Nelly’s dance, HH’s call for unity 

By Daily Revelation Editor

President Hakainde Hichilema on Monday urged Zambia’s to turn their full attention to national development. 

“We must do so as one people; Government, the opposition, civil society, and citizens alike, moving forward together in one direction. United by our shared destiny, let us reaffirm our commitment to One Zambia, One Nation, and work collectively for the progress and prosperity of our country,” he said.

The remarks came after the passage of Bill 7 in Parliament which he described as one of the most topical and consequential issues of our time, as one that has tested the strength of our democracy and the unity of our nation. 

“Throughout this process, we all engaged in lobbying and robust debate; we agreed and, at times, disagreed. As is the nature of any democratic process, such engagement must ultimately lead to a resolution,” said Hichilema.

Hichilema claimed that the greatest winners in this process were the people of Zambia, whom he claimed had spoken through their duly elected representatives 

We are not really sure what was going through our  President’s head when he was saying all this. However, his call for unity just after passing a Bill, with a significant portion of the nation still mourning from the process he had imposed on the people, in a very rushed manner devoid of any consensus, was classical HH. We are not really sure what it will take to get our President to view things, even just momentarily, from his usually preconceived positions. We have a President who always lives in a world of his own where he thinks anything conceived by himself is so perfect that we think we will not be mistaken to even think he questions the sanity of the people who question his choices. If in his mind he thinks Bill 7 is pure and holy, the same must pass come rain, come sunshine. It doesn’t matter what others think about the same. And because Bill 7 has passed, and because he’s Hichilema, ever impeccable and peculiar, everybody should now forget about their feelings in order to join him in working together for national development. Even as we write we do so in the knowledge that he won’t see any sense in whatever we are trying to say. 

And then we have the Speaker he appointed at Parliament, who also literally abandoned all pretentions in terms of her impartiality, where she literally performed the Hakainde dance on the floor of the house following the passage of the Bill.

It was the first time the country had seen a Speaker celebrate the passage of the ruling party’s sponsored bill in the manner Nelly did. In more serious countries actually, there would be serious calls for Mutti to step down, or by now she herself will have already stepped down once the severity of what she did dawned on her. But we know she won’t do that. And if she were provided another opportunity, she would actually indulge in the same. We can’t stop Mutti from celebrating the passage of bills that she feels favour her interests, but to do in the matter she did, when holding a position that should at all times project neutrality raises fundamental issues about her neutrality in terms of how she has and will in future preside over parliamentary affairs.

You simply don’t do that, especially on a matter as contentious and acrimonious as Bill 7.