Africa-Press – Zambia. The answer is very simple: they believe it’s because the UPND government doesn’t like his critical comments on public affairs.
And there are many Zambians who believe likewise.
Secondly, they know that the UPND government has been using the criminal justice system to respond to its critics.
And there are many Zambians who believe likewise.
Thirdly, they know the selective application of the law as practiced by government.
And there are many Zambians who know the same to be true.
For instance, the ruling party SG once insulted Bishop Banda by calling him Lucifer, in what qualified as hate speech, but the man was not prosecuted.
So, the Catholic Bishops are very much on firm ground when they characterize the summoning of Bishop Banda as persecution intended not only to silence his voice but that of the entire Catholic church.
To justify the summoning of Bishop Banda by arguing that no one is above the law is to insult the collective wisdom of the Catholic Bishops who have come to know the plight associated with consistent voices of criticism.
In fact, the majority Zambians know there’re two types of criminal justice systems in Zambia – one for government critics and another for ruling party supporters.
If you are a senior ruling party chief, you can call anybody’s gospel minister, father, husband, or brother a Lucifer and no one will touch you because you are above the law!
Make no mistake, the justification employed by DEC to summon Bishop Banda is very sound at law.
In fact, it is so sound, it makes the Catholic Bishops look unreasonable.
And that’s exactly how the UPND government wants everybody else to read into these developments.
However, read in context, the position of the Catholic Bishops become clearly reasonable and the only response and language commensurate with the double standards practiced by the government of President Hichilema.
Against this backdrop, I embrace the statement of solidarity by the Catholic Bishops as wise, fair and deeply principled.
I hope it places the UPND government on notice that Zambians are fully awake taking in every act of injustice and in due season, every wrongdoer currently hiding behind the shelter of incumbency will be given a taste of their own medicine.
One psychologist once said, “No one stretches the fibre of reality without it snapping back at them and hitting real hard”.
For More News And Analysis About Zambia Follow Africa-Press
