LGBTQ CONUNDRUM
THE issue of the LGBTQ community should not be allowed to overshadow important national issues from which Zambia stands to gain.
The United States Vice President, Ms Kamara Harris is in Africa to promote her country’s interests against the growing Chinese and more recently Russian pitch for support in view of the unprovoked Ukrainian invasion.
“Yakumbuyo” has been with us from time immemorial. Our musicians have immortalised it just as the Bible has catalogued and condemned it.
Ms Harris is not coming to Zambia to change our minds on the matter, she has more pressing economic, social and political matters to canvass.
In turn, we should prepare ourselves to secure more bilateral support towards national development programmes and the alleviation of some immediate pressing demands which require expeditious attention beyond the normal to support.
In this regard, we have economic imperatives and challenges which are beyond our immediate technical capacity for which we must seek assistance.
For example, it took an advanced cadastral survey to locate some of the minerals for which the new electric car battery project is based.
We need support in our agricultural sector to ensure that we grow enough food not only for home consumption but for exports too.
We clearly do have an array of problems for which we need external help, notably to deal with the perennial floods which have a devastating effect on our food security.
The serious shortage of drugs and equipment in our hospitals are serious matters that should be addressed and over which the United States could help.
Government should therefore take advantage of Ms Harris visit to lobby for more American aid that will help improve the lives of the Zambians.
In lobbying for American support, Government should not at the same time compromise against upholding the country’s core cultural values especially in relation to gay rights.
As we have noted before, we must pursue those goals that best promote our interests. The principle of relativity does indeed apply depending on the circumstances and nature of relationships.
Ms Harris is clearly not blind to Africans’ stand against LGBTQ or commonly called Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, (Intersex, Asexual) community.
During her first stop in Ghana, Ghanaian lawmakers were in the midst of discussing the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Value Bill - which criminalises advocacy for gay rights and proposes jail terms for those that identify as LGBTQ.
In Uganda, the country’s parliament as recently passed a law that criminalises identifying as LGBTIQA+, handing authorities broad powers to target Ugandans who already face legal discrimination and mob violence. The US has criticised this.
Thus, as Vice President Harris visits, our advice is that the LGBTIQA+ agenda must not be the basis on which to engage the government – over which its position is well known – but her engagement must be anchored on mutual respect for what the country stands for.
Common interests must override all perceived differences.