Zambia back to colonial days-Charles Chanda
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UPPZ President Charles Chanda
By Ashton Kelly Bunda – Issue No. 59 Wednesday May 1 – Tuesday – May 24, 2019
UNITED Prosperous and Peaceful Zambia (UPPZ) says Zambians have gone back to the colonial days because the freedoms they enjoy are limited.
Speaking in an interview with Rainbow News, UPPZ leader Charles Chanda said like in the colonial days, Zambians are not enjoying freedom of expression and liberty of assembly made impossible by the draconian Public Orders Act (POA).
“When you are talking about freedom, freedom has many dimensions. You may talk about economic freedom and you may talk about the actual freedom which is political freedom. Now you will realise that the freedom we got from our colonial masters with the high expectations, we have lost it in the sense that we have gone back to colonial life. Think about freedom of expression, it is not there and freedom of assembly, it is not there. Only certain people are privileged to have such kind of freedom. When you look at freedom in its entirety, we have challenges and nothing to celebrate,” Mr Chanda said.
He said attaining freedom in Zambia is a situation catch 22 as the economic part of life is shrinking resulting in the youths facing employment challenges and school scholarship empowerment.
Mr Chanda said Zambia in particular is one of the countries in the world with a maturing democracy and the citizens are learning to dialogue without political interference from foreign forces.
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He said that they are intelligent youths who are skilled, but lack sponsorship, hence they are bound economically and celebrating days like Africa Freedom Day means nothing to them.
When we come to young people for instance, young people don’t have freedom. You will discover that they want to study but government doesn’t want to give them what they want. They graduate, there is no employment so what do you celebrate, so really, we have lost the gains of our freedom and that is why we want to regain them,” he said, adding ““We can build a huge cadre of skilled and talented youths that will take over posterity by training them to become entrepreneurs, teachers, medical doctor, artists as well as engineers than just recognizing them during elections.”
The thoughtful looking UPPZ leader urged government and local stake holders to come up with huge indabas like the ongoing National Dialogue forum which will be centered on lasting solutions in creating employment including in the rural areas.
Chanda said attaining economic freedom is a situation catch 22 since youths cannot further their education so that they develop the Zambian economy when they are no jobs to for themselves and their parents.
He said on the other hand, when they are few youths who are educated, the levels of development will slow down as illiteracy levels will increase.
Mr Chanda advised that neo-colonialism which is colonizing of the economy will soon creep in to Africa and mother Zambia in particular if the country remains vulnerable in terms of employment and wealth creation.
He said it is possible for the old trend of political colonization to make a come –back if the economic aspect of life remains weak for a long time.
