HANDS OFF ALICK BANDA
…HH order to arrest Catholic archbishop sparks furore
By Mast Reporter
THE latest harassment of Catholic Archbishop of Lusaka Dr Alick Banda by President Hakainde Hichilema using State machinery has drawn stern condemnation from political leaders and a governance activist who has accused him of crossing the red line.
Commenting on the anticipated arrest of Archbishop Banda by DEC on Monday, Human Rights activist and governance expert Brebner Changala said the summoning of the prelate of Lusaka to appear before DEC interrogators was an abomination and a direct attack on the entire Catholic faith in Zambia.
“The summoning of the archbishop is most daring by this regime. Everything now is revealed through the actions of the UPND [United Party for National Development] and President Hakainde Hichilema. The harassment of those who do not agree with him, the harassment of the opposition leaders, the harassment of independent journalists, the harassment of members of the civil society has gone unchallenged,” he said.
In his continued vendetta against his most prominent critic, Hichilema has unleashed DEC to arrest and prosecute the head of the Catholic Church in the capital city and entire province of Lusaka on a trumped up charge.
Changala said in an interview yesterday Hichilema had crossed the red line by ordering the arrest of the leader of the Catholic Church and should be stopped at all costs from dismantling the country into pieces without self-restraint.
He said Hichilema had continued harassing Zambians silently by abusing institutions of governance like DEC and that could be seen in the manner in which he had harassed former president Edgar Lungu, leading to his death.
Changala said the summoning of Archbishop Banda should not be allowed as doing so would be giving Hichilema a blank cheque to unilaterally destroy the country.
“Today he has gone in a manner that is unprecedented to attack the Catholic Church through the humiliation of His Grace, the Archbishop of Lusaka. I must also share my concern with the political leadership in the opposition, how they have been intimidated into a corner of fear and not to defend the Constitution, not to defend the country, and not to defend those who are in need. The summoning of Archbishop Banda by Hichilema’s brutal regime is a red line in our governance system as a sovereign people,” he said.
Changala said Zambia was in a crisis, and it was high time decent men and women brought to an end a leadership that used intimidation, threats and blackmail to govern the people.
And Leadership Movement (LM) president Dr Richard Silumbe says the decision by DEC to summon Archbishop Banda is a direct attack not only on the Catholic Church in Zambia but the entire world.
Dr Silumbe condemned the harassment, which he described as an attack on the Church as a whole.
“This is a lack of wisdom. Whoever is behind this should stop immediately and withdraw that call-out. I am wondering why there’s too much hatred against the Catholic Church under President Hakainde Hichilema, and particularly the archbishop. This is a pure witch-hunt. This is a vengeful government destined to perish. It will perish soon,” he said.
Dr Silumbe urged the people of Zambia to stand up and denounce intimidation and threats targeted at the Church and its leadership.
He warned Hichilema that he was not the first or last president to be criticised by the Catholic Church.
The route Hichilema had taken was dangerous to the unity of the nation.
Meanwhile, All People’s Congress (APC) president Nason Msoni has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the call-out.
Msoni said the only decent and honourable thing Hichilema should do was to withdraw the call-out meant to embarrass Archbishop Banda and the entire Catholic Church in Zambia.
He said Hichilema’s quest to destroy the Catholic Church was futile, warning that his end was near.
“Hichilema’s end is closing up at a fast note. He is finished and I can only urge him to pack and leave the country. His ending will be disastrous. In the last four years of the UPND in government, Hichilema has created more enemies. And what is more frightening, fighting the very people who helped him to be where he is. Hichilema will have nowhere to run to when he is voted out of power in August,” Msoni said.
