This morning, we woke up to the following screaming headline in one of the daily tabloids, The Mast Newspapers – “HICHILEMA IS PERSECUTING BEMBAS, EASTERNERS” The headline was of course reinforced with a byline – using the courts and the police.
Ordinarily, if such sentiments were attributed to a lumpen or junkie from Chibolya, we’d have easily said, forgive them Oh Lord……for they don’t know what they are talking about; they’re probably high on ‘fwaka ya chingoni’ or inebriated with Chavuma water. But for such rationale to emanate from non-other than Sishuwa Sichuwa, a notable academician currently plying his trade at a prestigious citadel of knowledge such as South Africa’s Stellenbosch University is absolutely lurid, extremely flummoxing and definitely ludicrous!
Sishuwa Sichuwa, what has gotten hold of you? Are you smarting from the shock of seeing the opposition, particularly Fred M’membe’s Socialist Party lamentable failure to gain traction on our political landscape despite pumping in colossal sums of money from Socialist States and literally painting the country red with cheap party regalia and billboards?
Reacting to such assertions, Lusaka based prominent lawyer, Mcqueen Zaza opines as follows on his Facebook page, “Without a legal background, historical perspectives can misinterpret legal issues. In Zambia, individuals face court proceedings due to alleged crimes, not persecution based on province or tribe or politics. Let’s distinguish between criminal offences and political rhetoric.”
Zaza couldn’t have put it any better than this! There’s no way anyone in this country is going to be just randomly picked up by our competent ‘bwanas’ without any reasonable belief certain crimes have been committed; be it defamation of character, corruption, seditious practices, plunder of national resources, possession of proceeds of crime, hate speech, assault or indeed cyber-crimes.
In any case, why does this eminent historian fail to give practical examples of individuals being unjustifiably persecuted by the state?
As we all may be aware, most politicians either appearing in court or languishing in prison have been visited by the long arm of the law, which is of course blind to tribe, ethnicity, creed or race, after committing any of the said cases.
Examples abound; a fearless female opposition leader has been handed a suspended sentence for criminal libel, is she from the region Sishuwa refers to? A Zambian of Asian origin is currently in detention for brutally assaulting outspoken PF cadres FBI Mr. Ground and Chama America, is Bemba or Ngoni? And just in case we missed it, the so-called Bull Dozer has gone in for occasioning bodily injury on a helpless political opponent; we’ve no doubt everyone knows he’s neither Bemba nor Chewa! Mr. Binoculars is yet to have his day in court for seditious practices, while a former economic advisor to former President Edgar Lungu is currently appearing in court for corruption along with his family; they share the same province with Hichilema, God’s sake!
So, what the heck is Sichuwa ranting about? As President Hichilema would always love to remind us, when we steal, we don’t do it on behalf of the tribe or ethnic grouping; we’re on OUR OWN! Can we please just allow law enforcement authorities do their work without any encumbrances before we slowly slide into a Banana Republic.
Prince Bill M. Kaping’a
Political/Social Analyst
Although a nepo model can be observed on the ground, all those jailed and facing jail have no clean hands and deserve what’s going on with them.
Pa ZED, these are the type of academicians we have, confused ones and wasted investments
Sishuwa Sishuwa is a marked man for calling a spade a spade. The judicial system should not serve as a blunt instrument for seeking revenge against the ruling party’s adversaries. Furthermore, appointing loyalists to key positions from specific regions undermines the principles of fairness, reducing others to mere tokenism.
A good academician is supposed to encourage integrity and credibility, but condemn stealing, corruption, to tribalism. But shishiwa seems at the top of defending and encouraging criminals
If you are what I think you are then you won’t see what Shishuwa is talking about. Let me venture in some appointments…Zaf and ZDF originally non what I think you are were appointed only to be replaced by what I think you are. Hate speach the who I think you are have called the non what I think you are but they have not been picked by police. If no WITYA have stolen it’s only fair that they face the law but so must the WITYA.
Action speaks louder than words. We’re watching. If those that murdered Kungo were from the wrong region……. God Almighty please give justice for Kungo no matter how long it takes as his murderers are known. God Almighty please grant Mumbi Phiri a consent judgement worth millions of Kwacha
And no one from the current governors have mentioned it meaning there are two types of lives in zambia…Upnd valuable…. opposition… valueless.