Expulsion of Cuban Envoy ill timed – Mwenya Musenge

Ejection of the top diplomat is an affirmation that Zambia is slowly drifting into a totalitarian regime.

Kitwe. 02.04.2018.

Zambia and Cuba have for over 60 years enjoyed extremely cordial bilateral ties.

The warm relations between the two nations date back to the colonial era when that country assisted in training Zambian nationalist in guerilla welfare, military tactic’s and political science among others.

The Cubans have been friends of Africa consistently and assisted in ousting the apartheid regime in South Africa.

Its founding comrades like Fidel Castro sacrificed their blood and sweat to ensure that indeed the African continent was free.

Castro himself fought many battles in the Congo and in other part’s of Africa.

Cuba had previously funded and hosted several liberation movements from Africa.

News on April 1st that Zambia had expelled the Cuban ambassador Nelson Pages Villas has come as a great shock to the National Democratic Congress NDC.

The ejection of Mr. Vila’s from Zambia has undoubtedly stained the ties between Havana and lusaka.

The Cubans have over the years assisted Zambia in so many area’s.

For instance, that country has been sending specialized medical personnel and experts in various fields to this country. .

The expulsion therefore of that country’s ambassador to Zambia is outrageously shocking.

Mr. Villa’s we are told has been ejected and crucified simply for attending the launch of the socialist party.

This move is a blow to the bilateral ties that Zambia has had with the island state.

President Edgar Lungu was extreme when he made that abrupt decision to eject Mr. Villa’s from Zambia.

Mr. Lungu should have in all fairness summoned Mr. Villa’s via a demarche, an acceptable diplomatic channel to express his displeasure over Cuba’s perceived political involvement in Zambia’s political affair’s.

In our view, there is nothing wrong with Mr. Villa’s attending the launch of the socialist party.

Governments the world over recognise and create ties with groupings that they view as progressive.

The island nation of Cuba supports socialism and there is nothing wrong with that country to give solidarity to comrade’s in another country who espouse and support the promotion of socialism as a means and form of political authority.

As NDC, we feel that President Lungu has created a diplomatic bluff by expelling Mr. Villa’s.

The decision was not only ill timed but equally ill advised.

The ejection of the Cuban ambassador was done out of spite and to possibly send shivers to the diplomatic community.

This diplomatic blunder has put Zambia in the spot light.

There is something sinister that Mr. Lungu is trying to hide.

We know for a fact that the diplomatic community has been closely monitoring the political happenings in this country.

It is a proven fact that Zambia is drifting into totalitarianism looking at current political happenings.

The diplomatic bruise that state house has created with the international community will cost Zambia.

Zambia will definitely stand out to lose if the international community elects to isolate this country.

The Cubans have for years been very apolitical.

For Cuba to seemingly support regime change through “endorsing”, the socialist party in Zambia, then that country has seen something sinister in our governance record.

Currently, Zambia has no reputation on the international front. The nation is a police state, where those with divergent views are seen as enemies of the state.

The battle that Mr. Lungu has started with Havana and the diplomatic community will definitely have grave consequences.

We as NDC are not surprised that the Lungu regime is now targeting envoys accredited to Zambia.

The Lungu regime is increasingly becoming despotic and will therefore try by all means to ensure that the international community should not have a clue on the corruption and cross human rights violations that it is perpetuating.

The international community should have a say in Zambia’s political landscape because they give us tax payer’s money.

Donors have sacrificed for this country and if a regime is going off the acceptable rail of governance, then, they have all the rights to be weary, skeptical and latter on comment on happenings in this republic.

Very soon, major international bodies and players will isolate Lungu.

Mr. Lungu should be sensitive of the fight he has started. He surely has no means to quench this fire that he has started.

Very soon, foreign envoys will demand a meeting with Mr. Lungu at state house. We urge the foreign envoys not to mince their words and tell off Lungu that he has destroyed Zambia’s democratic credentials because he has failed to govern.

President Lungu is so stubborn and we know he won’t listen to the diplomatic community. If he goes this direction, Lungu and his regime are in for a rude shock. You don’t treat diplomat’s in the manner Mr. Villa’s has been embarrassed.

As NDC, we want to urge Mr. Lungu to be careful when handling diplomatic matters. Mr. Lungu should put aside bias when handling delicate matters.

The pf regime should reflect and ask themselves why the international community has started turning its back on them. Something has definitely gone wrong.

As NDC, we expect and anticipate that Zambia will soon be isolated by many foreign players. This will impact negatively on the country’s economy.

We shall not be surprised to see donors cutting their support to various sector’s of the economy. The international community has clearly observed that something is wrong politically.

The ejection of the Cuban ambassador is therefore naïve and uncalled for.

President Lungu was overly excited when he made this strenuous and harsh decision to eject an envoy from Zambia simply because of supporting a principle, ideology and ethos of an opposition grouping.

Issued by: Mwenya Musenge. Secretary Genera NDC.