THEY’RE COWARDS
…Oasis Forum should not backpedal on Bill 7 protests – Aka
By George Zulu
THE Oasis Forum is a bunch of cowards who have bowed to President Hakainde Hichilema’s threats by backpedaling on anti-Bill 7 demonstrations which were scheduled for today in Lusaka, Dr Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika has said.
During the Tuesday press conference Hichilema indirectly threatened to unleash “those who are stronger” to meet those who would march to State House today against attempts to amend the Constitution through Bill 7 forcing the suspension of the protest.
Dr Mbikusita-Lewanika, eminent politician and founder member of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), has vowed to oppose and fight any maneuver to unilaterally amend the Constitution, just like it happened in the past.
“And I must say to the Oasis Forum I’m also very disappointed that they have been cowed down and decided not to go ahead with the proposals, the call they had put forward before the people of Zambia to demonstrate on Friday [today],” he said.
In an exclusive interview with The Mast on Wednesday, Dr Mbikusita-Lewanika said the decision by the Oasis Forum to backpedal on the anti-Bill 7 demonstration was a serious betrayal of Zambians.
He said allowing President Hakainde Hichilema to intimidate and threaten people who merely wanted to hold a peaceful march was another form of betrayal and corruption.
Dr Mbikusita-Lewanika said the call-off of the planned demonstrations, which Zambians were geared would empowered Hichilema to continue abusing State power.
“And that is very disappointing and it must be understood clearly that allowing ourselves to be intimidated is the same thing as allowing ourselves to be bought, is the same thing as allowing ourselves to be cheated because being intimidated and being bought ends with the same result of empowering the oppressor and giving him another day to continue oppressing the people of Zambia,” he said.
Dr Mbikusita-Lewanika said the Oasis Forum was not ready for the demonstration.
“If you are not ready to lead a people’s movement towards opposing this Constitution and in the exercise of their full human rights and civil rights to assemble, to speak, to demonstrate, then please step aside. Let those who are not afraid, those who cannot be bought, those who cannot be cheated come forward and pursue this struggle without fear or favour, and I’ll stand there with them,” he said.
And Dr Mbikusita-Lewanika says Zambians are democrats who will not allow leaders to unilaterally tamper with the Constitution.
He said Zambians would oppose all sorts of schemes to change the Constitution to fit a particular political agenda.
“So, we oppose this process. We are not opposing it now. We opposed it in 1970. We opposed in 1972. We opposed it in 1991. We opposed it in 1995 and we will continue to oppose it. In 2001 there was another government administration that attempted to utilise this monopolisation of power again to selectively amend the constitution ahead of an election in favour of the ruling party, and again Zambians opposed it,” he said.
