Hichilema’s tribalism saddens Socialist Party
By George Zulu
IT IS absolutely irresponsible, tribal and illogical for President Hakainde Hichilema to accuse critics of the infamous Constitution Amendment Bill 7 of harbouring hatred toward him purely because they regard him as a “pariah”, Socialist Party president Dr Fred M’membe has said.
Dr M’membe said Hichilema’s remarks when he met civil society organisations at State House, Tuesday, were not only unfortunate but tribal, criminal and seditious in nature.
“Mr Hichilema made these seditious and tribal laced remarks during his meeting with Civil Society Organisations [CSOs] yesterday [Tuesday] at State House. During the meeting, he lamented the intense criticism surrounding his administration’s Constitution amendment proposals, arguing that previous presidents and governments amended the Constitution without such opposition, and claimed that the backlash against Bill 7 emanates from personal hatred toward him,” he said.
Dr M’membe said Hichilema’s reasoning against the people and stakeholders who rejected the Constitutional (Amendment) Bill No. 7 of 2025 was not only unwise but troubling to the unity of the nation.
“Clearly, these unfortunate remarks only serve to confirm our unswerving concerns regarding the selective enforcement of tribal hate speech and sedition laws. By any reasonable standard, what Mr Hichilema uttered borders on tribalism, a criminality. Mr Hichilema’s words are not any different from those that have seen ordinary citizens and opposition politicians arrested, prosecuted and even jailed. What he expressed is tribalism in its rawest form, and he ought to be ashamed of such reckless and divisive rhetoric,” he said.
He said it was troubling that Hichilema had resorted to tribalism while playing victim at the same time.
Dr M’membe said it was also troubling and scaring that Hichilema was driving a narrative that Zambians were against his constitution amendment because he was hated.
He reminded Hichilema that when his party rejected Bill 10 nobody accused him of not supporting it on the basis of tribe.
