PF, CF question Hichilema UN no-show
By Mast Reporter
HUMAN Rights abuses by the United Party for National Development (UPND) government have forced President Hakainde Hichilema to abstain from the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Patriotic Front (PF) chairman for information and publicity Emmanuel Mwamba has said.
But State House Chief Communication Specialist Clayson Hamasaka, said Zambia is well represented at the ongoing UNGA in New York.
Hamasaka said President Hakainde Hichilema had the power to delegate anyone to represent him at any time, just like it happened in the past under different Heads of State.
He said there was nothing wrong or problematic about Hichilema’s absence.
“Zambia is well represented; there are no issues, so what is the problem with President Hichilema delegating? Is this the first time he has delegated? Or is it the first time it is happening in Zambia? We have had ministers sent to represent the Head of State in Japan, China, and other important meetings, and UNGA is just one of those,” he said in an interview with The Mast yesterday.
But Mwamba said the failure by Hichilema to represent Zambia at the UN summit was his fall from grace.
He said the UN Human Rights Council, the United States (UN) Country Report, and Human Rights Watch reports questioned Zambia’s deterioration of human rights, a key topic at the summit.
“Following adverse reports against Zambia’s human rights practices brought out by the United Nations Human Rights Council, the USA Country Report, and Human Rights Watch, President Hakainde Hichilema has found it difficult to attend United Nations General Assembly Meetings. This is a man who came to the limelight as a poster boy for the new president in Africa who would respect human rights and freedoms, democratic norms, and would therefore be a torchbearer for good governance in Africa,” he said.
Mwamba said despite Hichilema receiving support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the White House, and the European Parliament, glaring human rights abuses have been exposed under his leadership.
“It did not take long before his hypocrisy was quickly exposed, his human rights record sank to the worst ranking, and Zambia was listed among the five worst governments abusing human rights in Africa,” he said.
Mwamba explained that the recent attack on US ambassador Michael Gonzales by UPND cadres and aligned politicians, had cast a dark cloud on Hichilema’s government, exposing intolerance of divergent views, lack of respect for the rule of law, and freedom of expression.
Meanwhile, Citizens First (CF) president Harry Kalaba demanded an explanation as to why Hichilema opted to miss an important meeting when the country was facing various economic challenges.
He said the UNGA was a single most important platform for countries, especially those from the Global South, to assert their positions on matters of international peace, security, sustainable development, climate change, and global economic governance.
Kalaba said Hichilema’s absence took away a critical voice to articulate Zambia’s priorities, negotiate partnerships, and strengthen bilateral and multilateral ties.
For Zambia to be represented at such a high-level gathering without the President is a missed opportunity. Our people are grappling with a crippling power deficit, the worst in the history of our country, that has subjected citizens and businesses to prolonged hours of load shedding. This energy crisis is paralysing productivity, raising the cost of living, and suffocating industry,” he said.
Kalaba said Hichilema missed an opportunity to directly lobby cooperating partners and potential investors to channel resources into Zambia’s energy sector, specifically in the construction of new hydropower generation stations, large-scale solar parks, and even nuclear plants.
“Other African leaders will be in New York making the case for their countries; Zambia, regrettably, will not. This is not just an absence, it is a costly abdication of leadership. It is disheartening that once again, in a row, Zambia finds itself absent at a global table where decisive voices are needed. President Hichilema’s absence only reinforces the growing perception that this government is inward-looking, detached from the pressing realities of global diplomacy, and failing to leverage opportunities that could bring tangible benefits to our nation,” said Kalaba.
