillance on private conversations by the state may have been advertent because it was said in anger, frustration and desperation as the economy and other aspects of governance nose-dive and continue to slip away from his control because he lacks a genuine plan for the country.
Even so, it should alert Zambians because if Mr Hichilema is not stopped, we are likely to start witnessing the worst forms of dictatorship and ruthlessness, all because the man knows he can’t win the next election without manipulation, intimidation, violence, repression and fraud.
It is also not surprising that Mr Hichilema’s Western friends and backers are not restraining his tyranny. This is the imperialist history we are familiar with. We haven’t forgotten how the same West backed Mr Hichilema’s protégé, the autocratic Hastings Kamuzu Banda of Malawi, even as he ruthlessly assassinated his political opponents and shut down spaces for political expression. All this was because Kamuzu supported the apartheid settler colonial regime in South Africa at a time when other African countries refused to endorse such an evil.
Today, Mr Hichilema is the being backed against his own people by the West, as a reward for backing settler colonialisation against Palestinians, the colonisation of Western Sahara by Morocco with the support of United States in exchange for Morocco’s support for Israel, and for surrendering the country’s political and economic sovereignty to the West. All this is happening amidst increasing human rights violations, nepotism, tribalism, economic crisis, and corruption.
But just like apartheid in South Africa, Mr Hichilema and his masters shall be defeated by people power. The people of Zambia are resolved as they always do when leadership fails, and no amount of repression and suppression will stop them. We only can urge the people to stand up earlier than later and stop this repressive and suppressive puppet regime before it starts a campaign of political brutality like their heroes, Kamuzu and Mobutu Seseseko of then Zaire, just to cling on to the power, they are rapidly losing.
So, for Mr Hichilema banning political rallies is not enough and now he wants to gain control of people’s opinions or political expression by controlling social media. He doesn’t want anyone to offer contrary views. He only wants people to be reading and following the nonsense published by his State House media team through his guerrilla channels – Koswe and Zambian Watchdog. That garbage, hate and malice is what he wants to be feeding people with daily? What a disaster of a leader? What a mistake for the country? Why is Mr Hichilema behaving like a 16th century emperor? Why does he want to treat citizens like animals on his ranch?
Anyway, it will not work. It won’t be tolerated. It’s impossible to administer a country well on this level of propaganda. A certain minimum level of truth is needed.
In fact, we are glad he has told us about his spying games. So, we shall make sure that his informers give him the undiluted truth about his failed government and disastrous leadership. We shall increase the volume since we now know what he is up to. And since he is monitoring social media, we shall help him to clearly see and tell how unpopular he is and that he can’t win an election without repressing and suppressing people and engaging in electoral malpractices.
Mulekeni alesabaila but social media yena abepelefye!
Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party
He is just a scarecrow. He will not succeed.
Really? What amistake ato make!!
So we now have the Romanian Dictator’ s securitate equivalent in the form of the Mingalatoon, monitoring our posts??
Kuti wafwa kunseko.
CNP. Wasting efforts on trevia.
You whom he has planted read here also
Fred misquoted what the president said on this part.He was marely talking about discussions that take place on social media He said he follows by reading through what people post and he has his people who help him to note some postings which may be of concern.Not to spy no.The comments that are posted are of different values in terms of national building.Some are false stories posted with intent to mislead while some are sent with some signs of ignorance and bitterness.Like you Fred you send messages of misleading and character assassination and sometimes ignorance.You are always in a hurry to post without verification.Look at that posting on Rwanda being offered some land,you did not say where that land is and the size and for what.You said you were going to give positions in government to chiefs immediately you are sworn in.You totally exhibited some ignorance on part of the provision of the Zambian constitution.On the part of the president’s speech on the part of social media you opted to mislead people that they are being spayed when infact not.The president simply indicated that he is abreste with people ‘s feelings and thoughts in our country in the postings they do on social media.The planted people are media aids who help him to check on issues that matter because he is always busy and may not manage to pass through on everything that is posted.Ok my man be attentive and follow the logic accordingly.