Constitutional lawyer and public intellectualJohn Sangwahas penned a deeply personal open letter to political analyst and historianSishuwa Sishuwa, following Sishuwa’s announcement that he is stepping back from public political commentary after fifteen years of sustained engagement. The decision came in the aftermath of the passage of Constitution Amendment Bill No. 7, which has since been assented to by President Hakainde Hichilema and is now law.
In this letter, Sangwa reflects on the weight of that moment, not only as a legal and political turning point, but as a deeply human reckoning for those who invested time, expertise, and personal risk in opposing the bill. He situates Sishuwa’s withdrawal within a broader national context, marked by growing disillusionment with parliamentary conduct, institutional accountability, and the limits of public warning in the face of political outcomes already decided. Rather than responding with abstraction, Sangwa addresses Sishuwa directly and urges him to reconsider his decision.
He chronicles the personal costs of sustained dissent, the loneliness of principled critique, and the quiet sacrifices that often accompany speaking truth to power. At its core, the letter is both an appeal and a testament, arguing that moments of democratic strain demand persistence rather than retreat, and that voices shaped by integrity retain their value even when the political terrain appears unresponsive. Below is the open letter byJohn Sangwa, published in full and without alteration.
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Giving Up on Zambia, Sangwa Pens a Note to SishuwaOpen Letter to Sishuwa 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. 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.
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