Dr Sichuwa Sishuwa

AMB. MWAMBA REPORTS SISHUWA SISHUWA TO POLICE FOR SEDITION

Lusaka- Monday April 26,2021

Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, His Excellency Emmanuel Mwamba has reported University of Zambia Lecturer, Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa to the Police for writing and publishing seditious material.

In his letter dated 26th April 2021 written to the Inspector General of Police, Ambassador Mwamba contended that the article written by Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa and published by the Mail & Guardian of South Africa was seditious as it portrayed Zambia as a country at the verge of a civil war and widespread political unrest.
He said Sishuwa’s article also painted a picture that all State and Democratic institutions in Zambia had collapsed or were about to.

Mr. Mwamba said the newspaper enjoys wide coverage across Africa and the assertions by Sishuwa in the article was meant to scandalise the country and its leadership.

He also stated that Dr. Sishuwa’s assertions that institutions such as the Judiciary and the Electoral Commission had lost public faith were dangerous and had capacity to instigate a public uprising.

He said Dr. Sishuwa’s assertions that the international community had conspired with the Zambian Government to remain silence on the alleged extensive human rights abuses and what he termed as murderous attacks against democratic institutions, portrayed a country suffering a collapse of democracy.

Mr. Mwamba said, Dr. Sishuwa as a political analyst and academic acted with treachery against his country when he published assertions he knew were false.

Mr Mwamba said Sishuwa peddled the dangerous lies to scandalise the government of President Edgar Lungu internationally and to harm the good and democratic standing that Zambia has enjoyed for over 56 years in Africa and the rest of the world.

Mr. Mwamba gave an example of thriving state and democratic institutions by citing the the Electoral Commission of Zambia which recently conducted a voter registration where over seven million Zambians turned up to register as voters.

He said the act to maliciously attack and scandalise democratic and state institutions by Sishuwa was an act of sedition

Below is the full letter by Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba

The Inspector General of Police,
Corner of Independence Avenue Road and Government Road,

Lusaka

RE; REPORTING MR. SISHUWA SISHUWA FOR THE CRIME OF SEDITION

I am Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba.

I am a patriotic citizen and currently serving as Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union and to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

While I was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a fellow Ambassador forwarded to me an article that appeared in the South African Mail and Guardian Newspaper online version, published on 22nd March 2021.

My colleague expressed alarm and wondered about the article.

He feared that the article made assertions that Zambia was at the verge of a civilian war or widespread political unrest.

When I took time to read the article, I understand the concerns by my colleague and I was also deeply disturbed by its contents.

This article was published by an academic, currently employed at the University of Zambia, Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa.

Dr. Sishuwa was writing the article in his capacity, as a historian and a political commentator.

Reading the article, one comes to a conclusion that Zambia was a country waiting to explode.

In the article Mr. Sishuwa alleges that Zambia’s democratic institutions such as the Electoral Commission, the Judiciary, the Police, and Parliament had collapsed and lost their autonomy, direction and function.

The article alleges that because of “intolerable levels of unemployment, extreme inequalities, restless and violent party cadres with a desperate political elite, the country may burn after the August 12 General Elections”.

Mr. Sishuwa also claims that there is lack of public trust and outright contempt to formal institutions such as the Electoral Commission, and the Zambia Police.

The article also claims that the ruling Patriotic Front was clinging to power unconstitutionally and was keen to perpetuate its stay to allegedly continue to accumulate public resources and escape possible prosecution and imprisonment.

The article also claimed that Western institutions and actors had engaged in incriminating silence against alleged widespread human rights violations and murderous attacks against democratic institutions.

The article further claims that factors that may alleged make Zambia suffer widespread political and civil unrest have been shaped by what Sishuwa called “the reprehensible actions of President Edgar Lungu’s authoritarian regime”!

He also made dangerous assertions that President Lungu had effectively eliminated constitutional and lawful means of political competition for the occupation of government.

He also alleged that this government had destroyed all vestiges of autonomy in all state institutions for the purposes of establishing an authoritarian government.

He also alleged that President Edgar Lungu had loaded the courts with “Judges loyal to the regime”.

MY COMPLAINT

From the above,it is clear that Mr. Sishuwa, despite being an academic, historian and political commentator, had chosen to peddle dangerous lies to scandalise the government of President Edgar Lungu, State and democratic Institutions and the good reputation of Zambia.

Further, Mr. Sishuwa has chosen to write and falsify assertions that Zambia’s democratic and state institutions have collapsed or are about to, and have lost all autonomy and public faith.

The Electoral Commission recently conducted a voter registration were over seven million Zambians enthusiastically turned up to register as voters.

This is a high measure of confidence and trust by Zambians that they can exercise their demovratic right to choose leaders of their choice through a democratic process carried out by the Electoral Commission of Zambia.

The Judiciary has seen cases by the State against personalities of the Opposition dismissed.

This demonstrates the fact that cases are determined by their own merit and not by the direction of those outside the Judiciary or as an instigation by certain political interests.

Mr. Sishuwa himself has rushed to the Lusaka Court to pursue a case of alleged defamation demonstrating the faith and public confidence such democratic institutions enjoy in Zambia.

Mr. Sishuwa neglected to explain that the appointment of Judges is a constitutionally defined process and adhered to both by the Executive, Judiciary and Parliament wings of government.

This and other numerous examples can be given to show that this write up, masquerading as political analysis, is criminal mischief against government and the country.

The write-up is intended and designed to elicit a certain negative outcome against the country.

Of deep concern is Mr. Sishuwa’s claim that Government was holding onto power unconstitutionally.

This government was legitimately elected by the people of Zambia in 2015 and 2016 and is widely recognised and accepted by Zambians and by all governments and institutions across the world.

Therefore the false assertions that this government was holding unto power unconstitutionally is dangerous as it can incite people to rise against it.

This write up is therefore seditious as it is designed to incite people to rebel against the authority of the State and its democratic institutions.

This is so especially that Zambia will hold General Elections where institutions that Mr. Sishuwa has chosen to maliciously attack, such as the Electoral Commission, the Judiciary and the Police, who are at the center of the democratic process as independent arbiters, will play a crucial role.

Attached hereto is the article by Mr. Sishuwa Sishuwa published by the Mail & Guardian dated 22nd March 2021.

Thank you

Ambassador & Permanent Representative

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here