By Isaac Zulu
Citizens First leader Harry Kalaba says Zambia is heading towards the direction akin to a military junta, mired by dictatorship and diminishing political space, saying British High Commissioner to Zambia Nicholas Woolley must review his credentials if he doesn’t see that.
In a statement, Kalaba, who is former Foreign Affairs Minister, says that Ambassadors and High Commissioners accredited to Zambia who have not realized that the country’s political space is diminishing should review their credentials and assess if they are still serving their personal interests or the interests of their sponsoring countries.
“People need to realize that Ambassadors and High Commissioners do not serve their interests or the interests of their friends in government but they serve the interest of the government they represent. To choose to ignore the activities going in Zambia in a bid to preserve personal relationships is akin to neglecting one’s responsibility as an envoy more so a bigger and historical partner that the British is.
It is High Commissioner Woolly who was first to contact me when I was detained in Kalulushi for having lunch at a member’s house after attending church service,” Kalaba stated. “There is a report published by one of the US agencies that is talking about Zambia’s governance. Has the High Commissioner looked at the 2023 Global Peace Index and compared it with the 2022 index?
If the fight against corruption is genuine why do people feel compelled to queue up and apologize to the President? As CF we stand by the statement that the political space is fast diminishing in this country and if any Ambassador or High Commissioner can not see that perhaps it’s time for them to review their credentials and assess if they are still serving the interest of their sponsoring countries or perhaps they are now self serving.”
The former Bahati member of parliament stated that Zambia is heading in the direction of a military junta.
“You do not have to wait until there is a call for emergency evacuation of your citizens before you raise a concern on the peace and security of a country. There are always leading indicators that show that the nation is heading in the direction of a military junta,” Kalaba stated.
He further stated that the ugly face of one party state is pushing its ugly agenda in the nation.
“Zambia rejected dictatorship and a One Party State in 1991 and it is folly that those who are here to propagate peace and (good) governance can not see the ugly face of a one party state seeking to push its ugly agenda back in Zambia. We shall not allow that to happen,” stated Kalaba. “We are a democracy and we shall protect our democracy at whatever cost. We want to re echo our call for the respect of the rule of law and that is we call all envoys to Zambia to ensure that they come to a realization that as Zambians we shall not be used to propagate ill intentions of individuals who are on a quest of self enrichment at the expense of the suffering majority.
Arrest people who have committed crimes not because you want to weaken them politically.”
