Hichilema has no legacy to point at – Kateka
By Tony Nkhoma
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema will leave a bad legacy of dividing the country when he loses power next year, the opposition New Heritage Party (NHP) has said.
NHP president Chishala Kateka said Hichilema had missed many opportunities to create a legacy for a better future.
Kateka said the only legacy Hichilema would leave next year when he lost elections was tribalism, selective employment of individuals close to his government.
“Our President has missed many opportunities to leave a good legacy for himself. This is one of them. Failure to address tribalism and selective employment of individuals to key positions both in government and the parastatal,” she said.
Kateka said the lack of action by Hichilema to deal with individuals associated with the ruling party for spreading tribalism was not only a source of concern but a troubling phenomenon.
“With a clear audio that implicates the Road Transport and Safety Agency [RTSA] chief executive officer [CEO] on tribal lines, Hichilema should have made a name for himself by acting on that matter. But as usual, because he is not from the opposition, he has decided to ignore that tribal talk, the matter that took Chishimba Kambwili to prison, among many,” she said.
Kateka said Zambia was in a crisis, not only in the manner in which the economy was dying but also socially.
“But then again, we have seen that the President is not decisive in such matters, as was the case with the late former President Kenneth Kaunda, and who could have acted immediately upon a matter coming to his attention,” she said.
She challenged the Zambia Police Service and other law enforcement agencies to act professionally and not show impartiality when dealing with law offenders.
“Application of justice is done selectively. It has been noted that when someone from the Northern or Eastern provinces utters anything close to tribalism, they are promptly arrested and jailed,” Kateka said.
She said the police should not only receive instructions to arrest opposition political party members while leaving out those close to the ruling party as was the case at RTSA.
“Every offender, whether from Southern, Eastern, or Northern, must equally face the law. Law enforcement agencies should not wait for instructions from the top as to who and who not to arrest,” she said.
