So, is violence the fruit of the Democratic Summit?

EVEN before the aura of the democratic summit that we co-hosted with other four countries including the United States on March 29-30 2023 dissipates, the wards facing by- elections are turned into killing fields by the ruling UPND cadres.

The ancients used say that charity begins at home. It is hypocritical for our leaders to pledge at international fora their commitment to fair and free elections as way of respecting popular sovereignty, but in the meantime unleash their cadres to attack the opposition parties.

As a peace activist, there is nothing that erodes my confidence in the government when the government has a protector of persons and property becomes the villain. The cost of living can go up, but I can still vote for the regime, but when violence goes up and government is the perpetrator of violence, then it has lost legitimacy and does not deserve my trust, it must go.

I do not believe that cadres are stubborn to the extent of the impunity of attacking the opposition party as happened to the Socialist Party without the full blessing of the senior leaders.

If the leaders have lost control of their followers and have allowed them to do whatever pleases them, why should we follow them?

For, in the situation like what happened in Serenje, the leaders in government are most likely to abuse the instruments of coercion such as the Police and Prisons against the opponents, and thereby replacing the rule of law with tyranny or mob rule.

Is this what they will exhibit at the next Democratic Summit as a sound democratic profile? In my humble opinion, this is savagery, not acceptable in a civilised let alone Christian nation.