2 December 2008
ZAMBIA will maintain the spirit of non-violence preached by India's founding father, Mahatma Gandhi, as the cornerstone for the resolution of conflicts, President Rupiah Banda has said.
Mr Banda said in Lusaka yesterday that Zambia's founders who were tutored in India were motivated by the teachings of the late Indian leader and his pacifism was now the basis on which the country resolves differences.
Mr Banda said this when new Indian High Commissioner to Zambia, Ashok Kumar presented his letters of credence to him at State House.
"Many of Zambia's founding fathers who were trained in India got a lot of encouragement from the teachings of that illustrious son of the soil, Mahatma Gandhi, on peaceful resistance to foreign domination.
"The values inculcated in them have to this day remained Zambia's bedrock of resolving conflicts peacefully," he said.
Gandhi, the world's most renowned pacifist, was born on October 2, 1869 and is widely credited with having forced the end of British colonial rule over India in 1947 using his idea of peaceful resistance.
Earlier, he had engaged in a peaceful battle against the caste system when he went to England to study law at 19, before visiting South Africa where he again using peaceful avenues, tackled racism in the 1890s.
Mr Banda said Zambia would remain indebted to India for the moral and material assistance that it rendered towards the struggle for independence.
He said after Zambia's independence, India continued cooperating with and offering support to the young country in various sectors and helped to improve both countries' economies.
"Following Zambia's attainment of independence, relations between our two countries have continued to grow from strength to strength.
"In this regard, I am happy to note that India has not been 'talking the talk' but 'walking the walk' as evidenced by numerous programmes of cooperation that have been implemented for the mutual benefit of our two countries and peoples," he said.
Mr Banda said India was a model in terms of economic and democratic development among the developing countries because of its rapid improvement in the two fields.
He said the two countries would continue consulting each other to find solutions to various challenges facing the world by using all mechanisms available.
Noting that the two countries shared a common stance on such issues as the United Nations (UN) reforms, protection against the environment and respect for human rights, Mr Banda said the relations should now be taken to advanced heights.
"Our two countries stand shoulder to shoulder in calling for a new world order with justice and equality for all.
"As you assume office, I hope and trust that you will apply yourself in a distinguished manner and take the existing warm and cordial relations between our two countries to even higher levels for our mutual benefit," Mr Banda told Mr Ashok who has replaced Rivers O'Nell Wallang.
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