Yes, you read that right. Apparently, even in death, ECL is considered too politically dangerous to be seen in Petauke. The man’s corpse has more clout than half the Cabinet combined, it seems.

Instead of seizing the moment to show maturity, statesmanship, and perhaps just a dash of basic human decency, the current regime appears to have opted for a different path: paranoia, pettiness, and the PR disaster of the decade.

Observers from around the region and the globe were on standby to witness a magnanimous moment, President Hakainde Hichilema rising above past tensions, extending a hand of national unity in death, and proving once and for all that Zambia’s democracy was bigger than its grudges.

But alas, what did we get instead? A move so tone deaf, so insecure, so politically twitchy it might as well have been crafted by a frightened intern with a vendetta. One can only wonder: What are they so afraid of? That even a casket bearing ECL’s name might spark a revolution?

To deny a man his final wish, especially one rooted in the soil of his origins, is not just cold but it’s suspicious. It raises questions, not only of respect and decency but of fear. If HH wanted to look generous, composed, and ready to lead a nation beyond ghosts of political rivalries, he’s missed a golden opportunity.

Instead, the optics are clear: the ghost of ECL still haunts State House and it’s apparently not welcome in Eastern Province either. A dead ECL is more dangerous to HH than a breathing one, his supporters will protest but time will vindicate this article. It’s not too late for the government to grant a man he’s dying wish!