By Isaac Zulu
Emmanuel Mwamba says the civil society organisations that were perceived to be aligned to the UPND in the run up to last year’s general elections should get back to work.
Mwamba, who is the former Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, said that most civil society organisations got compromised with a view to be awarded with government positions by the UPND administration, saying “as a result most of them have departed from their core mandate of providing checks and balances to the ruling party.”
Ambassador Mwamba observed that civil society organisations that advocate for good governance in the country should remain non partisan, stressing that non governmental organisations that “are politically inclined will soon go in oblivion because they are now becoming irrelevant to Zambia’s political dispensation.”
“There are some civil society organisations that were seemingly aligned to the UPND in the run up to the 2021 general elections. We saw and we have continued seeing that those civil society organisations were and are still aligned to the ruling party and they are departing from their core duties,” Ambassador Mwamba observed. “We have also seen that one individual that was heading a civil society organisation has been appointed as a board member at the Bank of Zambia, other people like Nicholas Phiri and many others, have been appointed as permanent secretaries; while some have been given positions in the foreign service. But what I can tell them is that the honeymoon is over for these civil organisations. Otherwise, they will lose their relevance and eventually go into oblivion.”
Ambassador Mwamba also said that Zambia needs a vibrant and assertive civil society organisation in order for democracy to thrive in the country.
“For me, the message is that the 90 days, the 100 days period has elapsed. And the UPND has been in government for over a year now, they should be told that the honeymoon is over. And the civil society organisations that are compromised should know that the honeymoon is over. This country needs a strong and vibrant civil society for our country to thrive,” said Amb Mwamba.
