Attempts to scapegoat Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa as a tribal instigator are a red herring. The real question is why this government is sowing seeds of discord by targeting Bemba speakers and Easterners, setting the cat among the pigeons.
Lusaka, Nov. 23 [ZWD] – Zambians must engage in a meaningful and urgent debate about the grave allegations raised by historian Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa regarding how “Outgoing Dictator” Hakainde Hichilema’s government is persecuting Bemba-speaking and Eastern tribes. Cloaked in a façade of unity, this administration seems to be employing state machinery to promote reverse tribalism, threatening the very fabric of national harmony.
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To advance this debate, we must first discard the scaremongering tactics deployed by the United Party for National Development (UPND) and its representatives. The governmentâs apologists have been quick to deflect attention from the issue at hand by accusing Dr. Sishuwa of fanning tribal divisions. However, such deflection is akin to sweeping dirt under the carpet – it only worsens the mess. The focus must remain on the systematic targeting of Bembas and Easterners through the civil service, judiciary, and police.
Encouragingly, prominent individuals like Mr. Sipho Phiri and former Attorney General Abyud Shonga SC have lent their voices to the matter. Mr. Phiri warned that any government attempt to pursue Dr. Sishuwa would cost the ruling party his support, while Mr. Shonga’s remarks reinforced the urgency of addressing the selective persecution.
However, the predictable machinery of the UPND regime has already swung into action, with two State House representatives, Clayson Hamasaka and Chris Haambote, exemplifying the government’s disturbing escapism.
According to these State House spokespersons, the victims of this persecution should not attribute their plight to tribal bias but rather to the regime itself. This reasoning, while poorly articulated, reveals an underlying attempt to dodge the central issue. As Dr. Sishuwa rightly highlighted, the current wave of oppression is rooted in reverse tribalism. Intriguingly, the criticism came not from political opponents but from individuals like Dr. Sishuwa, a Lozi, and journalist Larry Moonze, a Tonga – further exposing the regime’s tribal bias.
Dr. Sishuwaâs poignant question strikes at the heart of the matter: “Why is it that no one from Southern, Western, North-Western, and Central Provinces has been arrested for hate speech against citizens from other provinces, despite clear evidence of guilt?” This question has yet to receive a substantive response from the UPND’s defenders, who seem more intent on silencing dissent than addressing the double standards in their actions.
The evidence is damning. While Bemba speakers and Easterners face swift arrests and prolonged detentions for alleged offenses, individuals from regions perceived as allied to the ruling party are spared similar treatment, even when guilty of comparable hate speech. The judiciary appears complicit, denying bail and colluding with the executive to punish the governmentâs political adversaries. This selective application of the law is not only unjust but also dangerously divisive.
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The stakes could not be higher. The UPND government must recognize that its actions are sowing seeds of discord that could unravel Zambia’s national unity. Citizens must demand accountability and fairness to ensure that no tribe is treated as second-class. Silence in the face of such injustice amounts to complicity, and those with the platform to speak out must do so boldly.
And former Head of State, Mr. Edgar Lungu asked government to “leave bo Sishuwa alone”! He wrote on his Facebook page that, “I have just read the police statement that Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa is threatened with arrest and worse for critiquing my successorâs leadership in an interview with The Mast newspaper. When Dr. Sishuwa criticised my leadership and accused me of persecuting Tongas during my presidency, I took the criticism in stride as part of a healthy political debate, fully believing that Zambia was a democracy!”
Mr. Lungu stated that, “As a former President and a citizen like you, I believe that ‘not every criticism requires police action’. Some debates require political responses, not further abuse at the brutal hand of state police as the situation currently is. My appeal is, leave bo Sishuwa and others with dissenting views like him alone, let democracy flourish!”
In 2021, Zambians voted to remove a regime perceived as tribal, only to see it replaced by what Dr. Sishuwa describes as an even more extreme tribal government. Voices like those of Abyud Shonga SC and Sipho Phiri must be amplified to challenge the selective persecution and uphold the principles of justice. The time for pretense is over – Zambians must hold the government to account before the nationâs unity is irreparably fractured.
Credit: Zambian Whistleblower.
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