Unpatriotic skirmishes

Wed, 26 Apr 2017 11:42:36 +0000

SPREADING falsehood and projecting a political crisis in Zambia does not help the United Party for National Development (UPND) get out the troubled waters but actually makes them fall prey to facing the wrath of the law.

Attempts to court the international community and some regional organisations to discredit government does not make the opposition UPND stronger or popular politically.

For insatnce, the Southern African Platform for Democratic Change (SAPDC) criticism of President Edgar Lungu and its call upon SADC to intervene in what they myopically term government’s campaign of intimidating its critics is plainly one of the UPND dirty schemes to portray a gloomy picture of the political situation in Zambia.

It would certainly be living in denial to expect the SAPDC to be objective in its analysis of the political situation in this country as its executive leadership only comprises opposition leaders from South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

We know that embattled MMD president Nevers Mumba, who is the Vice Chairperson of SAPDC, is a UPND sympathiser. It follows, therefore, that SAPDC Chairperson, who is opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) of South Africa leader Mmusi Maimaine, is merely being used by the UPND sympathisers to discredit the Patriotic Front (PF) government.

We find manoeuvres by the opposition UPND to use foreign biased political organisations to advance its agenda not only unpatriotic but grossly misleading and an act of cowardice.

However, patriotic Zambians know so well that the country is not on fire as alleged by a cabal of unpatriotic individuals parroting lies about what is happening within Zambia.

Why should these individuals engage in disseminating falsehood? Why is such a campaign coinciding with fire outbreaks in selected parts of the country? Does the burning of markets and courtrooms imply Zambia is on fire?

It can be concluded that this scandalous campaign is well calculated to paint a bad picture of Zambia to both the regional and international community.

The UPND is on record of threatening Armageddon, chaos and promised to make this country ungovernable following their fifth electoral lost in last year’s August general election. Is what is happening a fulfilment of their doomsday prophecy?

The unfolding events last weekend clearly point to a carefully and systematic campaign to deliberately spread falsehood to unsuspecting political analysts across the region.

Certainly, it is not sheer coincidence that the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishop (ZCCB) press statement on the political situation in the country could be released barely two days after SAPDC had launched scathing attacks on government.

What is interesting to observe is that both press releases, the ZCCB and SAPDC project a picture that Zambia’s political situation has degenerated to such worst levels that the governing political party has embarked on a campaign of intimidating those working to safeguard democracy and its practices.

Why has the ZCCB and SAPDC not considered engaging the UPND over its stance not to recognise President Edgar Lungu as dully and legitimately elected President?

We urge sympathisers of the opposition UPND to be level-headed whenever they are contemplating of remaining relevant to Zambia’s politics.