Stop war language against citizens – Rev Nsama

By NATION REPORTER ZAMBIA is not at war and Government should therefore stop using war language against its own people and treating the Church as an enemy, Reverend Peter Nsama has said. Rev Nsama of the Redemption Shalom Church says Government should not treat citizens as suspects or regard every criticism as an attack, stating that peace was not simply demonstrated through official statements but through how people experienced governance. He said a government that genuinely wanted to preserve peace should create space for citizens, including the Church, to raise concerns without being labelled as enemies or saboteurs. “Stop using war language on your own people. If Zambia is not at war, then do not govern as if the Church is an enemy formation, citizens are suspects, and every criticism is an attack,” Rev Nsama said. He was responding to a State House statement responding to Catholic Church Bishops, who have raised alarm against the UPND government over a range of governance issues, including arbitrary arrests and detention of political opponents. Rev Nsama said while he was in agreement with some of the points raised by State House, he was of a strong belief that there was a need for greater listening and not characterising citizens as enemies of the State by using war language such as militia and insurgence. Rev Nsama said an arrest could be lawful without necessarily addressing public concerns about how it was perceived, particularly when citizens questioned whether the action was necessary, humane and proportionate. “An arrest can be lawful and still look like abduction. A response can be factual and still feel arrogant. A mother does not need footnotes to be heard,” Rev Nsama said, adding that when bishops speak, they are often conveying concerns they encounter in confessionals, villages and funerals,” Rev Nsama said. The clergyman said Government should distinguish between evidence required in court and the concerns citizens were raising in their communities about the respect for the rule of law and the constitutional rights of those accusaed of treason. He cautioned Government against dismissing criticism as opposition politics, advising that the UPND would only be able to govern legitimately and longer if the leadership could listen more the concerns of Zambians. “A nation that calls every check ‘opposition’ will soon be left with only praise singers. And history in Zambia teaches: praise singers never save a government. A ballot is not a licence to stop listening for five years. It is a contract to listen more deeply for five years,” Rev Nsama said. He explained that respecting an electoral mandate should not mean shutting out criticism for the duration of a government’s term in office. Rev Nsama also urged Government and the Church to engage directly, saying the two sides could bring their respective evidence to the table. “Come to the table. Bring your evidence of recovery. Let the Bishops bring their evidence of pain. Let both be heard,” he said. Rev Nsama said the Church was not an enemy of Government and that his criticism was motivated by concern for the country. “We prayed for this government. We still pray for it. That is why we cannot be silent.” He said. “We are not your enemies. We are your memory.”

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