By NATION REPORTER
ZAMBIA’S democracy under the UPND government is at crossroads, Economic Freedom Fighters (EEF) president Kasonde Mwenda has said.
Mr Mwenda said the indirect way of annihilating and silencing the opposition and individuals with divergent views seem to be taking root in the country.
“We seem to be at crossroads as a nation about investigations on perceived corruption of the former government. The use of force and intimidation is no solution. If this trend continues, it will only create enmity, resentment, and bitterness,” he said.
He said there was some lack of decorum, deception, manipulation, wanton trespassing, double standards, cyber bullying, surging criminal activities, among others in Zambia.
Mr Mwenda said the foregoing was exacerbated by patronage and intimidation of perceived political opponents and persons associated with the former government.
The use of state machinery, he said, such as the Anti-Corruption Commission, Drug Enforcement Commission, and the Police in intimidating the citizenry has become the order of the day.
He said politicians were setting a bad precedence which will hit back and severely on those who think and feel that they are now safe until they were no longer in power and in control of the same state machinery.
“Perceived wrongdoing orchestrated by a created narrative(s) will only be costly to the nation and an affront to many innocent citizens. As a result, enmity will foment and at the turn of government, it will be payback time,” Mr Mwenda said.
He urged the security wings to be professional and not allow themselves to work under undue pressure of who to investigate, arrest and brutalise if at all it was permissible at law.
Mr Mweenda said it was incorrect for political parties in power to use the ACC, DEC, and the Police to settle their personal and political scores and to prevent their political as well as business rivals to organise and operate freely.
He warned that if he trend continues, the country will be headed for self-destruction.
Mr Mweenda said democratic politics was about competition in political ideas and not creating sworn enemies.
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