Choose dialogue over intimidation – Mushimba
By Adrian Mwanza
ORGANISED Peoples Party (OPP) president Dr Brian Mushimba has expressed sadness at the continued targeting of Archbishop of Lusaka Dr Alick Banda by the United Party for National Development (UPND) administration.
“I’m deeply disturbed by what appears to be the continued targeting of Archbishop Alick Banda,” Dr Mushimba said.
He said the State had the right to investigate genuine allegations, but authority should never become an instrument for silencing dissent, intimidating critics or punishing those who spoke uncomfortable truths.
“We have said before that dialogue, forgiveness and reconciliation are the way forward after the recently concluded contentious elections. That call remains as urgent today as the first day we made it,” Dr Mushimba said.
He said Zambia was fractured, divided and every unnecessary confrontation with a dissenting voice deepened suspicion, hardens political divisions and pushes our people further apart which he said was not good.
Dr Mushimba said government should understand that strength was not demonstrated by how many people it could summon.
True leadership was demonstrated by the courage to listen, the humility to engage and the wisdom to forgive.
“We cannot build a united Zambia through fear. We cannot heal a divided nation through intimidation. We can’t criminalise every act by citizens that hold divergent views. And we cannot reconcile while continuing to inflame the very divisions that threaten our unity,” Dr Mushimba said.
He said Zambia needed the type of leadership that brought people together and not a state that continually turned disagreement into confrontation.
“We respectfully ask that we start lowering the temperature in the country after the August elections. We dialogue. We reconcile. We forgive each other,” he said.
On Monday, the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) arrested Archbishop Banda over a Toyota Hilux motor vehicle he received as a gift from a well-wisher after it was bought from the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) through an internal process.
He appeared in court the same day on the charge of possession of property reasonably believed to have been unlawfully obtained under Section 319 of the Penal Code, Cap 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
Archbishop Banda denied the charge and was granted bail.
However, he spent the night in a remand prison despite meeting all the conditions of the bail.
By press time yesterday, he was still in Lusaka Central Remand Prison popularly known as Chimbokaila.
The archbishop has been a critic of the policies and practices of the UPND government.
