A Zambian political analyst has told citizens to stop worshipping their leaders and start asking hard questions about the big promises driving national policy. Dr Lawrence Mwelwa warned on November 9, 2026, as
reported by LusakaTimes.com, that a nation which treats politicians as messiahs loses the power to hold them accountable.
His sharpest question landed on the Government's flagship maize target. Zambia already struggles to sell the roughly two million tonnes it produces today, so Mwelwa asked plainly: who exactly will purchase 10 million tonnes?
No more cheerleaders, Mwelwa says
Dr Mwelwa did not mince his words. He said too many Zambians have turned themselves into cheerleaders for their preferred politicians, defending every statement simply because it came from the right mouth. That habit, he said, is holding the whole country back.
He laid out his argument in three blunt sentences.
Political leaders are not messiahs. Politics is not a religion. Patriotism is not blind loyalty to politicians.
He went further, describing what unquestioning loyalty produces in a nation. A citizenry that does not think for itself can neither generate new ideas nor check those in power. He put the danger in stark terms.
A nation of robots cannot innovate. A nation of political zombies cannot hold power accountable.
That message should resonate with ordinary Zambians who are tired of being told to clap while their pockets run empty. Real patriotism means demanding answers, not kneeling before men in suits. Our forefathers did not fight for this land so that future generations would surrender their brains to political slogans.
The maize question nobody wants to answer
Mwelwa pointed to two headline targets at the centre of the Government's economic plan: 10 million tonnes of maize and three million tonnes of copper. He said leaders must explain at what cost such production would be achieved, and whether it could be sustained. Ambitious numbers without a clear plan behind them should invite questions, not applause.
On maize, he said the country's present record raises an obvious problem that has not been answered. Zambia is already struggling to find markets for its current harvest, which makes a fivefold increase difficult to explain.
If we currently struggle to market two million tonnes of maize, who will purchase 10 million? Those are the questions leaders must answer, and citizens should ask.
This is the voice of common sense speaking. Our farmers grow the food, our workers dig the copper, and Zambian families carry the burden when plans fail. They deserve more than slogans. They deserve arithmetic that adds up.
What the Grow Zambia Agenda promises
Both targets sit at the heart of the Government's economic plan. The Grow Zambia Agenda aims to raise annual maize production to 10 million metric tonnes while expanding soybean and wheat output, and to lift copper production to three million tonnes a year by 2031.
President Hakainde Hichilema has described the copper target as an agenda for economic transformation, industrialisation, export growth and job creation. The Government is also pursuing a target of growing the national cattle herd from 5.2 million to 11 million by 2031, and reaching 10,000 megawatts of installed electricity generation capacity within the same period.
Those are big numbers. But big numbers from any government, friendly or otherwise, deserve scrutiny from the people whose taxes and sweat will fund them.
Farmers already sounding the alarm
The maize goal has also drawn concern from inside the agricultural sector. Agriculture Climate Action Foundation executive director Dr Oliver Kandela Bulaya has warned that proposed increases in corporate income tax in the 2027 National Budget could undermine the very ambitions the Government has set for farming.
The proposal would raise the rate for farming and agro-processing businesses from 10 to 15 percent, and for fertiliser manufacturers from 15 to 20 percent. Dr Bulaya said higher input costs could weaken the drive to reach 10 million tonnes of maize and expand soybean and wheat production.
So on one hand the Government promises a farming revolution. On the other, it plans to tax the very people who would deliver it. Zambians are right to ask which hand is telling the truth.
Questioning leaders is patriotism, not rebellion
Mwelwa insisted that the questioning he is calling for should not be treated as hostility towards the Government or any leader. Asking difficult questions, he said, is not rebellion but a sign of responsible citizenship. A healthy democracy needs citizens who weigh promises against evidence rather than accepting them on faith.
Leaders who are confident in their plans, he argued, should have nothing to fear from being asked how those plans will work. The analyst set out his position at length in his book, The Thinking Patriot, which calls on Zambians to examine evidence, question promises and demand practical answers from those who lead them.
He said leadership must welcome questions rather than worship, and summed up his philosophy in four words.
Know, think, serve, lead.
That is a message this nation needs to hear. Zambia's resources belong to Zambians, and Zambians have every right to demand that those resources be managed with honesty and competence. The next time a politician promises 10 million tonnes of anything, ask who will buy it. That question is not disloyalty. It is the duty of a free people.
FAQ
What did Dr Lawrence Mwelwa say about Zambian political leaders?
On November 9, 2026, Mwelwa said political leaders are not messiahs, politics is not a religion, and patriotism is not blind loyalty to politicians. He urged citizens to question leaders rather than defend them automatically.
Why did Mwelwa question the 10 million tonnes maize target?
He said Zambia already struggles to market about two million tonnes of maize, so leaders must explain who would purchase 10 million tonnes before citizens applaud the target.
What is the Grow Zambia Agenda?
It is the Government's economic plan targeting 10 million tonnes of maize, three million tonnes of copper by 2031, a cattle herd of 11 million, and 10,000 megawatts of installed electricity capacity.
What tax changes concern the farming sector?
Dr Oliver Kandela Bulaya warned that proposed 2027 budget increases would raise corporate income tax on farming and agro-processing from 10 to 15 percent and on fertiliser manufacturers from 15 to 20 percent, which could weaken the maize target.