SO, Hakainde Hichilema is now preaching peace after realising that Zambians have identified him as being responsible for the political violence the country is facing.
Monsieur Hichilema is now living up to the peace Indaba resolutions that he has all along ignored by continuing to incite his members to use violence to achieve their goals.
What has ‘softened’ Hichilema’s heart to condemn his party members for engaging in political violence and killing of a Patriotic Front (PF) member?
So the UPND leader has finally admitted that he has blood on his hands.
It is also surprising to note that the UPND leader has called on the law enforcement agencies to bring to book all those guilty of attacking their fellow Zambians regardless of their political affiliation.
He said whether the perpetrators were UPND or PF they must be held accountable and that UPND would cooperate in any way and ensure that the culprits were brought to book.
The last words seem familiar to the ears of many Zambians since they were recently mouthed by President Edgar Lungu who has always shunned using violence and condemned PF members whenever they resort to aggression.
In a statement to the press, the UPND leader hypocritically said he strongly condemned all acts of violence regardless of provocation and added that he was shocked to hear reports of PF supporters being beaten and killed something that has compelled him to address the matter again.
As chroniclers of news, we are reminded Mr Hichilema that it is too late for him to preach peace since his party has become synonymous with political violence.
In short political violence in the opposition party is as UPND as the Mosi Oa Tunya falls is to Zambia.
To the contrary the PF has always preached peace and is on record as upholding the peace Indaba resolutions.
We are also surprised that Hichilema is urging the Zambia Police Service and other law enforcement agencies since these are institution that the UPND leader and his followers have condemned.
The opposition leader has perennially condemned law enforcers and it is evident that he holds them in low esteem.
On peace, how many times has Hichilema said his party won’t accept the August 11 election results and resorted to making the country ungovernable?
How many times has Hichilema said there will be Armageddon in this country if the PF rigs elections?
It is in this vein that we take his peace sermon with a hefty pinch of salt since, though the message is good; the messenger is not the right person to preach peace to us.
In other countries Hichilema would have been arrested for preaching anarchy since he has on several occasions threatened peace and order and grossly disregarded the rule of law.
Since the days of Adamson Mushala, the rebel who terrorised North Western in the mid-1970s and the early 1980s, and Alice Lenshina, the latter who led the Lumpa uprising which claimed 700 lives, no one has threatened domestic peace that Zambia is known for like Hakainde Hichilema and his lieutenant Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba.
However, the two gentlemen have mastered the art of playing victim despite the duo becoming a danger to society.
Thus the UPND’s appeal to its members to maintain peace is a smoke screen meant to dupe Zambians and authorities.
Even if party members heed this eleventh hour appeal, the party leaders and members have already committed offences warranting prosecution.
Worse still, the Zambian political landscape has been irrepairably damaged since the country reverted to plural politics.
We feel the U-turn is crying over spilled milk or apologising to a dead man someone has stabbed.