Africa-Press – Zambia. Kellys Kaunda writes….
THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE IS NOT MY WORK. I PICKED IT UP FROM ANOTHER FORUM BUT I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ IT.
The article starts now:
THE PF MANUAL OF DEMAGOGUERY AND PROPAGANDA: DECODING THE OPPOSITION’S TOXIC PLAYBOOK
For years, Zambia has been subjected to a political assault not of ideas, but of venom. An orchestrated campaign where insults masquerade as criticism, falsehoods are peddled as facts, and tribal fears are stoked to mask a profound intellectual emptiness. This is not politics; it is a calculated strategy of demagoguery and propaganda, deployed by those who broke the nation to discredit the one rebuilding it. Here is their exposed playbook, so every Zambian can recognize the toxic script the moment they hear it.
THE DEMAGOGUE’S ARSENAL: A BREAKDOWN OF TOXIC TACTICS
This list distills their primary methods of manipulation for easy recognition.
TACTIC 1:
THE POISONED WELL
· Goal: To preemptively discredit any positive news or achievement, making the source untrustworthy.
· How They Do It:
Any government announcement, especially on the economy, is instantly labelled a “lie” or “propaganda.” For instance, they dismiss historic economic gains by claiming figures are “manipulated” or “only benefit the elite”.
· What to Listen For:
” He has failed” “He won’t win next year” “He is lying,” “Fake news,” “Propaganda rally,” “They are cooking books.”
TACTIC 2: MANUFACTURED OUTRAGE & THE BIG LIE
· Goal:
To create a constant state of crisis and fear through sensational, often completely fabricated, claims.
· How They Do It:
They make explosive, easily disprovable allegations to grab headlines and paint a picture of a failed state. A prime example is the false claim that the United Nations had “sanctioned” or “blacklisted” Zambia for human rights abuses, a story thoroughly debunked by the UN itself.
· What to Listen For:
“UN sanctions Zambia,” “shrinking democratic space” “International condemnation,” “Zambia is becoming a dictatorship.”
TACTIC 3: THE TRIBAL DOG WHISTLE
· Goal:
To reduce national politics to a primitive, emotive, and divisive “us vs. them” conflict.
· How They Do It:
They falsely accuse the President of tribalism to camouflage their own history of regional hegemony. They project their own sins, cynically using tribe as a shield. When Brian Mundubile claims Zambians don’t hate the President’s tribe but “hate the blackouts and poverty,” he simultaneously dismisses genuine concerns about divisive rhetoric and redirects anger.
· What to Listen For:
“He only works for his province,” “They are taking over,” “This is our turn to eat.”
TACTIC 4: VICTIMHOOD & REVERSAL
· Goal:
To portray the powerful, established opposition as the persecuted underdog, reversing the roles of aggressor and victim.
· How They Do It:
After leaving a legacy of debt and decay, they now cry “political persecution” when held accountable by anti-corruption agencies. They claim a “shrinking democratic space” while their voices dominate swathes of media with insults. It’s the classic tactic of the bully who cries foul first.
· What to Listen For:
“We are being targeted,” “There is no rule of law,” “The President is vindictive.”
TACTIC 5:
THE SUBSTANCE VACUUM (THE CORE OF BANKRUPTCY)
· Goal:
To avoid, at all costs, a debate on policy, ideas, or factual records.
· How They Do It:
This is the most telling sign of their intellectual bankruptcy. Their discourse is utterly devoid of alternative policies, costed manifestos, or innovative solutions. They cannot engage with the complexity of debt restructuring, economic reform, or institutional rebuilding. Instead, they fill the vacuum with noise: mockery, insults (“He is lazy,” “He is a liar”), and personal attacks on the President’s character.
· What to Listen For:
A complete absence of “Here is our plan for agriculture…” or “Our energy policy would…”. Listen instead for endless personal attacks.
THE FUEL OF THEIR FIRE: WHY THEY CAN’T ENGAGE INTELLECTUALLY
Their reliance on these cheap tactics is not an accident; it is the symptom of a deeper moral and intellectual collapse.
1. The Trauma of Exposure: President Hichilema’s data-driven, boardroom leadership is a living rebuke to their era of rhetoric and mismanagement. His focus on economic metrics and institutional processes holds up an unforgiving mirror. Their insults are a visceral reaction to this exposure—they mock what they cannot comprehend and hate what they cannot imitate. As the Zambian proverb goes, “A dog barks not at a stone thrown in the river, but at the ripples it makes.” They are barking at the ripples of progress, terrified of the stone of truth that caused them.
2. The Crisis of a Hollow Legacy: Having left the nation “bruised, indebted, and hanging by a thread,” they have no positive record to run on. Their moral authority is shattered. Therefore, their entire political survival depends not on promoting a better future, but on convincing Zambia that the present repair job is a failure. They are, as another saying goes, “like a barren tree that makes more noise in the forest”—loud, obstructive, and producing nothing of value.
3. The Bitterness of Dethroned Hegemony: For a faction accustomed to wielding power as a tribal-entitlement for decades, losing it to a perceived “outsider” is an existential wound. This loss of privilege is misinterpreted as persecution. Their hatred is not ideological; it is the rage of the dethroned, lashing out at the architect of their political irrelevance. It is the politics of the “wounded lion,” dangerous not from strength, but from pride and pain.
Real-World Examples: The Playbook in Action
· Facing Economic Facts:
When the government announces a milestone like the US$5.2 billion in reserves, they don’t contest it with data. They immediately deploy Tactic 1 (Poisoned Well), calling it a “deception,” and Tactic 4 (Victimhood), claiming the wealth is not reaching the people. Substance is avoided.
· Facing Governance Criticism:
When called out for their absence of ideas, they pivot to Tactic 3 (Tribal Dog Whistle), accusing the critic of being a “cadre” or “tribalist,” or they use Tactic 2 (Manufactured Outrage), dragging up a decades-old, unrelated issue to muddy the waters.
· Facing Their Own Past:
When reminded of their record, they engage in absolute historical revisionism. They claim credit for infrastructure they neglected and whitewash the economic abyss they created. As the Bemba proverb warns, “Umushili uwa pula, tabafula ukunaya” (The rain that soaks you is not the one you see coming). They deny the very storm they created.
Conclusion:
The People’s Antidote
Demagoguery is a poison, but its antidote is in the hands of every citizen: sober-minded vigilance. When you hear their voices, ask yourself these simple questions:
· What is the specific policy alternative they are proposing? (If the answer is “none,” it’s demagoguery).
· Is this claim designed to make me angry or afraid, or to make me think? (Demagogues trade in emotion, not reason).
· Who benefits if I believe this? (Follow the trail of bitterness, it always leads back to a hunger for unearned power).
Zambia is on a arduous but clear path of repair. The noise from the sidelines is not a competing vision; it is the desperate clamor of those made redundant by progress. They offer the nation a return to the politics of the house”empty calabash”—loud when shaken, but containing nothing to nourish the people.
Remember: You cannot use a muddy stick to draw a straight line. Zambia has chosen the straight line of rebuilding. Do not let the purveyors of mud, bitterness, and hollow noise convince you to hand them back the stick.
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