GIDEON NYENDWA
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema has since his election been demanding unconditional praise from citizens instead of listening to genuine checks and balances that should have helped him to run the country effectively, Dr Fred M’membe and Nason Msoni have said.
The two opposition leaders were reacting to President Hichilema’s self-praise that his administration had recorded monumental economic and social successes in the last four years of being in power but that Zambians were not seeing his achievements.
On Thursday, President Hichilema said there were so many “Kwenyus” (correct ticks) on his performance score card that had he not been the country’s President and working with the UPND administration, he would be heaping praises on the regime because of what it had achieved in the last four years of being in government.
Dr. M’membe said the UPND appears to believe that checks and balances should mean praising President Hichilema, adding that the ruling party was misunderstanding the concept of criticism.
“Our friends in the UPND and its government want everyone to fear and sing praise songs even when there is no praise to sing about,” Dr. M’membe said.
He argued that during his years in opposition, President Hichilema never praised previous governments, including that of former President Edgar Lungu, and questioned why the UPND was expecting different treatment now that it is in power.
He said Zambia was not a dictatorship where citizens should think and speak uniformly, warning that diversity of opinion was central to democracy.
Drawing parallels with Christianity, Dr. M’membe said true believers of democracy were often persecuted for speaking uncomfortable truths, just as biblical prophets were.
Meanwhile, Mr. Msoni has said the UPND had failed to deliver meaningful development, accusing the ruling party of focusing on self-praise instead of addressing issues like prolonged load shedding, the high cost of living and unstable fuel prices.
“Zambia cannot be praising long hours of load shedding or the fluctuating prices of fuel,” Mr. Msoni said, urging President Hichilema to listen to his critics as a way to improve governance.
He also criticised the prosecution of former First Lady Esther Lungu, saying it was not something that deserved public praise.
Both leaders called on the UPND government to accept dissenting voices as a vital component of democracy rather than trying to suppress them with demands for praise.
