Populist politics

IT is a tragedy that our country has a plethora of populist pundits, who know nothing but spew hateful populist rhetoric. Day in day out they preach a message of negativity, which predictably resonates with the general population which has no opportunity to fact check. The gassing tragedy being one such ploy. Someone very clever has developed the ploy, fully aware that Zambians, being highly susceptible to superstition, occult beliefs and supernatural would easily believe in the most outlandish of suggestions., hence the gassing, blood drawing and therianthropy, human beings metamorphose into animals such as dogs or cats. These appeal to base instincts, which are described as subconscious urges, behavior, or intuition directed by primeval, animalistic, self-serving, and/or ignoble motivations. So far 43 people have been victims of incensed mob psychology. Many have been innocent victims caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Once the alarm was raised, they were as good as dead because there was no time for the mob to analyze facts to determine their innocence of culpability. The sentence for the 43 has been final, irreversible and totally beyond appeal. Policemen who should be custodian of law and order have been filmed powerless as mob control took over. In some cases, they participated in damaging Police station and vehicles. This is what mass hysteria does. It feeds on its own fears. Sadly, our country is equally replete with populist pundits who harbor a disdain for the political leadership and will peddle all manner calumny to paint a picture of betrayal. They appeal to the sentiment of greed and envy. Sadly, Greed and selfishness are two base instincts ingrained in the human psyche, responsible for most atrocities in the world. Second Republican President Frederick Chiluba was the victim of such a witch hunt. He went to his early grave a marked man on account of corruption allegation against which he was never given an opportunity to defend himself. His immunity was lifted by the National Assembly without being heard and even the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court denied him the right to natural justice, the right to be heard before being condemned. The right to a hearing, or audi alteram partem, is a fundamental principle of justice that cannot be taken away from any individual regardless of status in society. Over time Dr. Chiluba’s accusers and their collaborators have honed their craft, using the most ubiquitous accusation against political leadership has been corruption. The intention is to separate the ruling elite from the rest of society rendering them vulnerable to generalizations of collective wrongdoing. Corruption is now used to justify all manner of mischaracterization, vituperative and indeed political weaponization by equally all manner of pundits, miscreants and misfits who consider themselves as experts in every subject under the sun. Against this back ground, it is our hope that Government will not be persuaded against stringent and painful measures necessary to sustain the economy in the face of anticipated economic slowdown as a result of the coronavirus which has hit China, one of our major trading partners adversely.