Zambia has found herself at the crossroads, maybe a crisis even a dilemma.
I am not fully convinced the three people who will contest the upcoming
presidential elections are the best Zambia has got. I mean the three
contestants, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, Mr Michael Sata and Mr Rupiah Banda.
What even turns this scenario into a nightmare is the fact that somebody
has alluded that the vultures have closed in the MMD camp.
Fellow Zambians this allegation is huge, to call somebody a vulture is like
pointing a loaded gun in somebody’s face and suggest their life is under
your control. This is what is said about vultures; they seldom attack
healthy animals, but may kill the wounded or sick. Vast numbers have been
seen upon battlefields. They gorge themselves when prey is abundant, till
their crop bulges, and sit, sleepy or half torpid, to digest their food.
They do not carry food to their young in their claws, but disgorge it from
the crop. These birds are of great value as scavengers, especially in hot
regions. Botulinum toxin, the toxin that causes botulism, does not affect
them, and they can eat rotten flesh containing anthrax and cholera
bacteria. When a vulture's dinner has too thick of hide for his beak to
open, he waits for a larger scavenger to eat first.
My friends, if really the vultures have come back then we are in serious
trouble. Is HH alluding that the scavengers are people like Mbita Chitala,
Venon Mwaanga, Benjamin Mwila, ZADECO, Wendy Sinkala, George Chilumanda, to
name the few and in this case even close at home and within the MMD itself
party National secretary Katele Kalumba who are perceived as giving support
so they can also be “remembered”?
It seems these vultures are regrouping in anticipation of a great feast.
These are the very people who ransacked Zambia under Chiluba’s leadership.
They plundered the Zambian economy left, right and center. Isn’t this a
full crisis when by our own actions we have allowed these people to
regroup?
Here is where this crisis deepens. There is no voice of reason. The church
is silent. No one is calling for prayer meetings to ask God to lead this
nation. Ecumenism is back on our Zambian door step. The NGOs who have
always said they represent the plight and interest of our people are now
quiet.
All those who mobilized saying we strongly needed to pray for our late
president while he was in Hospital in France stating that Dr Mwanawasa was
ideal for Zambia to stay on course in her economic growth, are already
standing in line to position themselves for an impending loot under a new
leadership. The civic society is in this queue as well. The traditional
leaders are tight lipped, the people we have always looked up to for advice
and integrity are also caught up in this political whirlwind and they a not
saying a word.
Somebody told me many years ago that in Zambia, whenever you go to a radio
repair or tailor to get their services and they assure you from the onset
that “there is no problem boss come tomorrow”, you need to brace yourself
for a lengthy struggle. I tend to have a similar feeling that it is the
same promise Rupiah Banda is bringing. There is something wrong about
everybody just deciding to like this guy from the word go especially in
Zambia. However, it kind of makes me feel like he could be the unhealthy
guy and the vultures have sensed the vulnerability.
His age should have caused us to worry, being a Zimbabwean born fellow,
should have caused the alarm to go off. His lack of a clear and clean
successful political career should have caused Zambians to ask questions.
The fact that the MMD gave a vote of no confidence to long standing members
of MMD in preference to Mr Rupiah Banda, is a serious source of concern.
On the other hand Mr Sata does not strike as one who may be the alternative
to Mr Banda. I have always loved the way Mr Michael Sata worked as governor
in the UNIP government but sometimes he makes me feel like a guitar with
broken strings that cannot hold a tune. He is a bit too rough for the kind
of democracy we embrace. His health is not that great although that can be
disputed. He has already tied his hands by meddling with the China and
Taiwan family wrangles. At this point, Mr Sata is highly unpredictable.
With HH the worry is, he is no different from RB because he also just
received his baton on a silver platter when the late Mazoka passed on. He
has no political experience; he does not have an outstanding political
stamina of his own that can convince us that he will do what he says.
The next president must be a continuation of what the three labored for.
For instance, Dr Kenneth Kaunda's major task was to liberate the Zambians
and the region from colonialism in general and the British rule in
particular, and then empower Zambians through our abundant resources. He
did his best to achieve this vision but he became a dictator.
Chiluba’s task was to set us free from dictatorship and empower the
Zambians mainly through management buyouts which were another way to
distribute the wealth of Zambia to Zambians. He set the economy free then
he sold all the companies and kept the money.
Mwanawasa fought against corruption but did not complete the task. There is
enough evidence now that Mwanawasa may have fought this fight as a lone
soldier because nobody else is carrying the arms to fight corruption. The
next guy must continue where Mwanawasa left but I do not see that in RB
since he showed his true colors just before Mwanawasa died.
I would like to find out if there are any prayer meetings going on to ask
the Lord God to give us a true leader. If not, lets close our eyes and
reflect on our future, for the road before us is tougher than where we have
been before. Let us pray.
