After considerable reflection, I have decided to withdraw from active social media politicsand temporarily close my Facebook account- Dr. Larry L. Mweetwa

A TIME TO STEP BACK: WITHDRAWING FROM ACTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA POLITICS After considerable reflection, I have decided to withdraw from active social media politics, stop posting political content, and temporarily close my Facebook account. This decision is not born out of frustration, anger, disappointment or defeat. Quite the opposite. I step back with a deep […]

A TIME TO STEP BACK: WITHDRAWING FROM ACTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA POLITICS

After considerable reflection, I have decided to withdraw from active social media politics, stop posting political content, and temporarily close my Facebook account.

This decision is not born out of frustration, anger, disappointment or defeat. Quite the opposite. I step back with a deep sense of satisfaction and gratitude, knowing that, in my own small way, I played my part in advancing the UPND agenda, defending what I believed in, countering misinformation and contributing to the political conversation when my voice was needed.

As the saying goes, “There is a time to speak and a time to be silent; wisdom is knowing the difference.”

To everyone who encouraged me, corrected me, challenged me, supported me, criticised me and even disagreed with me—thank you. Every encounter carried a lesson.

SOCIAL MEDIA POLITICS IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD

If there is one lesson this journey has taught me, it is that social media politics is a double-edged sword.

When it was critical to defend the party, some of us spoke when silence would have been easier. At times we risked friendships, reputations, careers, resources and even personal safety. Yet politics has a peculiar way of rewarding the same action with completely different interpretations.

Speak strongly and some will call you courageous; others will call you aggressive.

Speak frequently and some will say you are committed; others will say you are childish or seeking attention.

Keep quiet and some will call you mature and disciplined; others will ask why you abandoned the battlefield.

Challenge propaganda and some will appreciate your courage; others will say you are looking for relevance, a position or a job.

Sacrifice your own resources and people may praise your generosity; others will question your motives.

That is politics.

“The tree that bears fruit is the one that attracts stones.”

There were moments when I looked at the information space and felt that the party’s media machinery was being overwhelmed. When voices such as Emmanuel Mwamba, The Chair Voice and Lilly Mutamz dominated the narrative, while our own structures appeared subdued, the political animal in me naturally woke up. I felt compelled to push back, challenge misinformation and provide an alternative voice.

When Mark Simuwe appeared to be fighting almost as a lone voice while simultaneously facing attacks, my conviction was simple: no soldier should be left alone on the battlefield. A political organisation must develop a coordinated ecosystem that supports those carrying its message.

Likewise, when the Secretary General carries enormous organisational responsibilities and cannot occupy every media space, other credible voices will naturally emerge to fill the vacuum. People such as Wynter Kabimba may enter that space because politics, like nature, abhors a vacuum.

The lesson for me is institutional: a political party must never depend on isolated individuals for its communication. It needs a resilient, coordinated and responsive media architecture capable of defending its record, explaining its policies and countering misinformation without waiting for individual volunteers to become exhausted.

I HAVE ALSO LEARNT THE MEANING OF SACRIFICE

This journey allowed me to appreciate people who love the party enough to go beyond the normal call of duty.

I watched people such as Brian Mwiinga and Hon. Levy Ngoma, among many others, work extraordinary hours during the campaign. Some hardly slept. Their methods may sometimes have been misunderstood, but sacrifice is rarely comfortable.

“The footprints of sacrifice are seldom seen by those who only arrive after the victory.”

Politics also taught me never to judge commitment merely by style.

A person may fight aggressively like Kalani Muchima: some will call him courageous, others aggressive.

Someone may fight with the intensity associated with the likes of my good brothers like Tayali or Seer 1, acting from personal conviction and love for President HH and yet others may interpret everything through the lens of personal benefit and asking to buy their freedoms when they already have freedom but doing so because they love the President and his vision.

Someone like Oliver Shalala may spend enormous energy challenging and debunking opposition narratives, yet instead of appreciating the work, some will conclude that he is merely seeking relevance or employment.

Then someone may maintain the professional, measured and presidential caliber in communication style of Clayson Hamasaka, quietly executing responsibilities in the background, yet people will still complain that he does not speak enough and nostalgically compare him with Anthony Bwalya.

That is the contradiction of public life.

If you speak, you will be judged. If you remain silent, you will still be judged. Therefore, let conscience not applause be your compass.

LOYALTY IS TESTED MOST WHEN THINGS DO NOT GO YOUR WAY

One of the greatest lessons I take away concerns loyalty to an institution when personal ambitions collide with collective decisions. You could be suspended or fired even when you try to fight Makebi Zulu embarrassing the government on this as a civil servant stay quiet don’t risk your job again when you stay quiet they will see he is not one of don’t promote him. Double edged sword for me I would advise civil servants to say just be quiet whether they say these Directors we put in office are not aligned, my brother my sister stay quiet when things fall on you they will cerebrate and say twale mweba ukubilima people are evil.

When the party does not adopt you for a parliamentary seat and asks you to support the nominated candidate, that is when loyalty becomes expensive.

It is easy to be loyal when the decision favours us. Character is tested when the decision hurts us.

My friend Vitaris remains one of my role models in this regard. He may have been a favourite in Choma Constituency, but when the party made its decision, he heeded the call.

There is profound wisdom in the saying:

“A true soldier does not burn the barracks simply because he was not chosen to lead the battalion.”

We must learn that the party vision can sometimes be bigger than our individual ambitions, however painful the circumstances may be.

The same applies to people who sacrifice substantial personal resources for what they believe in. George Mutonga, for example, has committed resources toward supporting UPND and the President. Some appreciate such sacrifice; others will ridicule it and say “yamunyokola njala ku America” or claim he is simply looking for a job.

Again, the double-edged sword.

Sometimes people will never believe that another human being can act simply because they believe in a cause.

THERE IS LIFE BEYOND POLITICAL SOCIAL MEDIA

For me, perhaps the season for making political noise on social media has run its course.

And what a journey it has been!

I leave it without bitterness. I leave satisfied. I leave having learnt lessons that no classroom could have taught me.

“Knowing when to leave the stage is as important as knowing when to walk onto it.

The energy that went into political social media engagement can now be redirected into other fulfilling areas academics, research, professional development, science, technology, innovation and other productive pursuits where knowledge and experience can create lasting value.

Politics has its season, but life must remain bigger than politics.

I therefore temporarily close this chapter and realign my focus.

To those who liked my posts—thank you.

To those who shared them—thank you.

To those who encouraged me privately when the political temperatures were high—thank you.

To those who criticised me—thank you; you sharpened me.

To those who misunderstood me—I hold no bitterness.

And even to those who insulted me—you were part of the education.

“A wise traveller does not curse every stone on the road; some stones teach him where to place his next step.”

I remain grateful to everyone who walked this journey with me.

I came.
I spoke.
I defended what I believed in.
I learnt.
I contributed.
And now, I choose to redirect my energy.

This is therefore not a resignation from conviction, nor a retreat born from frustration. It is simply a strategic withdrawal from active social media politics and political posting.

The struggle for national development is much bigger than Facebook.

Sometimes service requires a microphone.
Sometimes it requires a keyboard.
And sometimes service requires quietly getting back to work.

Thank you all for the journey. It has been a beautiful, difficult, educational and unforgettable experience.

“Every season has its purpose, and wisdom lies in recognising when one season has ended and another must begin.”

As proof of this article check comments you will see someone talking negative about this article and others saying positive things. That’s what am talking about.

-Dr. Larry L. Mweetwa-