When Proximity to Power Becomes a Liability
One wonders why such immature content creators were ever trusted to operate anywhere near the presidency.
This is not a question of talent or popularity. It is a question of judgement, standards and the dignity of the highest office in the land. 
The recent public tantrums involving Lucky Comedy and Junior Bally, even though apologies have since been issued, have already done their damage.
Politics is not judged only by official statements. It is judged by optics, associations, and perception. In leadership, perception is not a side issue. It is the battlefield itself.
Some individuals we have welcomed around the presidency under the convenient label of content creators have displayed conduct that is frankly unbecoming. The use of uncouth language in public discourse is bad enough. But when that language descends into the dehumanisation of the dead, referring to the late former President Edgar Lungu’s body as “a katumbi”, it crosses a moral and cultural line that no apology can fully erase.
Zambian society is anchored in respect for the dead, regardless of political differences. That respect is not optional. It is foundational. When people are associated, even loosely, with the presidency violating this norm, the stain does not remain on them alone. It splashes onto the institution itself.
The presidency is not a comedy skit. It is not a content laboratory. It is a symbol of national unity, restraint, and maturity. Those allowed to be close to it, physically or digitally, inevitably borrow its authority. When they behave recklessly, the public reasonably asks whether the presidency endorses such behaviour or is simply indifferent to it.
This is not an attack on creativity or youth engagement. Zambia needs vibrant communication and modern storytelling. But proximity to power demands discipline. Not everyone with a following deserves access. Influence without character is a liability, not an asset.
Leadership is as much about who you keep around you as the policies you sign. The company of the Presidency must reflect the values of the nation, not undermine them. If we are serious about restoring dignity, civility, and respect in public life, then standards must be drawn clearly and enforced firmly.
Apologies may close an incident, but they do not erase perception. In politics, perception endures.
