Let people express feelings, Kateka urges
By Thandizo Banda
NEW Heritage Party (NHP) leader Chishala Kateka has warned the UPND administration to brace for a full-blown ‘Pe Lampi’ revolution as citizens vent their anger over the disputed August 13 general elections.
And Kateka says term limits were introduced to cure the ‘wamuyayaya’ syndrome by stopping presidents from ruling in perpetuity, as Dr Kenneth Kaunda did for 27 years.
In an interview with The Mast, Kateka said Zambians whose rights were being stifled by the selective application of oppressive laws should be allowed to express themselves freely.
“Let the UPND allow the citizens who feel their rights have been stifled by the selective application of oppressive laws to express themselves freely even at football matches,” she said.
Kateka said Zambians had found football stadia as an alternative avenue to vent their anger.
She said it was time government listened to the cries of the people instead of threatening them with unspecified actions.
Kateka said the ruling UPND was playing double standards, forgetting that not too long ago party supporters freely chanted “Bally” and “Salt sana” in stadiums without any condemnation from authorities.
It was strange that such chants now were described as provocative and unacceptable.
Kateka said the chants were not about football but about frustration over high fuel prices, economic mismanagement and shrinking democratic space.
And Kateka says term limits were introduced to cure the ‘wamuyayaya’ syndrome of presidents ruling in perpetuity, as was the case with Dr Kenneth Kaunda.
She said Zambians, especially young people, should reject any attempt to extend or scrap presidential term limits because the country risked sliding back into full dictatorship.
“Zambians cannot make meaningful decisions about the future without understanding the past. There is no meaningful decision we can make concerning our future as a nation without first understanding the cause or source of whatever issue we are faced with,” she said.
Kateka said the hard-won sovereignty was lost when the Constitution was amended to create a one-party participatory democracy, banning all other parties and vesting supreme power in Dr Kaunda and UNIP.
“In a dictatorship, the dictator becomes the state and the state becomes the dictator and that is what happened. This is what we shall not allow in Zambia,” she said.
Kateka said the current calls by some individuals to extend President Hakainde Hichilema’s tenure beyond 2031 must be rejected because that would be inviting the return of ‘wamuyayaya’ rule.
She said changing the Constitution to suit one individual was myopic.
