Tag: Covid 19

    Long Live Kampyongo

    Long Live Kampyongo Featured

    January 10, 2021 by Socialist Party Zambia in

    A large number of social media posts have expressed desire that home affairs minister Stephen Kampyongo doesn’t recover from COVID-19.
    Of course, you can find people on either side of politics, or any disagreement, who sometimes feel retribution is appropriate. They believe it is acceptable, or even right, to make one person suffer if they have made others suffer.
    All actions have multiple effects — and rarely are these always positive.
    Don’t wish Mr Kampyongo dead no matter how much you hate him. It is wrong, evil, inhuman and unChristian to hope that someone dies.
    To some extent, this is understandable: Mr Kampyongo is a terrible human being who has done a lot to wreck this country. He is bad. Many people don’t like him.
    Death, however? A dead Mr Kampyongo is not a victory for those who don’t like him, his opponents. Death silences the enemy rather than defeat him. In other words, Mr Kampyongo wants us dead, whether literally or figuratively – and he probably doesn’t care which, as long as we shut up. And for him, that’s fine, because he doesn’t stand for anything beyond himself.
    We, however, stand for something more: morality, honesty, reason, sacrifice, justice – virtues in opposition to everything Mr Kampyongo has attempted over the last five years. And if we’re going to profess faith in those virtues, then we must take death off the table.
    This is not to say we should allow Mr Kampyongo to go unpunished – if we believe in justice, then his punishment is a necessity.

    Fred M’membe

    Garden Compound, Lusaka

    From a mad 2020 to a very difficult 2021

    From a mad 2020 to a very difficult 2021 Featured

    January 2, 2021 by Socialist Party Zambia in

    The past year – 2020 – was a mad year, a very difficult year.

    But 2021 is likely to be even harder if we don’t work very, very hard and wisely so.

    We therefore need to deeply reflect upon 2020 while looking ahead to the future’s possibilities. Time has arrived to bid farewell to the by-gone year – of gassing, COVID-19, political intolerance, economic collapse, extrajudicial killings, attempts to rape the Constitution, and so on and so forth – and to welcome new opportunities and new hopes of revolutionary change.

    It gets dark sometimes but the morning comes. Let’s make the necessary changes in 2021; let’s usher in a new government and make a new start.

    Going through the many difficulties and challenges of 2020 was never an interesting experience. It is a solemn year when many of us found it difficult to laugh, play, celebrate or even smile at beautiful scenery around us. The sad thought that situations around our lives will not be the same again was enough to cause anxiety.

    Having survived all these difficulties and challenges to live through another year is enough to be thankful for.

    2020 was a year of great sacrifices for most of our people, and thank God we have pulled together through an historically difficult year. In 2021, we must stay vigilant as we were during last year’s gassing attacks and COVID-19 spreads.

    Elections are coming on August 12 despite the present challenges and difficulties we face. A new, more responsible and progressive government can be put in place this year with your vote.

    Your wise vote will be a key to our recovery and revolutionary changes needed in 2021. It is said that only in hard times can wisdom, courage and perseverance be manifested.

    Fred M’membe

    President of the Socialist Part

    Statement of the Socialist Party to mark the International Day of Peace

    Statement of the Socialist Party to mark the International Day of Peace

    September 21, 2020 by Socialist Party Zambia in

    Each year, the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on September 21. The United Nations General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire.

    This year, it has been clearer than ever that we are not each other’s enemies. Rather, our common enemy is a tireless virus that threatens our health, security and very way of life. COVID-19 has thrown our world into turmoil and forcibly reminded us that what happens in one part of the planet can impact people everywhere.

    In March, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on all warring parties to lay down their weapons and focus on the battle against this unprecedented global pandemic. While the message was intended for armed parties, solidarity and cooperation across borders, sectors and generations are also needed to win this new fight against the worst public health crisis of our time.

    In these difficult times of physical distancing, even though we may not be able to stand next to each other, we can still dream together about a world full of justice, equity and peace.

    The 2020 theme for the International Day of Peace is “Shaping Peace Together”. Let’s celebrate this day by spreading compassion, kindness and hope in the face of the pandemic. Let’s stand together against attempts to use the virus to promote discrimination or hatred.

    There’s need to preserve human existence and world peace in the face of complexities, dangers and challenges.

    Peace has been the golden dream of humanity, and the peoples’ aspiration, at every moment in history. Thousands of nuclear weapons are hanging over humanity’s head. Preventing the most brutal war that could be unleashed has undoubtedly been the fundamental objective of efforts by religious leaders of churches directed by men such as Pope Francis, Pontiff of the Catholic Church, and His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

    To struggle for peace should be the most sacred duty of all human beings, whatever their religion, country of origin, skin colour, advanced or youthful age may be.

    Issued by Fred M’membe on behalf of the Politburo of the Socialist Party

    Mwika Royal Village, Chinsali