We Can Forgive But We Shall Not Forget Who Sold Bill 7
By the Independent Political Correspondent
There comes a time in a nation’s life when forgiveness must be tempered with memory. Zambia is at such a moment today. We may be a forgiving people, but we are not a foolish one. We cannot, and must not, forget who sold Bill 7.
Just over a month ago, a group of Members of Parliament presented themselves as defenders of democracy. They sat with Civil Society Organizations, listened attentively as Mrs. Katebe clearly articulated why Bill 7 had to be stopped, and nodded in agreement as concerns were laid bare. The message was unambiguous: Bill 7 was not progressive. It was dangerous. It was designed to entrench power in the hands of one man and weaken democratic safeguards.
The same warnings were echoed by church leaders. Priests and other clergy took time to explain, patiently and firmly, why Bill 7 posed a threat to Zambia’s democratic future. They cautioned that if the opposition in Parliament failed to put their heads together and reject the Bill, they would be midwives to dictatorship. The language was sobering, the appeal moral, and the expectation clear.
In those meetings, these MP’s assured the nation, civil society, and the Church that they would not support such a Bill. They spoke with conviction. They wore the mask of principle. They claimed to stand on the side of the people.
What the CSO’s and church leaders did not know then—but what the nation now knows—is that these assurances were hollow. Even as they condemned Bill 7 in public forums, the reward for supporting it had already been secured. Their loyalty was not to the Constitution, nor to the people, nor to the Church that trusted them. It was to personal gain.
With Bill 7 out of the way, the same individuals have now conveniently bundled themselves into an alliance, acting as though the people of Zambia have forgotten. They behave as if betrayal has an expiry date. They assume collective amnesia, hoping that time, noise, and rebranding will erase their treachery and their shameful betrayal of the Church’s trust.
Their conduct is disturbingly familiar. It mirrors that of Judas Iscariot—who walked with Jesus, spoke the language of loyalty, and even kissed Him on the cheek. To unsuspecting onlookers, Judas appeared the most devoted of the apostles. Yet he was the betrayer. Today, we see the same theatre: smiling faces, holy company, and public displays of virtue—even walking alongside the Archbishop to the DEC—as if intentions were pure. Yet these were the very people who sold out the cause they publicly claimed to defend.
We now know better.
What is most intriguing, and indeed insulting, is the extent to which these same actors have tried to convince Zambians that they mean well, without ever explaining why they voted for Bill 7. Silence has become their strategy. Evasion their shield. How does one claim to be the head of the opposition in Parliament and yet conveniently stay away during such a crucial vote? What leadership is this? What accountability does it reflect?
The people of Zambia are not blind. They see what is happening. Just as they rejected the PF in 2026 because of corruption, treachery, and savage behaviour, they will again reject the UPND and any formation that is merely a ruse designed to disguise a rejected PF. Political cosmetic do not change character. No amount of lipstick can turn a pig into something it is not; it remains a pig. In the same way, a corrupt thug remains a corrupt thug, no matter the alliance, no matter the branding, no matter the borrowed moral language.
The road to rebuilding trust is long, and forgiveness is a virtue of a strong people. But amnesia is a luxury a democracy cannot afford. We shall forgive in time, but we shall never, ever forget who sold Bill 7. Our votes will be our reminder to those who betrayed our trust.