By Daily Revelation Editor
Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) president Bishop Andrew Mwenda has observed that there is tension in the country because of the high cost of living.
Bishop Mwenda said President Hakainde Hichilema and his government were disconnected from reality and were, therefore, not seeing the tension in the country because they live in “ivory houses.”
“They are saying that there is no tension in the country because they live in ivory houses,” he said. “(But) they need to know the tension is real, things are not well. The high cost of living is the cry we have.”
The Bishop further urged President Hichilema that he was not elected as a dictator to be trampling on people’s rights, adding that only dictators were afraid of criticism.
Bishop Mwenda is right on point. Everywhere, people are complaining about the very high cost of living. The price of mealie-meal has gone wayward. In fact it embarked on this wayward trajectory way before it was even known that the country would experience a drought. The price of fuel is off the roofs, and Zambians are now enduring 12-hours of load shedding everyday, which has pushed many small businesses into destitution.
In a situation we are in as a country, such are matters which should be attracting attention, in terms of uniting together as a country to find solutions.
The opposition political parties in the country should be working socks off as patriotic citizens to suggest possible solutions that would get the country out of this quagmire. They should not seek to win office on the back of national failure. Such kind of mindset represents the worst treachery this country could ever endure.
But above that, the country requires a government that is humble and willing to both learn and listen. The know-it-all attitude will not help the government in terms of getting this country out of these challenges. This is when those in government must actually show leadership in terms of taking the leadership role to unite the different groups together.
Therefore, threats of wanting to punish other citizens with the army and other punitive laws will not work. By the very fact that the President Hichilema has taken that posture shows already that in his mind he is all righteous and can never be wrong, and therefore the other people are the ones who are always in the wrong and should be punished by the military and the laws. Meanwhile, the President is forgetting that he and his administration have contributed greatly to this very sad state of affairs the country is in.
Bishop Mwenda is reminding Hakainde that he was not elected as dictator to be trampling on the fundamental rights of other citizens, adding that it seemed like everybody else was wrong except himself.
The differences existing between Hakainde and those in the oppostion, and between his supporters and his critics seem to be sharpening everytime, making it more difficult to find common ground on issues which really matter. We believe that people can have differences in opinion without necessarily becoming enemies. Worryingly, this country seems to have devolved to that stage where those who hold contrary views must be annihilated at all cost.
Just look at the animosity and the insulting exchanges occuring everyday on social media platforms involving people who hold different views. Something seriously needs to be done to rescue this country our of this very worrying situation. And it starts with the President being magnanimous enough to call all the stakeholders to one table in order to discuss issues, not once but on many occasions.
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