We heard how President Edgar Lungu was personally offended by the remarks made by former UPND vice-president Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba (GBM) where the latter threatened to go for “Lungu’s throat” as he addressed his supporters.

Those who walk the corridors of power actually tell us that the Head of State considered the statement as a treasonable offence, for which he demanded the heaviest punishment. That is why when he was arrested for that offence, State House called the Inspector General of Police to tell him that GBM must be kept in custody for the whole long-weekend until after Tuesday, which was a holiday.

To be honest, we don’t think what GBM said was such a big deal, and even the police knew it. Just like the other charges of illegal drilling and unlawful assembly, this “proposing violence” case, which the prosecutors had against the former Defence Minister was quite weak, but it was strong enough for political persecution. We have seen politicians arrested, locked up and sometimes convicted for much more trivial charges, so we knew that the State had a very good, stupid case for victimizing the accused.

Fortunately, for GBM, he can now relax at home and eat all the beans he likes because his court cases will all fall off, one by one. His dying transport and milling companies will start flourishing again! All he needed to do is one thing – join PF and turn against the opposition party that he wanted to use to get back in government. This is very strange, but a reality of the state of affairs in Zambia.

Of all the people whom the PF must be angry with, it is GBM. This is the man who insulted the entire PF leadership, including the President, calling little stupid thieves, just a week before he went to join the ruling party. Even the dumbest politician can sense that such a man has no loyalty, integrity, patriotism or desire for good governance in his blood. He can do or say anything to anyone as long as it suits his materialistic needs at the time.

Like we stated in June last year, this is one of the reasons why PF is likely to win the 2021 general elections again because Zambians have embraced the ‘sebana wikute’ culture, where citizens are willing to face political humiliation, as long as their tummies are satisfied. The embarrassment doesn’t matter anymore, as long as you get something out of it. This is the only explanation to the fact that the economy is nose-diving, but the PF’s popularity is skyrocketing.

The PF has been winning and will continue to win elections, not because voters think it has solutions to the problems facing the country, but because it has enough money to buy butter and ‘shinga’ every voter. Since voting is based on ‘sebana wikute’, the PF has realized that all they have to do is to strangle the economy and ensure that the only viable business left in this country is joining the ruling party.

When Mr Costain Chilala’s business started struggling, he threw away his dignity to join the PF campaigns in Chilanga, and boom…! His misery was gone! Next, we saw GBM eating his own vomit by joining those he called criminals, and boom…! His court problems are over! Sebana wikute! Everyone has to survive by working for the PF today. This is the strategy GBM admitted and so far we can see that it is working.

He realised that if you oppose the government, the economy opposes you! In Zambia, today, you may work for a private company, but if you are heard saying something bad about the Patriotic Front, you risk losing your job, you become a liability to the company. If you insult the PF, your landlord may even evict you because he built the house from government deals. The friends you drink with will be forced to stop picking your calls because you are tempering with the big buyer.

As citizens of Zambia, we find ourselves in a predicament, which dictates that we begin to see things from the Patriotic Front’s viewpoint. In the eyes of the Patriotic Front, it is unrealistic and naïve to think that good ends can be achieved without resorting to dubious means. In these circumstances, the Patriotic Front finds it irresponsible and morally wrong to consider doing the right thing that has consequential bearings to its hold on power.

What is necessary to preserve the interests of our political leaders takes precedence over all other considerations. Necessity knows no laws and morality has no place in the mission: “get rich or die trying!” In the life of a PF and government official, the end will always justify the means. They justify force and violence, cruelty and deceit as a lesser evil compared to poverty.

Those in the Patriotic Front believe that politicians like Hakainde Hichilema and Chishimba Kambwili would be dangerous in State House, but they don’t want the citizens to make that decision. They have decided on behalf of all the people that only them are good for Zambia and they will do everything, including killing, to preserve their rule.

This is what makes GBM an innocent man now that he has re-joined the PF. His assignment is to make sure that the opposition, especially Mr Hichilema, stands no chance of dislodging President Lungu. As we speak now, GBM is above the law, he doesn’t need permits any more to decampaign the UPND, and his boys can beat anyone who stands in his way without question.

But those who have adopted this type of sebana wikute to perpetuate the misery of the majority citizens must know that whatever they eat from the PF, no matter how delicious, will not increase their days on Earth. They will still answer every call of nature, and the more they eat, the sooner the call.