Political | Analysis: Who Must Pay For The Honeybee Political Scandal And Restore Dr. Chilufya’s Name?
…as Zambia witnesses, yet again, another case of eliminating political opponents through the illusion of truth.
Lusaka – 11th February, 2022.
Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth, is a law of propaganda that psychologists refer to as the “illusion of truth” effect. Understanding this effect can help you avoid falling for propaganda.
Former Minister of Health, Dr. Chitalu Chilufya, has repeatedly urged the new dawn government to investigate the expired drugs scandal stating that, “…we cannot sacrifice science at the altar of politics.”
Dr. Chilufya recently said that there were three forces in government which were engaged in a battle of thrones fighting to get an upper hand. He said a cartel of politicians, rival businessmen and strategically positioned civil servants defiled science and falsified reports to dent political threats.
“We must endeavour never to manipulate oversight institutions in order to settle scores with perceived political enemies. Let’s not defile science. Let’s not falsify reports just to inflame the nation,” Dr. Chilufya said.
And the dexterous former Minister of Health explained that government has got a budget to dispose off drugs that are no longer in use because of new molecules. He said because of this, some people ignorantly described such drugs as expired.
“If for example there’s evidence that a new drug will reduce HIV viral load in a month while the old drugs would attain that in 12 months, we transition patients to the new regimen. So, every year there’s a budget line to dispose off drugs that are out of use; some of which may have expired out on disuse. We don’t distribute or dispense these expired molecules. Instead, we incinerate them,” said Dr. Chilufya.
He said the narrative was systematically unleashed to the public through compliant media and sustained, ‘unfortunately, with certain individuals in public institutions under their payroll’.
“So, today I go on record that we never procured drugs that were expired, neither did we ever procure condoms that were leaking. We did not, whatsoever, subject Zambians to drugs or condoms that were expired or leaking respectively. I am a trained and certified medical doctor and I would never put the lives of Zambians at risk by providing them with drugs that are expired,” Dr. Chilufya emphasised.
“And it is shameful that cartels of senior civil
servants with selected politicians and businessmen colluded to create this narrative just in order to tar my image in the conscious of the public and push me into political oblivion as battles of thrones ravaged the party. That is unacceptable. We have the obligation to future generations. We cannot defile science in order to serve our immediate personal interests!”
He said the truth was the victim but that it could not be suppressed forever, saying it was time for the truth to come out. Dr. Chilufya said it was important to ensure that officers put in offices clad in constitutional immunity were not manipulated and should discharge their duties honestly.
The former Minister of Health has emphasised that it was important for politicians from the previous administration and the current one to uphold honest discourse in the health sector that must remain apolitical.
And today, Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba wrote on his Facebook wall, “It was a big scandal, leaking condoms, expired drugs, rotten medicines! Now two years later, the Zambia Medicines and Medical Suppliers has released the same consignment of drugs, imported by Honeybee Pharmaceuticals for eventual use in hospitals, clinics and health centres, that the regulatory authority had impounded and quarantined. This is the medicine they had alleged that it had failed quality and safety tests. A Minister was fired, boards were dissolved and a PS arraigned before court. So was the entire episode a PUNKA story?”
Our high levels of illiteracy form fertile ground to execute propaganda on as a lethal weapon to eliminate political opponents. If anything, it’s this very narrative that is at the centre of our underdevelopment. Hence our advocacy for a new home bred governance system that must prioritize development over politics of patronage. The only crime Dr. Chitalu Chilufya committed was expressing interest in leading the Patriotic Front.
Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth, is a law of propaganda that psychologists refer to as the “illusion of truth” effect. Understanding this effect can help you avoid falling for propaganda.
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