Could this be a crisis?
By Pezzy Kudakwashe USA
Zambia has found herself at the crossroads, maybe a crisis even a dilemma. I am not fully convinced the three people who will contest the upcoming presidential elections are the best Zambia has got. I mean the three contestants, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, Mr Michael Sata and Mr Rupiah Banda. What even turns this scenario into a nightmare is the fact that somebody has alluded that the vultures have closed in the MMD camp.
Fellow Zambians this allegation is huge, to call somebody a vulture is like pointing a loaded gun in somebody’s face and suggest their life is under your control. This is what is said about vultures; they seldom attack healthy animals, but may kill the wounded or sick. Vast numbers have been seen upon battlefields. They gorge themselves when prey is abundant, till their crop bulges, and sit, sleepy or half torpid, to digest their food. They do not carry food to their young in their claws, but disgorge it from the crop. These birds are of great value as scavengers, especially in hot regions. Botulinum toxin, the toxin that causes botulism, does not affect them, and they can eat rotten flesh containing anthrax and cholera bacteria. When a vulture's dinner has too thick of hide for his beak to open, he waits for a larger scavenger to eat first.
My friends, if really the vultures have come back then we are in serious trouble. Is HH alluding that the scavengers are people like Mbita Chitala, Venon Mwaanga, Benjamin Mwila, ZADECO, Wendy Sinkala, George Chilumanda, to name the few and in this case even close at home and within the MMD itself party National secretary Katele Kalumba who are perceived as giving support so they can also be “remembered”?
It seems these vultures are regrouping in anticipation of a great feast. These are the very people who ransacked Zambia under Chiluba’s leadership. They plundered the Zambian economy left, right and center. Isn’t this a full crisis when by our own actions we have allowed these people to regroup?
Here is where this crisis deepens. There is no voice of reason. The church is silent. No one is calling for prayer meetings to ask God to lead this nation. Ecumenism is back on our Zambian door step. The NGOs who have always said they represent the plight and interest of our people are now quiet.
All those who mobilized saying we strongly needed to pray for our late president while he was in Hospital in France stating that Dr Mwanawasa was ideal for Zambia to stay on course in her economic growth, are already standing in line to position themselves for an impending loot under a new leadership. The civic society is in this queue as well. The traditional leaders are tight lipped, the people we have always looked up to for advice and integrity are also caught up in this political whirlwind and they a not saying a word.
Somebody told me many years ago that in Zambia, whenever you go to a radio repair or tailor to get their services and they assure you from the onset that “there is no problem boss come tomorrow”, you need to brace yourself for a lengthy struggle. I tend to have a similar feeling that it is the same promise Rupiah Banda is bringing. There is something wrong about everybody just deciding to like this guy from the word go especially in Zambia. However, it kind of makes me feel like he could be the unhealthy guy and the vultures have sensed the vulnerability.
His age should have caused us to worry, being a Zimbabwean born fellow, should have caused the alarm to go off. His lack of a clear and clean successful political career should have caused Zambians to ask questions. The fact that the MMD gave a vote of no confidence to long standing members of MMD in preference to Mr Rupiah Banda, is a serious source of concern.
On the other hand Mr Sata does not strike as one who may be the alternative to Mr Banda. I have always loved the way Mr Michael Sata worked as governor in the UNIP government but sometimes he makes me feel like a guitar with broken strings that cannot hold a tune. He is a bit too rough for the kind of democracy we embrace. His health is not that great although that can be disputed. He has already tied his hands by meddling with the China and Taiwan family wrangles. At this point, Mr Sata is highly unpredictable.
With HH the worry is, he is no different from RB because he also just received his baton on a silver platter when the late Mazoka passed on. He has no political experience; he does not have an outstanding political stamina of his own that can convince us that he will do what he says.
The next president must be a continuation of what the three labored for. For instance, Dr Kenneth Kaunda's major task was to liberate the Zambians and the region from colonialism in general and the British rule in particular, and then empower Zambians through our abundant resources. He did his best to achieve this vision but he became a dictator.
Chiluba’s task was to set us free from dictatorship and empower the Zambians mainly through management buyouts which were another way to distribute the wealth of Zambia to Zambians. He set the economy free then he sold all the companies and kept the money.
Mwanawasa fought against corruption but did not complete the task. There is enough evidence now that Mwanawasa may have fought this fight as a lone soldier because nobody else is carrying the arms to fight corruption. The next guy must continue where Mwanawasa left but I do not see that in RB since he showed his true colors just before Mwanawasa died.
I would like to find out if there are any prayer meetings going on to ask the Lord God to give us a true leader. If not, lets close our eyes and reflect on our future, for the road before us is tougher than where we have been before. Let us pray.