SIMUUWE URGED TO REFRAIN ATTACKS ON DR. M'MEMBE, SAYS SP YOUTH LEAGUE - The Zambian Observer
SIMUUWE URGED TO REFRAIN ATTACKS ON DR. M’MEMBE, SAYS SP YOUTH LEAGUE
Lusaka… Thursday June 12, 2025 – The Socialist Party (SP) Youth League has called on UPND Media Director Mark Simuuwe to “stop punching above his weight” following an attack on Dr. Fred M’membe, the SP President and veteran journalist.
As a Media Director of the ruling party, Simuuwe should refrain from telling lies and do his research before he speaks.
Unlike the UPND that has not held a Convention in almost Two decades to elect a new president, SP went to its Congress last year in which Dr. M’membe emerged as party leader.
In a statement, the party’s National Youth League Deputy Spokesperson, Lusambo Sconel, stated that it was both “laughable and regrettable” that Simuuwe had chosen to target Dr. M’membe, whom he described as a man with a long-standing record of defending democracy, press freedom, and intellectual integrity in Zambia–well before the UPND came to power.
Sconel said Dr. M’membe could not be compared to Simuuwe in terms of political experience or moral standing.
He added that the contrast between the “intellectual, moral, and revolutionary weight” of Dr. M’membe and the “partisan soundbites” of Simuuwe was not only disingenuous but “comical.”
He reminded the public that Dr. M’membe had consistently stood up to authoritarian regimes, championed the rights of the poor, and uncovered corruption even at great personal cost—including multiple arrests and the closure of The Post Newspaper, once Zambia’s most influential independent media outlet.
Sconel dismissed Simuuwe’s assertion that “Zambia is not The Post Newspaper,” arguing that the democratic space currently enjoyed by the UPND was built on the sacrifices of Dr. M’membe and others like him.
“You are walking on freedoms he helped pave,” Sconel said, urging the UPND official to “have some humility.”
Commenting on the political relevance of the Socialist Party, Sconel noted that despite holding only seven council seats, the party had gained significant grassroots support from Zambians disillusioned by unmet promises, rising poverty, and what he described as leadership that prioritized appearances over substance.
He accused the UPND of fearing the growth of the Socialist Party, which he disclosed was financed not by imperialists but by “the sweat of ordinary Zambians.”
Turning to national issues, Sconel challenged Simuuwe’s remarks about national unity under President Hakainde Hichilema, saying that Zambia remained deeply divided by class and economic inequality.
He argued that slogans of economic revival rang hollow in the face of rising prices, widespread unemployment, and unfulfilled campaign promises.
Sconel further contended that denying Dr. M’membe the moral ground to critique the current administration was both “dangerous and arrogant.”
He insisted that in a functioning democracy, those who had fought for freedom had both the right and the responsibility to speak truth to power.
On the matter of the UPND’s political future, the SP Youth League spokesperson asserted that Zambians were increasingly aware of “political cosmetics,” and warned that the electorate would rectify a mistake come 2026.
He called out the ruling party for failing to deliver on its promises of job creation, affordable living, and national reconciliation.
Sconel concluded by reaffirming Dr. M’membe’s commitment to advocating for a better Zambia–not for personal gain but for the country’s future–and warned the UPND that “their clock is ticking.”
He ended his statement with a call for truth, action, and leadership guided by conscience, saying Zambians deserved more than “spin.”
