The Suspension of Larry Mweetwa is a Smokescreen

The Suspension of Larry Mweetwa is a Smokescreen

By Thandiwe Ketiš Ngoma

The suspension of Dr. Larry Mweetwa, Director in the Ministry of Technology and Science, for posting on his personal Facebook account information relating to the administration of the funeral and burial of the late Sixth President of the Republic of Zambia, Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, is nothing but a smokescreen. It is a carefully choreographed performance meant to hoodwink the Lungu family into believing that, this time, the government is serious about negotiations and can be trusted.

Secondly, it is designed to reinforce the government’s narrative that the powers given to Patrick Kangwa, Secretary to the Cabinet, are real and enforceable. After the collapse of earlier talks, the government knows that trust has been deeply eroded.

By designating Kangwa as the sole spokesperson on the burial issue, President Hichilema is attempting to ride on the limited trust that the family has extended to the Secretary to the Cabinet. Kangwa has now been given leeway to commit the government to undertakings designed to deceive the family into agreeing to bring the body.

In this vein, the suspension by Kangwa’s subordinate is nothing more than political theatre. It is aimed at creating the impression that anyone who disregards the Secretary to the Cabinet’s exclusive authority on the funeral matter will face disciplinary action. This is about optics, not sincerity.

If President Hichilema truly meant well, he would have dismantled his rogue media platforms Koswe and Watchdog, which are run from State House and serve as the headquarters of those dedicated to insulting the Lungu family. In fact, Watchdog renewed its mockery of the family as recently as Tuesday, September 2nd, when it posted “it’s finally coming home,” only to delete the post after satisfying itself that the insult had been delivered.

If HH were genuine, he would also have suspended Frederick Msebenzi and Brian Mwinga, the administrators of these propaganda platforms. He would have suspended the Minister of Muchinga Province, who publicly insulted the deceased.

Let the Lungu family not be hoodwinked. What they have done to Mweetwa is mere performance. He has not been punished; he has simply been told to enjoy working from home while the government puts on a show of toughness.