Development expert calls for reconciliation

Zambian Development and Climate Resilience Expert Oliver Bulaya has called for urgent national reconciliation, warning that growing political divisions risk undermining Zambia’s long-standing foundation of peace, unity and national cohesion. Dr Bulaya observed that Zambia had…

Zambian Development and Climate Resilience Expert Oliver Bulaya has called for urgent national reconciliation, warning that growing political divisions risk undermining Zambia’s long-standing foundation of peace, unity and national cohesion.

Dr Bulaya observed that Zambia had experienced significant political tensions before, during and after elections, and expressed concern that political differences were increasingly dividing citizens and affecting relationships across communities.

In a statement released to  the media, he said the country now requires genuine, honest and inclusive reconciliation.

 “We must never allow political competition to turn fellow Zambians into enemies,” Dr. Bulaya said, adding that political competition should be temporary while the nation and its people are permanent.

He has also urged the church and traditional leadership to take a more active role in facilitating dialogue among the country’s leading political actors.

Dr Bulaya said Zambia’s traditional and religious institutions possess significant moral authority and public trust and should therefore convene serious, structured and honest engagements aimed at rebuilding confidence among political leaders and citizens.

And Dr Bulaya urged Zambians to choose peace over provocation, dialogue over confrontation, reconciliation over revenge, and national unity over political expediency.

He appealed to the current and future generation of leaders to protect the legacy inherited from Zambia’s founding generation, stressing that the country’s peace and unity should never be sacrificed for political power.