Zambia now a laughing stock – Kalaba
By Mast Reporter
THE United Party for National Development (UPND) has turned our country into a laughing stock in the eyes of the international community by allowing its allies too attack diplomats with impunity, Harry Kalaba has said.
The Media Liaison Committee (MLC), which has close ties with the government, has accused the Swedish Embassy and BBC Media Action of sponsoring confusion in the Zambian media while Mafinga Member of Parliament Robert Chabinga, a self-appointed zealot of President Hakainde Hichilema, issued threats on diplomats accusing them of funding the opposition a few days ago.
But Kalaba said it was regrettable that it had become commonplace for UPND members and their proxies to attack diplomats accredited to Zambia under the New Dawn administration.
“Attacking a diplomatic accredited to Zambia, especially at the level of ambassador, through a disrespectful press release is tantamount to attacking another sovereign country and this has the potential to dent the good image of our country. It is unfortunate that we have now become a laughing stock in the eyes of the international community due to such grave breaches of diplomatic etiquette,” he said.
“Make no mistake, silence in diplomacy has a serious connotation and can be misconstrued in a number of ways, which can cause irreparable damage to our relations with other countries and cooperating partners.”
Kalaba said it was a fact that the MLC which issued the scathing attack in the latest statement and the member of Parliament who only days earlier issued a similar statement threatening diplomats had close ties with the UPND government.
“It is unfortunate that the UPND government has thrown diplomatic etiquette and protocol out through the window by allowing ordinary citizens to attack diplomats accredited to Zambia through the media without following diplomatic channels. We wish to remind this administration that we have internationally accepted diplomatic practice and protocols that we subscribe to as a country. These include established rules on how we should engage representatives of other sovereign countries to ensure smooth, respectful and effective interactions between Zambia and other sovereign states,” Kalaba said.
There were established diplomatic channels which citizens could use to air grievances or complaints involving diplomats and that is through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
