On 4 January 2000, Majid Ticklay, a 62 year-old British national resident in Zambia for fifty years, was deported to the United Kingdom following a letter-to-the-editor he wrote to the privately-owned “Post” newspaper, appealing to Zambians of Asian origin to play an active role in local politics. In the letter published on 28 December 1999, […]
On 4 January 2000, Majid Ticklay, a 62 year-old British national resident in Zambia for fifty years, was deported to the United Kingdom following a letter-to-the-editor he wrote to the privately-owned “Post” newspaper, appealing to Zambians of Asian origin to play an active role in local politics.
In the letter published on 28 December 1999, Ticklay, a prominent member of the Asian community in Zambia, bemoaned the fact that Zambians of Asian origin had for a very long time remained on the periphery of national politics because they had chosen to provide “financial and material support” to the main political actors, the indigenous Zambians, rather than play an active part themselves.
“To my fellow Asian brothers and sisters whose home is Zambia, I appeal to you to start thinking seriously about the future of this country – Zambia. Many of us are in our third or fourth generation in this country. Whether anyone accepts it or not we have played an important role in the development of this country.
“We have always been law abiding citizens, we have always worked with the government of the day but in-spite-of being loyal citizens we have always been sidelined because we have sat on the fence for material and financial support….
“As Asians of this country let’s unite and be a force to reckon with and join hands with the rest of Zambia to elect the next right government,” he said.
Ticklay appealed to his compatriots to scrutinise the three main contenders in next year’s presidential and parliamentary elections, namely the ruling Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD), and the opposition United National Independence Party (UNIP) and United Party
for National Development (UPND), and thereafter rally behind the one they felt would adequately represent their interests.
“It is up to us now to make sure that our children and grand children have an identity in the country that we have made our home and this can only be achieved by us playing a leading role in the 2001 general elections. Let’s stand up and be counted, with our business acumen I am confident we will give a good run to all the political parties. Our role is to identify which of the political parties we can support,” he said.
But Ticklay’s letter provoked hostile reactions from the state-owned press as well as the ruling MMD. In a 29 December lead story headlined “MMD ticks off racist Ticklay”, the state-owned “Zambia Daily Mail” quoted MMD chairman for elections and publicity, Vernon Mwaanga, as saying Ticklay was being “irresponsible” for “inciting” Zambians of Asian origin to rally a one party. The paper further quoted Mwaanga as accusing Ticklay of “having a personal score to
settle against two Zambian governments …because they have denied him citizenship”.
In a subsequent reaction, on 31 December, acting MMD Lusaka District Chief Reuben Ndhlovu was quoted by the “Zambia Daily Mail” as saying Ticklay should be deported on account of being “a danger to racial harmony in the country”. On 3 January, several MMD supporters momentarily prevented buses operated by Ticklay’s son, Azim, from operation from one of the main bus stops in Lusaka.
On 4 January, Minister of Home Affairs Peter Machungwa announced in a press statement that Ticklay had been deported for “sowing messages designed to promote ethnic divisions, hatred, racial discrimination and anarchy among the people of this country”.
Machungwa accused Ticklay of abusing the hospitality he had been accorded in Zambia by “championing against principles we hold dear and which contribute to the unity, strength and peace of this country”. He accordingly deported him under the Immigration and Deportation Act, Chapter 103 of the laws of Zambia, which gives him discretionary powers to deport persons whose presence is deemed “inimical to the public interest”.
Reacting to Ticklay’s deportation, the Inter-African Network for Human Rights and Development (Afronet) said in a 5 January statement that the deportation was evidence of emerging xenophobia in Zambia. Afronet Executive Director Ngande Mwanajiti said that Ticklay’s letter was merely an exercise of his right to freedom of expression, which should be respected “by all law abiding citizens”.
On 11 January, Zambia Independent Media Association (ZIMA/MISA-Zambia) Chairman David Simpson said: “Coming immediately after his letter in the press calling on the Asian community to become involved in politics and choose “the right” political party to support, the deportation of Majid Ticklay looks like a punishment for the government for speaking out on an issue of concern. ZIMA upholds the right of every person in the country, whether a citizen or not, to freedom of expression as provided in the constitution.”
Article 20(1) of the Zambian Constitution provides that: “Except with his own consent, no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of expression, that is to say, freedom to hold opinions…freedom to receive ideas and information …freedom to impart and communicate ideas and information without interference, whether the communication be to the public generally or to any person or class of persons, and freedom from interference with his correspondence”.
