A LESSON ON ETIQUETTE
IF the embattled Roan Member of Parliament Chishimba Kambwili was not an intellectual minion as we know him, he would by now be looking for President Lungu’s special assistant for press and public relations Amos Chanda for some free lessons on governance and political etiquette.
Only then, we believe, would our Mr Kambwili come to appreciate what a great country Zambia is in as far as civil liberties go.
He would appreciate that for all the uncouth mouthings that spew from his mouth, he is able to walk the streets of Lusaka and drive to anywhere in the country with a free mind.
He does not have to fear that he would be picked up or stopped at any of the check points that the Zambia Police Service mount at random.
This, contrary to what some politicians say, is proof that there is freedom in Zambia and is not a police state.
As Mr Chanda said when he featured on Diamond TV on Monday night, “the proof of democracy in Zambia was everywhere for all to see and that if there had been no tolerance, some of the nonsense that was being said by some disgruntled individuals would not have been uttered.”
Added Mr Chanda: “The democratic space in Zambia which is available to even those that want to exercise their right to talk nonsense like Mr Kambwili is an indication that we have a tolerant Government and a tolerant President.”
Yet, this is contrary to what President Lungu’s critics would want the nation and the international community to believe, that there is a break down in the rule of law, that there is no democracy.
Mr Kambwili and others want to paint a picture of Zambia being a police state. They should be excused for they have no idea what a life in a police state is really like.
How many times have we heard some political players call President Lungu a thief, a coward, and they are still walking and driving on the roads? They are not in some underground dungeon locked up with no access to their expensive lawyers.
The truth is that there is political tolerance in Zambia in which citizens are allowed to say whatever is on their mind without fear of arrest.
As Mr Chanda said, “you have got the right to say what you are saying. I will defend your right to say what you are saying even if I don’t believe in what you are saying. Even if I don’t like what you are saying.”
That Mr Kambwili, is what democracy is all about.
However, the unfortunate part is that this freedom is being abused left, right and centre by people who are supposed to be in the know but have opted to live in denial.
They want the Presidency to stoop to their level of thinking. Thankfully, this won’t happen for.
This explains why the so-called self -proclaimed political stars have failed to make a mark on the country’s political scene. The people have seen right through them, that they do not have what it takes to be given the responsibility of presiding over the nation’s affairs.
But being in a democracy, there they are, spewing venom on all and sundry. That is the price of democracy.