By 
“Are we willing to understand, accept, and face the real scale and complexity of our national crisis, not just poverty and high prices, but the deeper cancers of corruption, wastage, weak institutions, and a population growing faster than schools, hospitals, jobs, and land can keep pace with?”
This was the opening of a series of ten questions posed by constitutional lawyer, John Sangwa in a statement titled “Call to National Reflection”.
He urged Zambians to examine their readiness to embrace their constitutional duties and collectively take responsibility for the country’s renewal.
Sangwa said the questions were “not manifesto of promises.”
He said they were “a mirror held up to all of us,” meant to test whether citizens were prepared to make the hard choices required for national renewal.
Sangwa stressed that leadership alone could transform Zambia; only the collective will of disciplined, united, and responsible citizens can.
Acknowledging calls for him to enter politics, Sangwa said: “I am humbled by this confidence. But let me be clear: no single individual can deliver Zambia from its current challenges. Our future will not be secured by one person’s sacrifice alone, but by the collective will of all citizens acting together under the Constitution.”
Citing Article 43, he emphasized that service was not the responsibility of leaders alone.
“Every citizen must be patriotic, promote national development, pay taxes, protect public property, uphold the Constitution, maintain law and order, and foster unity. These are not my personal demands; they are our shared constitutional duties,” he said.
The questions addressed critical national issues, including the willingness to make personal and collective sacrifices, rise above tribal and partisan divisions, demand truth and accountability, choose leaders of integrity, respect the Constitution and rule of law, live within the country’s means, and fund Zambia’s democracy independently of foreign donors.
“Unless these questions can be answered in the affirmative, Zambia cannot escape its present struggles. No leader, however sincere, can succeed without the people’s willingness to change,” Sangwa said, adding that he would serve only if citizens were prepared to walk the path of collective responsibility.
He stated that: “Renewal cannot come from my sacrifice alone, but from our collective decision to change course together. By renewal, I mean a Zambia where corruption is rejected, institutions are strong, and the rule of law is respected; where families and communities take responsibility, citizens live responsibly within their means, and the Constitution is not just words on paper but the living foundation of our daily life.”
WARNING! All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.
Comments