Dear Fellow Zambians,
I write this letter from Manchester with a heavy heart as I watch developments in our beloved Zambia following the recent general elections.
From thousands of miles away, the political divisions at home are deeply worrying, particularly because they increasingly appear to be taking on ethnic and regional dimensions.
Elections are meant to give citizens an opportunity to choose their leaders, not to divide a nation into competing ethnic or regional camps.
Yet, what we are witnessing should remind all of us that Zambia’s greatest asset has always been its ability to live together as one people despite our differences.
This is why the call by Senior Chief Muchinda Kankomba Welala III of the Lala-Swaka people for national unity, reconciliation and cooperation is so important.
His reminder that political seasons come and go while Zambia remains should be taken seriously by every citizen, whether at home or in the diaspora.
Political parties will rise and fall. Presidents will come and go. Elections will be held and concluded. But Zambia will remain our common home.
There should be no permanent winners or permanent losers in a democracy. Those who have won have a responsibility to govern fairly and inclusively, while those who have lost must accept the constitutional process and continue contributing to the country’s development.
Where there are genuine grievances, the law provides legitimate avenues for seeking redress. Political disagreement must never become a justification for hatred, violence or ethnic mobilisation.
From Manchester, I am particularly concerned when political differences are transformed into hostility between regions and communities. Zambia belongs equally to the Bemba, Tonga, Chewa, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Kaonde, Lala, Swaka, Ngoni, Mambwe, Tumbuka and every other community that calls this country home.
Development must likewise be blind to political affiliation. A child in a community deserves a school regardless of how his or her parents voted.
A patient deserves a health facility, a farmer deserves infrastructure and every citizen deserves access to public services.
The Constituency Development Fund must therefore be managed transparently and directed towards genuine community needs, with citizens participating in determining priorities.
Traditional leaders have an especially important role in this period. They can help heal divisions by remaining above partisan politics and reminding their subjects that their shared identity as Zambians is greater than temporary political loyalties.
As members of the diaspora, we watch Zambia with pride, concern and hope. We want to return to a country where our children can identify themselves first as Zambians, not through the political or ethnic labels that currently threaten to divide us.
The election is over. Zambia remains.
Let us therefore put our country before our parties, our communities before political interests, and peace before victory or defeat.
Yours in the service of Zambia,
A Concerned Zambian in Manchester