Some of us are consistently being denounced for telling the truth and saying what others do not want to hear. Our friends in the UPND and its government seem to have the misconception that it is all about agreement and harmony.
They want everyone to sing praise songs even when there is no praise to sing about. Was Mr Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND praise singers for the previous governments? Did Mr Hichilema ever praise any previous government for anything? Why do they want to change the rules of the game for the opposition now that they are in power?
Zambia is not a dictatorship in which everyone should think, dream and view the world in the same way.
Our politics are about plurality and diversity. Even our Christianity is not about united voicing Bible verses like John 3:16 or speaking the Lord’s Prayer in unison. Division, not unity, is a significant theme in the Bible. Prophet Jeremiah, from the Old Testament, was persecuted for saying what God told him to speak to the people. As a prophet of God, Jeremiah, was opposed for saying what people did not want to hear from God. Lies and gossip may be more popular than the truth. Should we shut up or speak up about what is harmful to society?
God called and appointed Jeremiah as His prophet to His people. God’s people and other religious leaders did not like what Jeremiah said from God. The temple's chief official had Jeremiah beaten and put in stocks to pressure him to shut up. Many of the prophets of God in the Old Testament received reproach, ridicule, mocking, and even death for speaking up. Jesus was also persecuted for saying and doing what other religious leaders and people rejected.
As Christians, Jesus warns us that saying and living what Jesus said and did will result in our persecution. We will be persecuted because, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher and the servant like his master.” Jesus warned his disciples that if they have called him Beelzebub, or Satan, how much more will they malign them.
Jesus warned his disciples that they should not fear persecution for speaking His words. They will prove true even if those offended by them reject them. Jesus and his words are meant for the good of others, even if they sting. Persecution, beatings, being placed in jail, or fed to lions will harm or kill your body, but it is God who saves your souls for heaven, not other people. We fear others and things we cannot control, but God is to be feared above all else.
Fred M'membe
President of the Socialist Party