By Mubanga Mubanga
Citizens First (CF) leader Harry Kalaba says his party is concerned with the decision taken by President Hakainde Hichilema to accept an invitation to attend the inauguration of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
In a statement issued today, Kalaba questioned the decision by President Hichilema to attend the inauguration in the aftermath of Hassan’s re-election which was marred by violence and arrest of opposition party leaders.
“As Citizens First (CF), we are deeply concerned and compelled to question President Hakainde Hichilema’s decision to accept the invitation to attend the inauguration of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan following an election widely condemned as fraudulent, violent and characterised by the mass arrest of opposition leaders,” Kalaba stated.
Kalaba asked how President Hichilema justified attending President Hassan’s inauguration, when the elections were tainted by the unlawful imprisonment of key opposition leaders.
“How then does President Hichilema justify attending President Hassan’s inauguration when the Tanzanian elections were clearly tainted by the unlawful imprisonment of key opposition leaders, the deliberate exclusion of political contenders and reports of hundreds of protesters killed in the aftermath of the polls?” Kalaba asked. “Is this the “New Dawn” definition of democracy, one where principles are applied only when politically convenient?”
Kalaba said President Hichilema could not continue to preach democracy on international platforms while practising selective morality at home.
“Zambians can recall that in 2023, the President refused to attend the inauguration of Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on grounds that he did not agree with the conduct and outcome of Zimbabwe’s August 2023 harmonised elections,” Kalaba stated. “Yet, those same elections were acknowledged by both SADC and the African Union (AU) as having met the minimum democratic benchmarks.”
Kalaba stated that the inconsistency showed a troubling pattern that President Hichilema was motivated by personal alliances than genuine commitment to democratic values.
“It now raises the question of whether his refusal to attend President Mnangagwa’s inauguration had nothing to do with democracy, and everything to do with personal grudges,” stated Kalaba. “President Hichilema’s selective judgment of what constitutes a free, fair and credible election is not only hypocritical but dangerous. His actions risk isolating Zambia diplomatically, weakening our moral voice in SADC, and casting doubt on our foreign policy credibility.”
