Germany Happy HH Is A Free Man

Germany has welcomed the release of United Party for National  Development(UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema as a positive way towards creating a free political atmosphere in the country.

Germany Ambassador Ackim Burkart said now that Hichilema is a free man, the reconciliation process.

Burkart  said his country has   reiterated its concerns over Zambia’s fast erroding democracy.

He  said it was no longer a secret that his government was very much concerned with the current governance situation, particularly with regard to ‘the shrinking democratic space’ arising from the August 2016 disputed elections.

He said as much as Germany was committed to supporting various sectors of Zambia’s economy through its continued partnerships and its alignment with the development needs of Zambia and  its “Vision 2030”, it could not however pay a blind eye to the political tension and volatility that has since plunged the country into political division.

“It is no secret that my government is very much concerned with the current governance situation, especially with regard to the shrinking democratic space since last year’s elections. The recent application of a threatened State of Emergency has rung the alarm clocks in my Capital (Berlin) and I do sincerely hope that the Zambian Government will deal wisely with this issue in the weeks to come.

“The release of the opposition leader (Hakainde Hichilema) has been a very positive sign in this regard, and my Government is looking forward to a reconciliation process that leaves the past behind and is concentrate on the future development of this wonderful country.”

Burkart was speaking during the signing ceremony of the Bilateral Agreements on Financial and Technical Cooperation when Germany donated  a total of 107.5 million Euros as a grant meant for decentralized development (€5, 000, 000), Urban Water Supply and Sanitation in Chipata (€8, 000, 000), Rural Water Supply and Sanitation in rural areas (€8, 000, 000), Get Fit Zambia Programme (€31, 000, 000), Sustainable Electricity Supply Southern Division (€18, 000, 000), Ecological Urban Development Lusaka (€18, 000, 000) Strengthening Local Governance in Zambia Phase III (€7, 000, 000) and National Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Programme Phase II (€12, 000, 000).

And in response to the Ambassador’s concerns, Mutati said his government was doing all in its power to address the underlying problems that has led to the current political turmoil in the country.

And after a warning on misuse of public funds from the Germany,  Mutati reaffirmed Zambia’s pledge to ensuring that public funds were not misappropriated.

Ever since the disputed 2016 elections results, Zambia governance system has continued to slide into what many countries both in Africa and Europe have tamed “a dictatorship” though the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) has strongly refuted such claims arguing that Zambia was still a shinning example of true democracy in Africa.

The seemingly irreversible breakdown in the rule of law has prompted the opposition leader from UPND to put up a fight for what he terms a ‘a better Zambia in which the rule of law thrives’.

The opposition leaders arguments are based on high levels of harassments, the abuse of the Public Order Act (POA), the abuse of state institution by the ruling party, shutting down of private media houses and recently the arrest of opposition figures on trumped up charges.