When we learnt that some senior citizens in Lusaka, retired Arch Bishop Telesphore Mpundu and one Brebner Changala to be specific, in their capacity as Our Civic Duty Association (OCIDA) had written the US Embassy suggesting that sanctions must be imposed on President Hichilema and some of his government officials, we were left flummoxed and speechless! We remained scratching our heads during the most part of day trying to figure-out what we had missed during our excursion from civilization tending to our goats in the village, to be greeted by calls of such drastic measures on our return.
As Mpundu was jumping onto a Washington bound to escalate their petition with US officials…….well according to Social media; back home, the United Kwacha Alliance (UKA) chairman, eminent lawyer, Sakwiba Sikota, who we believe still has some unfinished business to settle with Hichilema for outclassing him for the UPND top position, was informing the media that they intend to submit a supplementary petition to the US government to reinforce the need for targeted sanctions against Hichilema and other top government officials for alleged human rights violations.
We rather got even more confused when some members of OCIDA distanced themselves from the letter written to the United States embassy in Zambia.
“Just like the decision to write to the US embassy, most of the statements have been issued by the OCIDA Chairperson without consulting other members,” revealed the OCIDA Trustee, Leslie Mbula, in a statement. “We therefore disown it and ask those associated with it to resign from the association on moral grounds.”
Where does this leave Mpundu and his friend, Changala? They’ve actually been exposed that they are part of the cartel which is motivated by sheer bitterness and pathological hatred for an individual, hence see nothing resorting to such acts of extreme unpatriotism.
The problem with those folks in Lusaka is that they tend to think our capital is Zambia and vice versa; whatever they say must be taken as the golden truth. However, those of us domiciled in other precincts across the country will tell you that after 7 years of anguish and misery, we’re finally enjoying a whiff of fresh air, some economic challenges notwithstanding. Violent party cadres that used to terrorise our citizens in the markets and bus stations have since been flashed a red card; every Jim and Jack can now go live on air and blatantly criticise the government, if they want to, without any risk of violent party cadres, some of them now serving as MPs, descending on them and beating them to pulp or indeed emptying the contents of theirs bowels into the mouths of helpless journalists; constituency development fund is being dispersed to every corner of the nation in equal measures in good time – ask Sunday Chanda; civil service jobs are being handed-out to citizens without discrimination; the opposition is allowed ample space to mobilise without any encumbrances – the list is of course, endless!
Now, where’s this hullabaloo about imposing sanctions emanating from? What sort of gross human rights violations has Hichilema’s administration committed to deserve sanctions as compared to the previous absolutely corrupt and brutal Patriotic Front regime?
Curiously, some opposition leaders have always taken pleasure in mocking and taunting Hichilema as a puppet of the West; in their warped thinking, a collection of Caucasians huddled in air-conditioned offices in Washington, London and Paris simply have to pull some strings and our president obliges without any qualms! Those who personally know HH will tell you the man is not a pushover. During his boardroom days, he’d authoritatively present his case and maintain his ground until he got what he wanted. True to this strong trait in him, Hichilema along with Presidents Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana and William Samoei Ruto of Kenya recently issued a joint statement in the influential Economist Magazine, on the need to reform the global financial systems that must treat Africa fairly.
“Firstly, African leaders must be bold in promoting their ideas and participating when decisions are being made that affect the continent. The three of us have made it clear that we will not sign on to global regulations and agreements that are not shaped with our input,” part of the statement reads.
And during his state visit to Botswana early this year, Hichilema encouraged that country not to accept unfair trade conditions especially those that undermine and substitute decision making by African mineral producing countries.
Do you still want to insist Hichilema is a puppet of the West when he’s simply trying his level best to do business with everyone to extricate us from our current economic quagmire?
Well, unlike our colleagues in the East, one decent thing about the West even if they may have their own weaknesses, since we are all fallible, is that they won’t easily “bankroll” you before you satisfy certain benchmarks or conditionalities – how is your government dealing with corruption? Are fundamental human rights being upheld? Is there ample room for the proliferation of democracy in the nation? It’s totally unwise for anyone to expect Western embassies to rely on their twisted reports when they have their own ‘spooks’ lurking in their embassy buildings that actively monitor the prevailing conditions in the nation.
And just in case our friends have missed it, the United States government, through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), has announced $367 million (9.2 billion Kwacha) of new support toward Zambia’s national HIV response over the next year. In addition to this, Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane has also revealed that the World Bank will provide 100 million dollars under the National Energy Advancement and Transformation- NEAT- programme aimed at improving the operations of the power utility company ZESCO whereas the Irish government has committed 300, 000 Euros towards the efforts to address the devastating challenges arising from the drought situations.
