ZAMBIA NEEDS DEMOCRATIC INDEPENDENCE, WE CAN’T SPEAK – LUO

ZAMBIA NEEDS DEMOCRATIC INDEPENDENCE, WE CAN’T SPEAK – LUO

FORMER Minister of Higher Education Professor Nkandu Luo says Zambia needs to regain its democratic independence because citizens cannot speak.

Speaking when she, alongside other PF women including former Lands Minister Jean Kapata, former Works and Supply Minister Sylvia Chalikosa among others, visited former first lady Vera Chiluba, Tuesday, Prof Luo said there was also need to be free from the colonial type of economy.

She recalled that the late former president Fredrick Chiluba was the father of democracy, and that a lot of work needed to be done for the country to regain its democracy.

“The father of democracy in this country is Dr Chiluba. People now talk about democracy, and because we don’t write these things, this new generation don’t even know who the father of independence is, who the father of democracy is. You are a symbol of what Dr Chiluba stood for, to give freedom to people, being able to trade, all these businesses people are talking about are as a result of president Chiluba. When I look at the journey, those of us who have been there, we are still looking for two other things: independence, freedom from having the colonial type of economy, to take ourselves to an indigenous Zambian economy. Former presidents Sata and Lungu started giving us that independence. Today we still have to get another freedom, which takes the Zambians into total freedom, where we are independent in terms of democracy because as it is in Zambia, we can’t speak,” said Prof Luo.

“I reflect on all the presidents and I say work is still there. It’s just this sickness that has befallen you, as first lady, you were helping my father to liberate this country, going into the doldrums, into the villages and taking development to the people in the villages. You had enough strength that you would even lift a bag of mealie-meal, we would get surprised. God is merciful, he has spared up to this time for a purpose that we can come back to you, visit you, we can cry to you. We are very lucky to be able to associate with you”.

Meanwhile, Chalikosa said there was need for God’s blessings to liberate the country as it had gone many years backwards.

“During your time as first lady, you were a great inspiration to a girl child because the way you carried yourself gave confidence to anyone. Making use of your high office to meet everyone regardless of where they were coming from. And I remember admiring you, you brought charisma into the office of the first lady. For those of us who just joined politics, it also showed that it doesn’t matter your background, you can still make it as long as you’re determined. So that still stands today,” said Chalikosa.

“May God grant us the blessings to do what we can to liberate our country because right now we seem to have gone many years backwards. Whatever we achieved has gone down. We hope that we will pray together for the emancipation of this country, totally on the basis of democracy and to expect people to have the due justice and move away from this individual persecution that we are going through. A lot of people are complaining about the way we are living. We pray that God helps our country to be the way it should be in 2026, even the peace we are enjoying should continue”.

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