By: Ollus Ndomu
One year after Hakainde Hichilema’s historic ascension to the presidency, there is a breath of fresh air in Zambia. The reign of terror that characterized public places including markets and bus stations, now exists only as memories. Elections have become a contest of ideas and not lecterns for tribal hate speech as in the days of the Edgar Lungu regime. In all honesty, ending caderism one of President Hichilema’s milestones. The 7-year long autocratic Lungu regime undermined Zambia’s democracy using its militarized party cadres and state forces. Opposition political players, civil society groups and rights activists endured state sponsored violence including suppression and arbitrary arrests. A year after the August 2021 elections, a whole new Zambia has emerged. While it is too early to conclude, the now relatively open democratic environment Zambians are enjoying is courtesy of Hichilema’s political will. The climate of lawlessness that characterised the previous government is slowly dissipating, of course, not without difficulty.
According to University of Zambia historian Dr Sishuwa Sishuwa, Hichilema’s first year in office has done nothing worthwhile in the area of democratic reform:
“Despite his promises, repressive legislation remains on the statute books. Not only that, more people have been arrested and sent to prison for breaking a dubious 1965 law against defamation of the president – a law that effectively criminalises criticism of the president – in Hichilema’s first year than were under six years of Lungu. Moreover, when recent videos emerged of soldiers beating youths for allegedly defaming the president, Hichilema criticised the victims, stating that young people should respect elders. This shows that the lure of authoritarian powers is very hard to resist, and that Lungu’s legacy will take some time to be undone.”
Regardless, investigative wings have their courage to fight corruption and financial crimes renewed as the once untouchable Lungu government bigwigs are now answering to their crimes. Hichilema has shown resolve to promote the rule of law through his appointments in key institutions of justice. The slow but methodological ranchman has over the past year worked to reverse his predecessor’s state capture of the judiciary and the investigative wings. Hichilema appointed independent-minded professionals to head the judiciary, the police, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC). It is to the credit of these professionals that the rule of law is being restored, occasioning some semblance of civility across the all fronts.
In the education sector, the Hichilema administration re-introduced the free education policy after a hiatus of three decades. The central government now foots all bills relating to the daily functioning of public schools. Overall, this policy increased the enrolment of learners especially at the primary school level coupled with the recruitment of over 30, 000 teachers. Also, the government has increased scholarships, bursaries and boarding support grants through the enhanced Constituency Development Fund –CDF- allocation.
Without doubt, the free education policy is a reflection of President Hichilema’s commitment to investing heavily in education. His government’s budget has allocated K18.1bn ($1bn) to the sector, which represents a 32% increase from the 2021 budget. From his early days on Zambia’s political scene, Hichilema has had considered Education as a cornerstone of the now governing United Party for National Development (UPND) manifesto. President Hakainde Hichilema is living proof of the transformative potential of a good education, having attended a village school barefoot before he was admitted to the University of Zambia on a full government bursary.
After seven years of a chaotically authoritative regime, the Hichilema government presents remarkable improvement in the quality of leadership. However, of concern is the lack of a strong opposition and an alert civil society to keep the New Dawn government in check as Zambia develops and implements fiscal policies including the design of tax framework in the mining sector. A strong opposition is needed for the government to embark on the constitutional review process and fast track the necessary legal reforms to improve the Zambia’s governance environment.
THE AFRICAN INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE
