Activist, Miti, urges govt to think through feedback from public, adopt measured responses to critics

Human Rights Activist, Laura Miti, has called on the government to focus its efforts and resources on creating an effective communication strategy to gain the upper hand in public discourse.

Miti also commended the government for allowing the opposition United Kwacha Alliance (UKA) to hold its rally in Kitwe District, Copperbelt Province.

Sharing her thoughts on official Facebook platform about the rally on Monday, Miti noted that the intense debate around civic space and the prolonged detention of opposition leaders had created a noisy and tense atmosphere.

She said that government’s previous attempts to prevent its rivals from gathering unnecessarily heightened political tensions.

However, she praised the recent decision to allow the rally, which she expressed believe would help calm down the situation.

Miti highlighted that the previous climate of tension made it difficult to have intelligent conversations about the real problems facing the country.

She cited issues such as debt, load shedding, drought, unemployment, massive teen substance abuse and pregnancies, and the constitution.

“You see, in all the shouting about civic space, there was not a chance to hear anyone calmly articulate debt, load shedding, drought, unemployment, massive teen substance abuse and pregnancies, the constitution,” Miti said.

Additionally, Miti praised United Party for National Development (UPND) Consultant Mark Simuwe for his measured response to the UKA rally in Kitwe, noting that he did so without using foul language or even breaking a sweat.

“You are in power, for goodness sake. How can you fail to message effectively, like Mark did, and choose instead to mess with our democracy? I mean, if you can’t message, nizanu izo. You have no understandable excuse,” she wrote.

“I don’t know what position Mark Simuwe holds in the UPND, or if indeed he has any. All I can say is, this kind of packaging,!message is what the ruling party has desperately lacked,” she stated.

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