Zambia's Multiparty Democracy: A Hollow Celebration, Exposed by Hichilema's Rise to Power!

◾Democracy should not be reduced to manipulated voting as the case was in Kabushi and Kwacha by-elections. Democracy should, instead, represent sensible forms of citizens’ participation.
◾In a land where the struggle to put food on the table overshadows the call for true democratic principles, KK’s Choma Declaration remains a practical democracy Zambia still needs today!

Lusaka, July 9 – The 4th of June, every year, marks the anniversary of the dreaded day when the Chinese troops opened fire to end the student-led unrest in and around the Tiananmen Square in central Beijing.

Also Read: Tiananmen Square Protests: Where would China be today had it not crashed them? Democracy as the possibility of the people making collective decisions for their common good is something that cannot be taught or imposed from the outside.

While every life that is lost is regrettable and leaders must avoid confrontational political solutions, one has to realise that the export of democracy as a governance system by the West has proven to achieve only one purpose; to weaken governments with divergent political philosophies.

You have to be stupid not to understand why the United States is concerned about the lives of people in cultures it barely understands when it can’t protect its own citizens from internal terrorism coming from the archaic December 15, 1791 Second Ammendment that protects the right to keep and bear arms.

The Second Ammendment is such a useless piece of legislation but you won’t find China or Russia interfering in this mess. Had it been the other way round, it would have been enough reason to invade the host country. One wonders where Iraq or Libya would have been today had it not been for the USA’s decision to take multiparty democracy there by force.

China, equally, would most likely have lost sight of its long term social economic development objectives had its leadership opened doors to an alien governance system that the West tried to sponsor in the Tiananmen Square on the 4th of June in 1989. What can Zambia learn from the unfortunate but life changing event?

Democracy should not be reduced to manipulated voting as the case was in Kabushi and Kwacha by-elections. Democracy should, instead, represent sensible forms of citizens’ participation. Consequently, democracy as the possibility of the people making collective decisions for their common good is something that cannot be taught or imposed from the outside.

Also Read: That was not democracy in Kwacha and Kabushi, the seats were literally stolen – Sangwa. Every Zambian that loves democracy should defend Lungu’s right to stand in 2026 if he decides to because the constitutional court stated that he’s eligible to stand.

Multiparty democracy in Africa was not introduced to promote good governance but to keep Africa in check. This is why we shall continue wasting time on Edgar Lungu’s eligibility cases and investing our meagre resources in changing governments at the expense of economic development for our majority poor people.

Does it make sense to spend millions of US Dollars on by-elections in a Constituencies that lack clean drinking water? What do people need more between representation in government and access to primary health care?

Multiparty democracy will always be floundered in Zambia, with the impoverished electorate swayed more by immediate needs than by lofty ideals. The Choma Declaration, however, was a masterstroke, an ace in the hole that aimed to mend a fractured nation.

KK recognized that unity was strength, and in a country beset by poverty, a single-party state could foster cohesion and collective progress, allowing the government to focus on national development rather than political infighting. Do not underestimate his line of thinking until you reflect on what has developed China.

By uniting the nation under one political umbrella, the Choma Declaration was a stitch in time that saved nine. In a world where politics often drove wedges between communities, the Choma Declaration served as the glue that held Zambia together. This initiative was a strategic move to ensure that the government could address the needs of the populace without the distractions and divisions that come with a multiparty system in an unenlightened society.

Dr. Kenneth Kaunda understood that in the game of politics, sometimes it is necessary to cut through the noise to see the bigger picture, and his foresight in implementing the Choma Declaration was a testament to his commitment to national unity not the hollow statements by Hakainde Hichilema of national unity when his campaign was won on regional and tribal voting techniques.

The Choma Declaration initiative was a classic case of biting the bullet. While it might have seemed a step back from democratic ideals by Western standards, it was a pragmatic solution to a pressing national issue. The declaration aimed to focus the nation’s energies on building a stable and prosperous society, where the people could eventually enjoy the fruits of true democracy.

In essence, the Choma Declaration was a bold and necessary step to ensure that Zambia did not miss the forest for the trees, prioritizing national unity and development over the often chaotic and divisive nature of Western multiparty democracy in a context of widespread poverty.

Also Read: Arrest Kawana and Matembo for Subverting the Law in the Abduction and Torture Case. Their attempt to persuade Hon. Banda to exonerate the named abductors is as heinous as Hon. Banda’s criminal abduction and torture.

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