By Daily Revelation Reporter
Chishimba Kambwili says President Hakainde Hichilema is trying to create an impression he does not believe in by repealing the defamation of the president law while maintaining the cyber security law in the statute books, saying it is like calling a dog while holding a whip in the hand.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Kambwili said Zambia had a problem with a President who does not know what he stands for, saying there was no way he could remove the defamation law from the penal code and leave the current cyber security law which contained a similar clause on hate speech against the President.
He argued that President Hichilema had come up with the defamation repeal “stunt” in order to draw attention away from the many sufferings Zambians are enduring in the high cost of living, high fuel prices and electricity connect fees and the disastrous fertilizer distribution, which he said will bring untold suffering in the coming year.
“You cannot on one hand remove the statute that deals with defamation of the President to a small extent and leave the one that deals with defamation of the President to a larger extent,” Kambwili said, adding that the cyber security law was even more undemocratic than the law the President has removed from the statute books. “He is only creating an impression which he doesn’t believe in. if he is genuine about defamation of the President let him repeal the cyber security law.”
Kambwili said he was against the same law when the former PF administration was enacting it, saying the law should have only dealt with aspects domesticating the fight against terrorism, and not focusing on people raising issues against the President.
He said even President Hichilema himself undertook to abolish the law as one of the first things he was going to do upon taking over office, arguing that journalists and other citizens will fail to effectively criticize the President if the law were maintained.
“As long as the Cyber Security Law is still in existence, the President has not removed the defamation of the President law, because the same defamation of the President is provided for under cyber security law. So to me he has not done anything. I will only praise him and say well done Mr President once the cyber security law is repealed,” Kambwili said. “That’s why I said I cannot take the President seriously when he says don’t arrest journalists, they are just doing their job. He was only making a public stunt to Impress the donors and impress the diplomatic corp.”
Kambwili said if the President was seriously about repealing the defamation of the President law, then all those who are being prosecuted under that law should have their cases dropped and that President Hichilema claimed that he was against the defamation law, yet police was arresting people on the same law.
“Chimo aba Bemba batila uleita imbwa no bwembya (It’s like calling a dog while holding a whip in ones hand) … the dog will not come,” said Kambwili.
