{"id":42865,"date":"2023-03-23T22:31:58","date_gmt":"2023-03-23T22:31:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/?p=42865"},"modified":"2023-03-23T08:46:51","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T08:46:51","slug":"if-the-law-allows-edgar-lungu-to-stand-in-2026-let-him-do-so-and-defeat-him-at-the-polls-mmembe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\/all-news\/if-the-law-allows-edgar-lungu-to-stand-in-2026-let-him-do-so-and-defeat-him-at-the-polls-mmembe","title":{"rendered":"If the law allows Edgar Lungu to stand in 2026 let him do so, and defeat him at the polls-M\u2019membe"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Zambia. <\/strong><\/span>Socialist President Fred M\u2019membe has called for a more respectful and democratic approach to political discourse. In a statement, M\u2019membe criticized the use of \u201cuncouth\u201d and \u201cseriously lacking in civility\u201d language by some members of the United Party for National Development (UPND), particularly towards former President Edgar Lungu.<\/p>\n<p>M\u2019membe, who has himself been a victim of political persecution under the Lungu regime, argued that Hichilema and other opposition leaders should still respect Lungu\u2019s human, constitutional, and legal rights, despite any personal animosity they may feel towards him. He pointed to the Christian teaching of loving one\u2019s enemies as a model for how politicians should behave towards those they disagree with.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no doubt that Mr Hakainde Hichilema and many in the UPND have very good reasons to detest or even hate Mr Edgar Lungu. They were badly treated and brutalised by him and his regime. Mr Lungu was cruel to his opponents, to those who were not with him. I was a victim of his cruelty and that of his league. It\u2019s not easy to forget such things and forgive,\u201d M\u2019membe said in his statement.<\/p>\n<p>However, M\u2019membe stressed that even in the face of such mistreatment, it is important to remember that all individuals have basic human rights that must be respected. \u201cMr Hichilema may harbour a lot of hatred and anger towards Mr Lungu and he is entitled to. But Mr Lungu is still a human being with human, constitutional, and legal rights,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>M\u2019membe went on to argue that the use of disrespectful language towards political opponents is \u201ccontrary to Christian teachings, liberal democratic values, and the rule of law.\u201d He called for a more respectful and civil approach to political discourse, even when dealing with those who may be seen as enemies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo love our enemies we must have them in the first place. It\u2019s very easy to love your friends and it doesn\u2019t need much effort. What\u2019s difficult is to love your enemies and that requires much effort, much humanity,\u201d M\u2019membe said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet Mr Lungu enjoy his rights to the full as long as he acts within the law. If the law allows him to stand in 2026 let him do so, and defeat him at the polls, \u2018 he concluded<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <a href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zambia\">Zambia<\/a> Follow <a href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/\">Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Zambia. Socialist President Fred M\u2019membe has called for a more respectful and democratic approach to political discourse. In a statement, M\u2019membe criticized the use of \u201cuncouth\u201d and \u201cseriously lacking in civility\u201d language by some members of the United Party for National Development (UPND), particularly towards former President Edgar Lungu. M\u2019membe, who has himself [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":42863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,25,10,248],"tags":[234,235,233],"class_list":["post-42865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-featured","category-parties","category-to-homepage","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-zambia","tag-zambia"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>If the law allows Edgar Lungu to stand in 2026 let him do so, and defeat him at the polls-M\u2019membe - Zambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Socialist President Fred M\u2019membe has called for a more respectful and democratic approach to political discourse. 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