After careful reflection Sishuwa Sishuwa rescinds earlier decision quitting: A response to John Sangwa
John Peter Sangwa (left) with author, Shishuwa Shishuwa (right).
Thursday, 1st January 2026
Dear John Peter Sangwa,
I am deeply grateful to you for your open letter of 18 December 2025 and for the generosity of spirit with which you addressed my decision to step away from providing public political commentary on matters of governance in Zambia. I am profoundly humbled that a citizen of your standing would publicly implore me to reconsider my decision. Your appeal, together with the pleas of many other Zambians who have reached out to me both publicly and privately, has weighed heavily on my conscience.
I read your letter with great care and emotion. I was particularly struck by your observation that my voice has been “a clarion call, reminding us that democracy is a sacred covenant that must be defended at all costs.” I was equally moved by your reminder that “your insistence on truth does not dissipate into emptiness; it creates a living discourse that others recognise and into which they are inspired to lend their voices.” Such words, coming from you, are both encouraging and sobering.
Like you, I remain deeply disappointed by the passage of Bill 7, whose adverse consequences will no doubt be felt soon and for many years to come. Its impact will be borne not only by ordinary Zambians, but also by those Members of Parliament who betrayed their oath to defend the Constitution and supported the Bill under questionable circumstances, as well as by intellectuals who chose, and continue to choose, silence in the face of grave threats to our constitutional and democratic order. I feel a particularly deep sense of sadness for the intellectuals who once stood with me when the previous government violated basic constitutional norms yet now choose silence as those same errors are repeated with even greater consequences. History will be an unforgiving judge of these choices.
It is also true, as you so candidly acknowledge, that I have paid a heavy personal price for my views. This has included abuse, the loss of friendships, betrayal, and even threats to my life. These are not abstract costs. They are real, personal, and at times deeply unsettling. My decision to step back was born of extreme disappointment, not indifference. Following the passage of Bill 7, I found myself despondent, as many Zambian patriots did, that such a manifestly unconstitutional amendment could be passed by the National Assembly even after the process leading to its development had been declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court.
However, I have reflected deeply on that decision and on the many earnest requests urging me to reconsider, including your own powerful entreaty. I have come to the conclusion that withdrawing my voice at this moment would be a dereliction of responsibility. Our country faces profound governance challenges that can only be addressed if we collectively and courageously confront the truth and direct our concerns to those we have entrusted with the management of our public affairs.
As a professional historian, I am privileged to understand some of these challenges. With that privilege comes a moral and ethical duty not only to share that understanding with fellow citizens, but also to speak truth to power when the occasion demands. I do not, for a moment, regret the time and effort I have devoted over the years to contributing to public discourse in an attempt to make Zambia a better place. I firmly believe that we all win when we create a Zambia that works for the many, not the few.
It is my sincere hope that the government will, at some point, choose to engage meaningfully with what I and many others have to offer in discussions aimed at building a more inclusive and fair society and a just, democratic, and constitutional order for all who live in or belong to our country. After all, this is what the government promised and what the President committed to do when he took his oath of office in August 2021. Silencing or ignoring dissenting voices has never strengthened a nation; engaging them honestly often does.
After careful reflection, I wish to confirm that I have rescinded my earlier decision. I will continue to offer public comment on issues of national significance, mindful of the risks, but strengthened by the knowledge that I am not alone. As you so rightly noted, “you are not a solitary voice crying out each day; many others are joining you in the struggle for a free, just, and democratic Zambia.” Discharging this civic duty sometimes puts some of us in harm’s way. However, we cannot run away from this responsibility, no matter how dangerous this undertaking may be. If anything, carrying out this role is more important than usual as we approach elections this year. It is likely that this year will be more difficult than the one before. It may even break or save Zambia.
Thank you once again for your courage, your solidarity, and your faith in the power of principled engagement. I am sincerely grateful. As you and many other people do, I believe deeply in Zambia and in all the communities that fashion its fabric. Zambia is the centre of my being; its well-being or integrity outweighs the interests of any individual or institution within it. And if all I can do is to speak, it is for Zambia that I will speak, whatever the personal cost.
