Socielist Party President, Fred M’membe has criticised President Hakainde Hichilema’s national address delivered Thursday night, describing it as a “missed opportunity” to apologise and show genuine remorse following the recent passing of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu.
Dr M’membe claimed the President’s speech lacked sincerity, empathy, and the moral courage to take responsibility for the role his administration allegedly played in the events leading up to Mr Lungu’s death.
“Mr Hichilema’s address last night was regrettably a missed opportunity to apologize and show genuineness, empathy, and accountability to the nation,” Dr M’membe said in a press statement today.
“This was a critical moment in our nation’s history that required truth, humility, and courage but what we got instead was evasion and a complete lack of compassion.”
The Socialist Party leader noted that the President’s message felt “hurried, poorly prepared, and empty of the emotional weight anticipated,” adding that President Hichilema failed to directly address the nation’s concerns.
“To put it bluntly, Mr Hichilema’s remarks lacked the sincerity and humility that many people across the country were expecting,” he stated.Dr M’membe also accused the UPND led government of consistently avoiding accountability.
“They often say what sounds good but rarely mean what is said,It’s standard that Mr Hichilema always fails to take responsibility for his government’s actions, always choosing instead to shift blame and speak in circles,” he said.
Dr M’membe said it only came after public pressure and widespread condemnation over the President’s silence since Mr Lungu’s passing.
“The delayed response, coming many days after Mr Lungu’s demise, and the flat manner in which it was delivered tells it all,” he noted.
Dr M’membe said, the President’s address was expected to serve not just as a political message, but as a moment of national reflection and unity.
“It was a moment that demanded deep introspection, realisation, and acknowledgement of past wrongs and more importantly, an unequivocal apology to the Lungu family, the Patriotic Front, and the nation at large,” Dr. M’ membe added.
Dr M’membe urged President Hichilema to ground his ideals in honesty if Zambia is to truly move forward.
“True leadership demands the sincerity and humility to own up and say, ‘we admit, we were wrong.’ That’s not weakness that’s moral courage,now is the time for peace, love, and unity. But the question is when will Mr Hichilema start to walk the talk?”
“Let us vow to ensure that no citizen or political leader in this country is ever subjected to state and institutional humiliation or denied the right to go to the hospital ever again,” he said.