By Prince Bill M. Kaping’a Political/Social Analyst
During the previous regime, daring to insult the president would have entailed a mortuary or ICU case, thanks to the almighty PF cadres that were keen to take matters into their own hands. Lately, we’ve witnessed a number of people insulting the president. What is causing all this? Some people have, of course, weighed in and offered conflicting reasons, more prominently UPND spokesperson Hon. Cornelius Mweetwa MP and New Heritage Party Leader Chishala Kateka.
Addressing a media briefing at the UPND secretariat recently, Hon. Mweetwa MP appealed to the previous PF administration to stop sponsoring people use the social media to insult the president.
Earlier on, Kateka had claimed that the rising number of cases of members of the public either insulting or defaming the President could be that Zambians are unhappy with his leadership and have no other option but to insult the presidency.
For the record, we don’t subscribe to either of the assertions! But what could be the main reason, you may still wonder. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to get to the root cause of this problem. During the previous administration, caderism had taken to another level. Reminiscent of the dreaded vigilantes during the UNIP era who were eager to lift suspected critics ‘by air,’ the notorious PF cadres were ubiquitous in the markets, bus stations, CBDs and even public offices. Some of them had even gone to the extent of decorating themselves with revered titles as commanders and put on military uniforms!
Anybody who dared criticize the humble leader risked having “a ton of blocks falling on them!” Any perceived culprit would be abducted and taken to secluded places where they would be subjected to spine chilling indignities. Remember the journalist in Chipata that had himself peed into the mouth for writing articles critical of government? And if you thought you were smart and offloaded profanities against President Lungu on social media, they would hunt you down with the help of ZICTA and mete out instant justice on you!
As everyone would recall, when President Hichilema got into State House, he immediately pronounced a big NO to caderism.
“If you commit a crime in the name of the party UPND, remember you are on your own!” he fired a warning shot.
Consequently, those in UPND cadres with evil intentions of emulating their peers from PF would immediately refrain from such illegalities. Today, citizens are free; there are no cadres to instill fear anymore, but instead of enjoying these newly found liberties, some people have now realized a golden opportunity to insult the president with impunity!
Even in the so-called free world, we don’t see individuals insulting presidents and their parents to such an extent as literally undressing and describing their body anatomies in graphic detail. It’s even shocking that some of these insults are coming from our mothers and children who ought to uphold good morals.
The president has encouraged us to criticize any wrongdoing on the part of his government. However, this doesn’t mean we should now start competing for entries in the Guineas Book of World Records for having uttered earth-shattering insults against the head of state!
Why didnt u mention Tekere william banda as a cadre who insults women. Useless article.
You don’t need to look far for the reason for this. How did the opposition use social media to campaign? Who made the Zambian citizens realize the power of social media as a powerful tool to campaign? What sort of comments were posted on social media when campaigning? We will not sort our problems if we always find wrong reasons for our problems. Let’s face them (our lies) head on and adjust.
Be balanced and very objective in your analysis so people could be properly informed.
The Author has missed the point,President HH lied to the Zambian people when in Opposition that he had solutions to revive the economy and to unemployment problem now he is blaming PF that’s the reason some circles are showering insults out of anger
How do you know? Zambian people are just amazing, they believe in guess work
You have to have an extremely tiny brain to think economies can turnaround in less than a year especially PF damaged economies. Get a new brain dude.
Insulting on SM is in PF genes………
Their cader thugs competed cash handouts by outdoing each other through throwing stones and who could insult the opposition the most………..
We all saw the videos………….
That is why absolute freedoms of speech is a very idea for the country, PF only know insults……..they expect that type of language on national airwaves
Absolute freedom of speech is not a good thing for zambia………….
We all saw the disgusting videos of PF cader thugs hurling the most vile insults at the opposition………..
It was a competition, of who would come up with the most disgusting insults on SM……….
That behaviour was slowing being translated onto their leaders like kakachinda …………..
Chief praise-singer Prince, either you are short on memory or you just ignorant. All presidents, starting from KK to ECL were insulted, which of course I don’t support. HH will get ‘bashed’ and bruised along the way so get used to it. On caderism, New Doom cadres are just a mirror of PF cadres, it’s just a while ago William Banda was at it again with sexist comments this time.
Hypocrisy, it appears, is the brand name of New Doom praise singers.