As civic-minded citizens who care deeply about our country, we have a duty to refuse to assume the sterile attitude of a spectator when it comes to matters of governance. We should not be afraid. In fact, fear and ignorance are the tools that both trainee and established dictators rely upon to survive. If we succumb to fear and allow ignorance to be the guiding darkness in our lives, then we are doomed, for a very long time. Can we cast away our fear and equip ourselves with the weapon of knowledge necessary to win our freedom? We must.
Sishuwa Sishuwa
Citizen
Open Letter to Sishuwa Sishuwa
Thursday 18th December 2025
Dear Sishuwa,
I read with deep sadness your announcement that you will step away from offering public political commentary after fifteen years of steadfast engagement. This decision follows the passage of Bill 7, which has since been signed into law by the President of Zambia. I am fully aware of how tirelessly you and many others fought, both publicly and, perhaps more importantly, privately, to prevent this outcome. I can only imagine the depth of disappointment you must have felt following the vote in the National Assembly.
Your words resonated deeply when you wrote that, “Sometimes, warning people does not work. It is important to let them live through the experience, good or bad, of the very thing that you are warning the people against embracing.” One of the burdens you carry is that, because of your professional training, you are able to discern the direction of travel well in advance, long before many are able to grasp its consequences through lived experience.
Because your farewell message was shared publicly, I have chosen to respond in the same spirit. I hope you will not mind, and that this open letter finds its way to you. I respectfully ask you to reconsider your decision to withdraw from providing political commentary on the affairs of our country. Please do not believe, even for a moment, that your voice has been anything other than essential. It has been a clarion call, reminding us that democracy is a sacred covenant that must be defended at all cost.
We have watched you stand firm when it was difficult, speak out when it was dangerous, and bear witness when others chose silence, regardless of which political party held power. Your resilience has woven courage into the fabric of our collective conscience, emboldening others to discover and act upon their own convictions. Your insistence on truth does not dissipate into emptiness, it creates a living discourse that others recognise and into which they are inspired to lend their voices.
The manner in which Bill 7 was passed through the National Assembly feels historic in its gravity. That fact alone is reason enough for you to continue addressing the pressing issues of our time and to remain a moral compass for the nation. We can no longer place unquestioning faith in a parliament that has shown a willingness to subordinate the national interest to personal considerations and a judiciary that has failed to discharge its solemn duty as the final bulwark in the defence and preservation of our democracy. This is not the moment to withdraw, for in your persistence you hold the line not only for principle, but for the enduring belief that a single individual, armed with integrity, can influence the course of history.
Your voice has safeguarded the democratic flame in countless citizens. By continuing, you will ignite it anew in people you may never meet. You are not a solitary voice crying out each day, many others are joining you in the struggle for a free, just, and democratic Zambia. We need you to continue speaking for Zambia.
I know, perhaps better than many, the depth of your love for this country. You live a clean and dignified life. You are highly educated. You hold a job that gives you purpose and security. You reside in a community where basic public services function as they should. Yet despite these comforts, you have quietly endured abuse and insults, often from those who do not realise that you are speaking on their behalf.
You have faced threats, lost friendships, witnessed betrayal, and borne the heavy cost of speaking truth to power. It is easy to underestimate the personal sacrifice demanded by your consistent commitment to holding elected officials from successive governments to account.
While I understand the reasons that may compel you to step away, I urge you not to do so for the sake of the country you so clearly and deeply love. Keep speaking. Keep writing. Keep inspiring. I am grateful for what you do for Zambia, and I know that I am far from alone in this appreciation.
I sincerely hope that you will reconsider your decision and return to the battlefield. Now more than ever, Zambia needs patriots like you who, even when personally secure, are willing to sacrifice for her future. Many of our contemporaries may fail to appreciate your efforts and may even direct hostility toward you, but posterity will recognise and honour your contribution alongside those of our fallen heroes, including Lucy Sichone.
Yours in the struggle for a better Zambia,
John Sangwa
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