from ARNOLD MULENGA in Lusaka, Zambia
Zambia Bureau
LUSAKA, (CAJ News) – ZAMBIAN President Hakainde Hichilema’s decision to snub the 44th Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Harare, Zimbabwe over the weekend, has come under severe criticism from that country’s opposition, which has described his move as “political inexperience”, “puppetry” and “political ignorance”.
The Socialist Party of Zambia president, Dr. Fred M’membe, accused President Hichilema of being a “sell-out” and “a puppet of neocolonial forces”.
There has been a perceived fallout between Zambia and Zimbabwe triggered by the report of the observer mission to Zimbabwe’s elections in 2023, which came short of roundly condemning the polls. Hichilema, the outgoing chair of the SADC organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, sided with the observer mission report. He delivered the SADC organ’s report virtually over the weekend.
“What kind of puppet leadership is this? We ask a question to people within the UPND (United Party for National Development) who think our observations on these matters are driven by malice and mischief? With such elementary diplomatic miscalculations, how does one describe Mr Hichilema’s ignorant and irrational handling of foreign relations matters?” M’membe said.
“Isn’t this outright puppet leadership? Well, the writing on the wall is clear, Mr Hichilema is a sell-out and a puppet of neocolonial forces. At present and for the first time in our history, Zambia has a leader who has been captured by transnational corporations and global imperialist forces. Zambians already know that Mr Hichilema is not only a front, but also an instrument of neocolonial special interests,” he said.
M’membe said Hichilema failed to shape Zambia’s foreign relations path, arguing the snubbing of the 44th SADC summit in Zimbabwe was a missed opportunity for the development agenda, corroborating and developing consensus with fellow African leaders.
“And like all puppets, Mr Hichilema’s governance style exposes a deep reputation for intellectual laziness, diplomatic spinelessness and a severe addiction for state power by just playing the role of President rather than enthusiastically shaping the nation’s foreign relations, development agenda as well as corroborating and developing consensus with fellow African leaders to establish an independent and dignified direction and vision for the future of our nation and our continent in general,” M’membe said.
He said diplomacy demanded “sobriety”, “maturity”, and “wisdom” in dealing with regional, continental, and transcontinental matters.
“Snubbing the summit that would model the future of our region’s development and foreign relations only leads to isolation and intensification of the crisis. So, whether Mr Hichilema has issues with his Zimbabwean counterpart (president Emmerson Mnagagwa) or not, dealing with the matter in the manner he has done is not only unwise but highly reckless too,” M’membe said.
He said it was not the first time that Zambia and Zimbabwe found themselves on the opposite end of an argument citing the country’s third president Levy Mwanawasa and his Zimbabwean counterpart Robert Mugabe.
M’membe said the two leaders faced a more intricate and tension-raising diplomatic conflict, but the duo, he said, with the help of then South African President Thabo Mbeki, navigated the crisis with wisdom, tact and maturity.
He argued that snubbing such a full-house SADC regional bloc’s summit makes Zambia lose out on mobilisation of regional solidarity, coordination, and support on key issues.
“The negative spillover effects on this diplomatic miscalculation will be heavily felt at the most critical time in the nearest future,” he predicted.
He described Hichilema as a “puppet”, who underestimated the repercussions of the imperialist links.
“Mr Hichilema is operating on the end of a string held by his puppet masters. Even his diplomatic travels can only go as far as his puppet masters or foreign handlers are willing to stretch out the string that is yoking him. It’s a pity that Mr Hichilema clearly underestimated the repercussions of the imperialist links,” M’membe remarked.
He described the SADC Summit as special for the regional bloc’s overall policy direction and control of functions of member states.
Recently, M’membe was arrested by the Zambia Police Service on trumped up charges, as Hichilema is now increasingly viewed by many as now becoming a dictator.
The summit ran under the theme: “Promoting Innovation to unlock opportunities for sustained economic growth and development towards an Industrialised SADC”.
SADC is a regional economic community comprising 16 member states Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
– CAJ News