LISA KWALEYELA
– Political aggression, intolerance should never be institutionalised
THE seventh President of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, took over as the chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation in August 2023.
For the tenure of his appointment, President Hichilema will steer policy direction and control the functions of SADC for its 16-member states.
This development comes at a time when Zambia has revived its continued claim to its position as central-southern Africa’s oasis of peace and democracy.
Since 1964, October 24 of every year is a celebration of Independence Day for mother Zambia. October 24 also marks the United Nations (UN) Day that is commemorated as the anniversary for enforcement of the 1945 UN Charter.
The aspirations of the UN are founded on a firm belief that global peace and security are fundamental elements for world order and stability.
As an organisation, the UN plays a key role in ensuring that its member states conform to the ideals of enhancing development, security and protection of human rights for all.
For developing countries of Africa, it has never been an easy task to enforce the UN Charter, but the continent continues to reaffirm its commitment to protection of human rights for African citizens through the African Union (AU) and its regional organisations.
This is why strengthened ties amongst all AU member states towards the achievement of a better Africa have been at the centre of the continent’s agenda for peace and development.
For countries like Zambia, there is a double responsibility to not only build strong national institutions for realisation of the AU and UN targets, but also to strengthen its role in regional and continental prospects for human security.
Historically, Zambia is not a troubled nation, neither is it a problem child of fragility and socio-political instability.
This is a reasonable foundation to surmise that the country remains a poster child for exceptional national cohesion and social fabric in southern Africa.
However, the peace in the country holds little significance or resonance to the region if it is not tied to the overall aspirations of international efforts to maintain global peace and stability for all AU and UN member states.
Despite its problems, Zambia still maintains its position as a hub of peace in the region. Not only has it hosted refugees escaping instability in neighbouring countries, it also holds a formalised role in a myriad of peace processes across central and southern Africa.
With more than 1,000 troops contributed to different peacekeeping missions, Zambia continues to affirm its important partnership with the UN.
As a landlocked country, Zambia holds an important position in regional integration for both SADC and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
An absence of any significant substate violence in the country places Zambia at the centre of regional peacebuilding efforts. Peacebuilding highlights a need to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of state intervention in democratisation processes and promotion of good governance for protection of human rights.
There has to be a more concise and context-specific strategy to build better institutions for human security in the country and the African region.
As a member of the AU Peace and Security Council, Zambia’s presence in peacekeeping missions across Africa is an indication that the country remains committed to its role in peace efforts even though more can be done to heighten the prospects for human rights within and outside of the country.
Peacebuilding has to be nationalised in line with regional and global efforts to enhance the ideals of a just peace in Zambia and the rest of southern Africa.
This means addressing the root causes of sporadic political and social conflict which could lead to degrading of Zambia’s status as an oasis of peace in the AU and UN.
Whilst the country holds on to its history of stability, latent conflict over divergent political views can quickly degenerate into escalated forms of violence unless existing acrimonies are addressed.
Political aggression and intolerance should never be institutionalised in a country that is poised to be Africa’s beaming light of democracy.
The declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation brings with it a certain responsibility that cannot be flouted on a whim.
Zambia as a nation-state continues to play a pivotal role in ensuring that stability in southern Africa is a non-negotiable right for the security of citizens.
In so doing, we remind ourselves that as we celebrate Independence Day every October 24, we are inherently tied as a country to enhancing the role and responsibility of the UN in strides to build sustainable world peace.
Post-2021 in the era of the New Dawn is a renewed cause for reconciliation and nation-building – a very sane reminder that violence, ethnicism, politics of intimidation and divisive rhetoric are repugnant to Zambia as a nation.
Regardless of political affiliation, “we stand at the doorsteps of national healing and positivity as a country because we are southern Africa’s oasis of peace”.
Building regional peace remains one of Zambia’s key responsibilities in actualising aspirations of the UN as the organisation celebrates nearly eight decades of existence.
After all, being a peacemaker and building peace within the country and for the region is a godly act that dresses upon thee a duty to uphold values and institutions that build peace internally and externally.
As the Bible states in Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God.” Happy 59th Independence Day mother Zambia!
The author is a PhD candidate at Oxford University and lectures governance in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Copperbelt University.
