Laura Miti Takes On Sunday Chanda Over Tribalism

Civil Society activist Laura Miti has this week taken to social media to address the issue of tribalism, following comments made by PF Spokesperson Sunday Chanda in reaction to which she stated 'I refuse for Sunday to teach a country to hate a whole innocent people in my name.' Chanda came back quickly on the attack, but Miti has once again taken a stand on the issue writing as follows:

"We can verbally spar about our polar positions on where the country is headed. I am sorry though Sunday, PF tribalism is not one of those things I can allow you to cleverly lighten.
I will tell you why. It is because individual lives of very innocent non-political citizens are being destroyed by this hate machine you are now responsible for.

You see, if the hate campaign the PF was running had somehow managed to restrict itself to savaging HH and his UPND, I would not be quite bothered. HH is a big boy with deep pockets. If he cannot get his media team to debunk the muck you guys throw at him, then that is his problem. My sense of panic is because the EL administration seems to have decided that, in order to hold on to power, it will hurt a whole section of Zambia and wantonly destroy one of the greatest attributes we had as a nation – seeing ourselves as Zambian first then members of a tribe, second.

What I am asking you to do Sunday is to take off your political lenses for a moment and imagine yourself as a Tonga, Lunda or Lozi, in current Zambia. Think of yourself as an ordinary Joe from those tribes, a doctor, teacher or mechanic just living your life - no more interested in politics than the usual comments in a bar. Imagine being that guy and listening to a Chishimba Kambwili or Sunday Chanda speak about you and yours. Knowing your gene pool has been declared a mortal sin. Consider knowing that your work-mate, Lucky Banda, (pun intended) can hold his head up and put up his hand for any opportunity simply because of the part of the country he comes from. As for you, your lot is to be silently but fully aware that the majority people who have been retired in national interest by your government, have lost their jobs simply because they are you. Knowing there is nothing you can do about it, if you are on the next list, after all you can’t stop being Tonga. Being so scared you might be on that list that you just about apologise when you are seen. 

That is what you are responsible for in the PF right now, Sunday - ensuring that Tongas and their cousins are second class citizens. The sad thing is, you know, or at least I hope that you do, that yours is a duty to ensure that the country remains so tribally divided only for political reasons. Like Chishimba Kambwili whose vilify-the Tonga job you took over, and who apologised to those Tonga within an eye-blink of leaving office, you know that there is nothing wrong with the part of the country you are forever painting black. What I am trying to make you see is that while you are viewing this strategy you are implementing as political, it left the political arena a long time ago. It is hurting ordinary people. What alarms me is the seeming lack of consideration in the whole PF that there might be consequences for this dangerous game you are all playing. I just wonder how you do not ask yourselves how long people will accept for their children to come home from school asking what is wrong with being Tonga.

Surely, Sunday, there are other ways to hold on to power, even rigging, if you must. Just stop this killing of the soul of a nation in ways that could set us on fire."