ZAMBIA SLIDING BACK TO AUTHORITARIAN RULE? – MAIKO ZULU SPEAKS OUT
Renowned youth activist and award-winning musician Maiko Zulu has sounded the alarm over what he describes as Zambia’s dangerous slide back to authoritarianism under the leadership of President Hakainde Hichilema.
Zulu’s sharp criticism follows a concerning report by Hot FM Radio alleging that schools in Kabwe were abruptly closed, with pupils ordered to attend a political rally held by the Republican President. Zulu compared this incident to the time when civil servants were allegedly forced to line up and clap for the President upon his return from securing an IMF debt restructuring deal abroad.
“In a normal society which values the education of its children, the Minister of Education should have resigned on moral grounds for subjecting pupils to political rhetoric at the expense of learning,” Zulu stated.
He also took aim at state-controlled media, noting that ZNBC conveniently labeled the rally as a “community engagement.” Zulu described how the President “literally demanded to be clapped for” while announcing the re-opening of Mulungushi Textiles — a symbolic moment that, according to Zulu, exposed the growing appetite for public praise within the ruling party.
“This happened only days after alleged UPND youths caused mayhem during Youth Day celebrations in Lusaka,” Zulu added, suggesting a troubling pattern of political intimidation and control.
Zulu did not mince his words about the growing public fear under the current administration. “Zambians should get concerned and worried, if not scared, of the tone with which the voice of the once new dawn is speaking. This is why Edgar Lungu and the PF are not in government today. The very things that Zambian voters detested in the last regime are the things we are beginning to see now under the rule of Mr. Hichilema.”
He warned that the ruling party’s dominance over political space, coupled with increased fear of speaking out, is fostering a dangerous climate. “The fact that people are more scared to speak up now than during Mr. Lungu’s rule is no guarantee that they will not react at an appropriate time and decisively so,” he cautioned.
Zulu described the current state of Zambia’s political landscape as a betrayal of public trust. “Zambians trusted the UPND with the custody of the nation and what we are seeing is a betrayal of that trust in more ways than expected. Other political players are practically out of the equation as only the ruling elites are able to have their rallies and to sell their vision.”
He concluded with a sobering observation: “The hope and the picture we had of the current leadership has evaporated to a point where people are now making comparisons with what we thought was the worst. I guess the phrase ‘mulenya mulelapila’ was truly methodical.”
Maiko Zulu’s remarks have sparked debate and reflection across political and social circles, with many wondering whether Zambia’s democratic progress is beginning to unravel.
The FOX Newspaper