Because he promised heaven on earth and yet he has failed to deliver a single thing.
Because he said he would get rid of defamation law and yet today he is happy for people to be arrested for calling him out. He is a chicarla! Tell him I said so
Yes he promised money in your pockets and to develop Zambia within 90days. But this NEVER happened until he died while trying. .. Was it a lie?? Of course NOT, the man tried hard to fulfill his, till his last breath.
Exactly what has been said, here is an insult from a bruised PF cadre. The same PF that promised more money in peoples pockets in 90 days and delivered zero and consequently got booted out of power
Its shocking to see or hear how much the party which people are claming to be in the stone age is always menstined , who is that when one commites a wrong then her or she is PF when a good is done its the UPND christians say befor you remover a speck in your friends eye first remove a log in yours, find time and ask your selves as why these people who soundly voted for us are slowly tuning away,
Can anyone sincerely post or state with evidence when an ordinary citizen was going to the market, office, school or church then PF cadres pounced on them and started beating them. Is it not in cases like that of Tayali, Nakachinda, Boman etc we had cadres and police beat up those with opposing views or insulting the president, that arrests or beating by cadres. There was no violence in Zambia during PF, MMD or UNIP other than that involving politicians and their cadres. Let us not reduce ourselves to lies. When people talk about violence in Zambia why is Mapatizya and Mumfumbwe violence left out? Secondly, we were shown videos of supposedly PF members spreading bundles of cash. Surprisingly UPND was using those videos to decampaign PF. If that was not propaganda, why aren’t those people…
The writer has missed the part were UPND led the campaign of calling the head of state as MR…
This was a dangerous precedent! The presidency MUST be respected at all levels even if you do not like the person occupying it. UPND missed this and citizens learnt from them that its ‘ok’ to call the president as MR and all other things… Granted the brutality of the formal ruling party, UPND still held their press briefings and had many online publications calling the Presidency names. It was wrong then, it is still wrong now. However unfortunate it is, the current ruling party took disrespecting the Presidency to a new dangerous level and they are paying the price.
How do you know? Another guess work
The problem with UPND praise singers is that they shy away from the truth. HH isn’t the 1st President to be insulted. Imfumu taituka bantu, abantu ebatuka imfumu was what FTJ said when asked to respond to those that were insulting him. LPM almost deported Kalaki for calling him Elephant Muwelewele. Just review UPND forums and see how they insulted MCS and Bembas. Those insults are out of frustration and it’s the politicians that have taught the youth how to disrespect elders
Making sense where there is no sense…
What would be your reaction if insulted by your biological child while your wife (mother) overheard it.
Biological child and biological daddy are very different from the political daddy and child. You go into public office to live a public life, you leave behind your private life. Otherwise dont go there. The public cant be controlled to maintain your respect. You just have to deal with that. Accept public criticism. As for what constitutes insults and criticism leave that to the laws of the country, not to your whims.
Soooo right. it’s the politicians that have taught the youth how to disrespect elders. And when they climb the dias they want to cry like babies for respect. Ati kupusa
The simple shelter called toll gate between Kitwe and Ndola cost Zambians 80 million kwacha during the ubomba mwibala alya mwibala regime.
Whilst it is true that PF had cadres who were violent, I am unaware of a situation where instant justice was meted out on someone who insulting Edgar Lungu.
If we are being factual, several people were arrested for insulting the head of State under EL. He even pardoned four people who insulted him on his last pardon.
The author seems to assume that insults are only happening now because there are no cadres, he doesn’t take into account previous events, and also that wider usage of technology may be making these insults more visible.
What you plant is what you reap. You never respected the presidency whilst in opposition.
Simply put people are insulting the president because they cannot reason. Same people insulted president lungu then because they failed to reason. Many zambians cannot reason or put up a good argument. They hide their inability in the insults, threats and praise singing. What surprises me even once friends end up losing it because of failure to reason. Let us learn to disagree to agree.
In as much as this is a despicable act it is not new either.
Because he is a hypocrite! Noone is insulting him. They are just describing him
Very useless opinionated article.
Fake prince… Lungu was insulted day and night. Even my friend Upnd constituency official has condemned this story of yours
It’s people like who like to insult others but get offended when insulted in return
People should respect the president regardless of their affiliation.
How do people react to pain direct or indirectly inflicted to them? The pain inflicted come in different ways………hunger could inflict pain to the body……