If indeed dictatorship is looming and blossoming in our beloved nation, how come the West is still ‘raining’ funds on us and still considering more funding to come out way, including debt restructuring by the International Monetary Fund?
Mwaloba ilyauma!
Prince Bill M. Kaping’a
Political/Social Analyst
It looks like the writer of this article was in a hurry to get it vuvuzelad. The numerous typos and grammatical errors aside the bootlicking is getting to Pre-1964 levels when blacks had to lick a… to get by. LT Please respect your readers do some gate-keeping of what you publish. Dont just give us any rubbish.
Whether you like it or not HH7 is the greatest President at the moment and the sooner you accept that the longer your life will be otherwise you might be taken away by fimba upoke
@FCB, do not comment on your own article. Let others do the commenting and next time you want to post something, take time to prof-read. There is too much rubb!sh with your article being in a hurry to impress you demigod.
It seems sebanawikute Chilufya Tayali is a MASTER LIAR who overates himself. Which regional leader’s are calling him in his ” mousehole” to condemn HH.
Where does he get the guts to bully presidents, who is paying him?
How different is from the loke of GBM, Kambwili,… who called ECL all sorts of names when they stopped feeding from his corruption.
Watch “Chilufya Tayali Bullies FORMER President Edgar Chagwa Lungu & His Family” on YouTube
Any way amalushi ya ba Tayali en…
Watch “P.K. CHISHALA – UMWAUME WALUTUKU” on YouTube
You need prayers mune!
Do not be excited over the small amounts that USA has just released to support the existing program of HIV! Respect rights of all citizens, uphold rule of law and protect democracy. Do not waste your time on this cheap propaganda. The world is too advanced for DICTATORSHIP to be disguised through PROPAGANDA. It is all over, the world is aware of what is going on in Zambia
Please DONOT get surprised why issues of human rights and constricting democracy have been raised by the Emeritus Archbishop Mpundu, he has the information. Underrate the Emeritus’ call and communication to the USA embassy at your own peril. Remember he is the most senior cleric in the Catholic church in Zambia and thus represents the church. As Catholics, we remain loyal to the leadership of the church, including the Emeritus, and take their messages as the Gospel truth. He is a shepherd protecting his flock.
Bart Milena which information do you think mousy has. Yes may unpatriotic based on a certain lsm allien to ocida and national values. And note that the cartel of corrupt crooks think that using mound they may manage to achieve their political agenda to come back to power and set themselves free from all the cases before them, which include corruption and thievery cases
Why dont we start calling it “The Bill Kapinga Times”?
This is the problem. Let us find home grown solutions to our problems. Let’s not rely on the west. We have been let down before big time. The money from the west will enslave us, if not, has already done that. Let’s sit up. Bembas say, “ifikala chimbwi, tefikala ina ikata” literally meaning if there is anything we are doing we need to be careful and watchful for reparcations.
Remember the retired Arch Bishop Telesphore Mpundu was one of the staunch supporters of the current government when it was in opposition. He has a lot of information more than the author of this article. I rest my case
……….
It turns out archbishop mpundu is a coward………
If he did write that letter , why doesn’t he come out in the open and say so, clearly stating where he stands…..???
When KashibaKashina complained about Zicron, the police made sure they arrested him on Friday so that he languished instead of investigating his claims of impropriety against Mark. All UPNDs have a superiority over other citizens. Mpundu is not on the ran and will never be. He is a national hero who helped usher in NewDawn. He is only cautious about the political twists and turns.
It’s a known fact that America can’t impose economic sanctions on the allied government leaders. But Zambia had chosen to neutralise that matter by sending about a dozen CSOs to the embassy. Maybe there is a substance in OCiDa. Otherwise, we can’t be talking about a mountain when there is only an anthill. Why are we expending resources and time on a note whose contents mean nothing?
Its a well known fact that America nourishes Monsters worldwide and when they grow big are discarded. Examples abound, Mobutu in Congo DR, Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Kaddafi in Libya, and so on. HH currently is a darling of the West and cannot sanction him and his cronies. However, let it be known that holes have been punched in Akainde’s reign for future reference.
What holes…..??
Pursuing corrupt individuals…….??
Clamping down on the moral decay….. ????
@Spinister of science, kci etal, the message can not be more clear than what you read from ‘Bill Kaping’a Times’
The writer is living in an illusion honestly.
Uyu mutu libage or chamba ichakuchulu or kachushi kamulupili.
OCIDA now has only two members in Archibishop Mpundu and Brebner Changala. The other members, John Mambo and Leslie Mbula are known upnd carders. Archibishop Mpundu was an angel when he was critizing ECL and now he is a thorn in the flesh of upnd carders for critizing hh. Archibishop Mpundu and Brebner Changala, are consistent while Mbula and Mambo are crumb tweakers.