By Foster Fundi
My mother always said when you have something to say, silence is a lie and not to speak one’s thought is slavery. The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but rather the silence over that by the good people. I was raised to believe that if you are neutral in situations of injustice you have chosen the side of the oppressor. I challenge Chilima to speak up as I do, as slowly MCP goes back to its old ways of silencing and persecuting anyone whom they perceive as a political threat.
During campaign period Chakwera preached tolerance, peace and love. Chakwera insisted MCP has changed. No it hasn’t changed. The only difference is, the persecution of DPP and UDF supporters is championed and supported by Chilima and HRDC this time around. My own role model Joshua Chisa Mbele wrote “if I were you Foster, I would have resigned to a little corner for introspection for sometime and observe how the new administration shapes in.” To my brother Mbele, I wholeheartedly believe that the greatest fear in the world is the opinion of others. And the moment you are unafraid of the crowd you are no longer a sheep, you become a lion.
A great roar arises in your heart. The roar of freedom. The person who makes selfish choices or acts contrary to their conscience will never be at peace. A person who sits back while others suffer or struggle will never feel good, or feel that they are enough, no matter how much they accomplish or how impressive their reputation may be.
That’s why I speak up even at the expense of knowing fully well that I am the next target by the MCP oppressive regime. MLK once observed that you may be 45 years old, as I happen to be. And one day, some great opportunity stands before you and calls you to stand up for some great principle, some great issue, some great cause. And you refuse to do it because you are afraid. You refuse to do it because you want to live longer.
You’re afraid that you will lose your job, or you are afraid that you will be criticized or that you will lose your popularity, or you’re afraid that somebody will stab you, or shoot at you or bomb your house. So, you refuse to take the stand. Well, you may go on and live until you are 90, but you’re just as dead at 45 as you would be at 90. And the cessation of breathing in your life is but the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit.
As long as our supporters are being terrorized everyday because of where they come from, their tribe, party they support, or arrested for cooked up crimes let alone lose their jobs not because they’re not qualified or experienced but rather because they come from the south or support DPP and UDF. That ladies and gentlemen will force me to speak up without fear or favor.
Yes, I hate hypocrites with passion. I therefore urge Chakwera and Chilima to drop all sham and cooked up charges against Dan Lu, M’thandizi Ward Councillor Isaac Jomo Osman a.k.a Mtopwa 1, Kambalame and many others. I am aware that this request will fall on death ears knowing the history of MCP. They say it’s the action, not the fruit of the action, that’s important. You have to do the right thing.
It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there’ll be any fruit. But that doesn’t mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result. MCP will never change.