21/08/2026
THE DEFENSE FILE (SPECIAL EDITION): THE STATE IS NOT A PERSON
One of the greatest mistakes in politics is to confuse the President with the State. A President is an individual. The Presidency is an institution. Behind that office stands an enormous constitutional and security architecture designed to protect the Republic, its institutions and its continuity.
The State consists of far more than the person we see at State House. There are defence and security institutions, intelligence systems, law enforcement agencies, the civil service, diplomatic structures and other organs continuously assessing risks to the Republic. Much of their work is necessarily invisible to the ordinary citizen.
This is why threats against a Head of State cannot be treated as ordinary political rhetoric. The President is not merely an individual occupying political office. The Presidency is an institution of the Republic. A threat against the life of the Head of State potentially engages national security because its consequences can extend to constitutional order, public stability and the security of the country itself.
People sometimes speak about the “deep state.” Properly understood, this term describes powerful unelected networks within a state that may exercise influence beyond normal democratic accountability. Of course this should be distinguished from the permanent state. Every functioning country has institutions, professionals, systems and security responsibilities that continue irrespective of which political party governs.
This also means that not every national security decision begins and ends personally with the President. State institutions continuously collect information, assess threats and discharge responsibilities established by law. A Head of State cannot possibly know every operational detail occurring throughout the machinery of government.
Threatening the life of a President is not politics. It is not bravado, entertainment or ordinary political speech. It is a grave matter touching the security of the State itself. No citizen should imagine that repeatedly speaking about killing a Head of State is harmless simply because the words are spoken on social media, at a rally or before a camera. Such threats can activate the legitimate security responsibilities of the State. Those who cross that line must understand that they are no longer dealing merely with the individual who occupies State House. They are confronting institutions constitutionally charged with protecting the Presidency, national security and the continuity of the Republic. The long arm of the state can reach anywhere in the world and one cannot be smarter than the state.
Those of us who aspire to leadership have an even greater duty to defend the integrity of this institution. Governments will change and Presidents will come and go, but the Republic must endure. We must protect the sanctity of the Presidency, not merely the personality of the President. The Republic is bigger than all of us.
Saviour Chishimba
President
United Progressive People (UPP)
UPND Alliance Partner
