WE strongly condemn Messrs Vernon Mwaanga and Miles Sampa, the former being a veteran politician and seasoned diplomat, while the latter is a former Commerce deputy minister Miles Sampa.
Dr Mwaanga, our honourable man with vast experience in diplomatic relations has stirred a hornet’s nest when he recently concluded that Uganda’s February elections were flawed.
The outrageous statement somehow soured the relationship Zambia has enjoyed with Uganda with the East African country officially sending an inquiry to the Zambian embassy in Tanzania over Dr Mwaanga’s statement.
If the statement had come from someone else other than a veteran politician and seasoned diplomat, maybe we could have pardoned them.
However, the words are coming from a man who has been in politics since he was in his twenties and knows diplomacy practically.
Understandably, Dr Mwaanga has been roundly condemned for this unguarded statement which, if mishandled, could have damaged the Zambia/Uganda relationship irreparably.
Fortunately, the Zambian Government apologised for a ‘sin’ it did not commit and assured its Ugandan counterparts that the rantings did not represent Zambia.
Domestically in a know-it-all stance, Dr Mwaanga again ruffled other institution’s feathers when he called on Zambians to restrain the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) from using the same printing company in Dubai that was used in the February election in Uganda, because the ballot papers for that country’s election were pre-marked to favour President Yoweri Museveni.
Isn’t this an affront against the Patriotic Front (PF) Government and the ECZ, whom our good man has prematurely criminalised even before we go to the polls?
We thus agree with the National Restoration Party (NAREP) president Elias Chipimo, who has condemned Dr Mwaanga for issuing statements that bordered on national security.
We feel the freedom of expression is grossly being abused, especially by people who once served in government.
However, freedom of expression can only be abused if there is a tolerant party and a government that can brook any rantings like the ones we are being deafened with.
We say this after observing that there is another consistent former politician who is on a warpath with both President Lungu and the PF Government.
His name is Miles Sampa, who like ‘Rambo’ is a one man army with a deadly mission to settle scores with President Lungu for whatever grievances only heaven knows.
Mr Sampa, who recently resigned from his deputy ministerial post, waged a crusade to condemn the policies of his former party in one of the bitterest political feuds this country has ever seen.
We thus agree with the former MMD Luapula Member of Parliament Peter Machungwa, who this week expressed his indignation at Mr Sampa’s misdirected barbs.
Mr Machungwa wondered that if the Government had poor policies as Mr Sampa was charging, the former PF member should accept responsibility since he was part of the team which implemented them.
As the fourth estate, we are abreast with the developments and would like Zambians to sieve what is coming from some vocal politicians, especially those who served in the Government since they are the bitterest.
It is sad to note that Zambian politics have sunk so low since they are now characterised by mud slinging, character assassination and other undemocratic methods of attracting cheap publicity in the leftist media.
As we draw closer to August 11, some politicians are getting more agitated and hysterical pretending to speak for Zambians, when they only champion personal goals and their inflated egos.
Remember the fable of Sour Grapes of the fox who, after finding himself unable to reach some grapes he had desired, disparaged them as sour?