Grant Mabonga bail, demands M’membe
By Tony Nkhoma
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema and the United Party for national Development (UPND) have criminalised political expression in order to hold on to power, Socialist Party (SP) president Dr Fred M’membe has said.
Dr M’membe demanded that jailed Patriotic Front (PF) Mfuwe member of Parliament Maureen Mabonga be granted bail pending appeal immediately.
He also demanded the immediate dropping of all politically motivated charges against opposition members of Parliament.
Mabonga was sentenced to eight months imprisonment for seditious practice a week ago.
In a statement seen by The Mast, Dr M’membe said the UPND government had increasingly become intolerant of criticism and allergic to accountability.
He said the unjust imprisonment of Mabonga had revealed a government that was intolerant of criticism, allergic to accountability and prepared to criminalise political expression to maintain its hold on power.
“A member of Parliament, elected by the people, must be free to speak on behalf of their constituents even when their words are uncomfortable to those in authority,” Dr M’membe said.
He said the erosion of democratic space and a deepening crisis of governance in Zambia under the UPND and President Hakainde Hichilema was concerning and alarming.
Dr M’membe, who is Socialist Party 2026 presidential candidate, condemned the imprisonment of Mabonga on charges of sedition saying it reflected an alarming shrinking of democratic space in the country.
“The use of colonial-era sedition laws to silence dissenting voices is a blatant affront to our constitutional democracy and an insult to the sacrifices made by our forebears who fought for freedom, justice and the right to speak without fear,” he said.
Dr M’membe said the imprisonment of an MP for expressing political views set a dangerous precedent, one that threatened not just opposition politicians but all citizens who dared to think and speak freely.
“This is not just about one individual; it is about the soul of our democracy. Sedition laws belong in the dustbin of history. Their continued use only serves to remind us how far we still have to go in building a Zambia where political freedom is truly respected,” he said.
Dr M’membe called for the urgent repeal of what he described as archaic laws because they had no place in a democratic society.
“Let it be clear: we will not be silent in the face of injustice. We will continue to speak truth to power, and we will stand with all those who suffer repression for daring to speak on behalf of the people. An injury to one is an injury to all. Down with repression! Forward with people’s power,” he said.
