Africa-Press – Zambia. By Sean Tembo – PeP President and TONSE ALLIANCE Spokesperson
1. So Bill 7 was finally passed, and will be assented to by the President this morning. Of course, various people have made detailed submissions as to why Bill 7 is bad for Zambia’s democracy. For me, my biggest issue with Bill 7 is that it allows the Executive to control the legislature, firstly through the large number of nominated MPs, and secondly, by empowering the President to suspend Parliament, for no good reason. And yet, a key duty of the legislature, in any properly functioning democracy, is to hold the Executive accountable. So, by controlling the Legislature, Bill 7 has given leeway for the Executive to escape accountability. I do not need to go further to explain why an unaccountable Executive is bad for our country.
2. But the purpose of this article is not necessarily to restate all the bad things about Bill 7. I think other people have already done a reasonably good job on that. Here, l wish to discuss how we, the Zambian people, allowed this constitutional manipulation to succeed. Not just for the sake of apportioning blame, but so that we can learn from our failures and fight a better battle next time around. Because one thing is for sure; this will not be the last time that the UPND regime will try to undermine our democracy, for their own selfish benefit.
3. Of course, most people will put the blame on opposition PF MPs for betraying the people and voting with the ruling party to pass Bill 7. But for me, l was not surprised , because they acted exactly as l expected. You see, since time immemorial, the PF has never been a disciplined organization, and it is unreasonable for anyone to expect it to become a disciplined organization today, and for the MPs to adhere to the directives of the party, not to support Bill 7. I remember way back around 2012, just after ascending to office, the GBM camp and the Winter Kabimba camp were fighting running battles in the streets of Lusaka. When l say running battles, l mean the two camps literally hacking each other as if it is two opposing political parties. So, for a political party that was that indisciplined while it’s founding father was still alive, it is unreasonable for anyone to expect it to suddenly become disciplined and unite to defeat Bill 7. Infact, a key punchline that describes PF, which my PF brothers tell me, Sata himself coined, is; ileyenda ilepya. Meaning “..it’s moving while it’s burning..”
4. Other people blame HH for pushing the passage of Bill 7, to take away power from Parliament and give it to himself. But for me, again, l was not surprised with the actions of President Hichilema regarding Bill 7. He acted exactly the way I expected and the way I have always known him. Always putting personal interest ahead of the national interest by all means necessary. Even if it meant disregarding the Constitutional Court judgement on the matter. So, there were no surprises there for me.
5. However, I was disappointed and surprised with the conduct of the Oasis Forum in this fight against Bill 7. Instead of uniting with political players, in the fight against Bill 7, the Oasis Forum decided to go solo, thereby leaving us political players with no option but to also go solo. Divided, the end result was that we both failed to stop Bill 7. The conduct of the Oasis Forum in the fight against Bill 7, was very different from their conduct on the fight against Bill 10 in 2021. When we were fighting against Bill 10, the Oasis Forum worked hand in hand with us political players. They were not shy to publicly associate with us. They would even visit HH’s residence at Community House and pose for photos, while pronouncing their objection to Bill 10.
6. This time around however, the Oasis Forum treated us political players as if we had leprosy or some other contagious disease. They did not want to collaborate with us or indeed associate with us in any meaningful way. Even the so-called Prayer Rally that they organized on 28th November 2025 at Pope Square, was very disappointing. Although political players were not specifically invited, we however rallied our people and went to attend, only to find that the cathedral was locked. Ati we can’t use the cathedral, we would have to meet from outside. But how do we meet outside in this rain season? Why did you invite us here if you did not want us to use the facilities here? Because, had you been clear from the onset, we would have organized an alternative venue. Anyway, the Prayer Rally ended up flopping, and it benefitted the proponents of Bill 7.
7. It appeared to me that the Oasis Forum was more excited with the President’s invitation at State House, later that afternoon. It made them feel important. And their self-importance was more important than the public good, to stop Bill 7. Some of us advised them that the Friday protest needed to proceed, since they had already complied with all legal requirements. And that the meeting with the President needed to come after the protest. That way, they would have something to negotiate with when they met the President; and that is the ability to organize another protest. But they decided to go and sit on the negotiation table at State House, empty handed. With nothing to bargain with. Just an appeal to
moral conscious of the President.
8. We all saw what happened with the so-called dialogue between the Oasis Forum and the President. Nothing. The bottom line is that there is strength in unity. The Oasis Forum is made up of church mother bodies and civil society organizations, and both these players are always preaching to politicians about the need for unity. And yet, they did not have appetite to unite with us when it mattered most.
9. You see, Bill 7 was a political battle of national importance. And you cannot successfully fight a political battle without the participation of political players. Over the years that I have been a politician, I have observed that politics is much like football. Many non-politicians have a simplistic approach towards politics. Just like many non-footballers have a simplistic approach towards football. Everyone thinks they can do it better… until they jump into the ring and realize that they can’t. A politician can easily anticipate the move of a fellow politician, which a non-politician cannot. You go all the way to State House, and your only bargaining chip is an appeal to the moral conscious of President Hichilema? If you had asked me, I would have told you that you’re wasting your time. Better you just stay home and drink tea.
10. You see, there is certain wisdom that accrues to us politicians, from the many hours that we spend each week, in the dock at court, answering to frivolous charges brought against us by the state, in addition to the time we spend in congested police cells and remand prisons. Such wisdom is a product of trials and tribulations, and may not ordinarily be acquired by merely standing on the pulpit, nor advocating for generic civil society causes behind a solid oak desk supplied by international donors. Therefore, next time around, when a political matter of national importance, such as Bill 7 arises again, we all need to unite in the fight against such a common foe. Never, for a minute, think you know more about politics than the actual politicians. By the time you realize that your actions were naive and ineffective, it will be too late. And the masses are always the biggest losers. As the case is with the passage of Bill 7.
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SET 18.12.2025
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