Africa-Press – Zambia. Strong opposition is needed for every democracy to succeed. Unfortunately, Zambian politicians seem to see the opposite. Strong opposition is a threat, which must be reduced to a non-threatening level.
The Patriotic Front (PF) administration had an open agenda to debilitate then the main opposition United Party for National Development (UPND). It spent the past five years trying do that.
Today, president Hakainde Hichilema administration seems to have the same agenda. The waged war on corruption appears to be a scheme to reduce the PF to non-threatening level.
The repeated idiom no sacred cow in the fight against corruption is an indirect push to get to every PF member. Including the former president, Edgar Lungu.
About a couple weeks ago some UPND members presented a petition to president Hakainde Hichilema demanding the stripping off former president immunity.
To date, several PF officials have been arrested in relation to corruption. They all affirm the declared no scared cow in the fight against corruption.
The new dawn administration will not be allowed to use selective fight against corruption to reduce the main opposition PF to nothing. Zambia democracy need strong opposition.
Weakening the opposition is ok in politics but it has to be done in a right and fair way. No sacred cow means no one is spared. The UPND prove to be a sacred cow in the fight against corruption. The 1990s privatization scandals are off the table.
Corruption allegations implicating UPND ministers receive less attention. It is alleged that UPND Information and Media Minister Ms. Chushi Kasanda’s husband, Dr. Maurice Jangulo, failed to deliver 50,000 metric tons of fertilizer to the farmers in Southern Province despite being paid about over $50 million.
If the fight against corruption was sincere, people with such information would be invited for more information. The president is telling them to go to law enforcement agencies. An implication he doesn’t want to hear about corruption allegations involving his ministers.
This leads to the same conclusion. HH fight against corruption is meant to tail off the opposition PF. It is not surprising to see that it has started attracting the international attention.
Like the UPND when it was in the opposition, PF need people voice. Defending strong opposition in Zambia democracy did not end with UPND last August victory.
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