HOW DID WE GET HERE- The PF After President Sata Edgar Lungu’s future birthdays will never be celebrated in any ordinary and usual fashion. Lungu turns 58 years on 11th November 2014. Now, 11th November is the day that Zambia will burry one of its treasured son, President Michael Sata, founder of the Patriotic Front and fifth President of the Republic of Zambia. And that day is Lungu’s birthday, fondly referred to as Edgar, will probably never figure out how to celebrate it. So how did Lungu, a lawyer by profession, emerge as a strong front-runner to the PF presidency, so quickly and so early? WHO IS EDGAR LUNGU Edgar grew up in Chimwemwe, Kitwe, and went to Mukuba Secondary School. Upon completion of his high school, he joined the Zambia Army training for military officers at Miltez in Kabwe. However, his military training was cut-short, as he had qualified and was picked to go to the University of Zambia (UNZA). After graduating as one of the best law students on October 17, 1983, he joined the Ministry of Legal Affairs (Ministry of Justice). He later worked as legal counsel for Barclays Bank and later the Zambia Consolidated Copper mine (ZCCM). In 1993, he decided to go into private practice and went to ZIALE where he obtained his practicing certificate at the first attempt. He joined Andre Masiye and Partners law firm. His venture into politics became prominent in the year 2000 when he joined Anderson Mazoka’s United Party for National Development (UPND). But during the tumultuous politics of 2001, strongman and National Secretary of the MMD, Michael Sata fell out of favour with President Frederick Chiluba when a succession battle went sour. MMD’s National Executive committee had picked Levy Mwanawasa as its presidential candidate over, Michael Sata, Enoch Kavindele, Emmanuel Kasonde and Eric Silwamba. Sata felt overlooked after anchoring a difficult period of the MMD that saw two break-away parties emerge from the MMD, The Heritage Party (HP), led by former Vice-President, Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda and the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) also led by another former Vice-President, General Christon Tembo following a failed third-term presidential bid by Frederick Chiluba. Michael Sata formed the Patriotic Front with Edwin Lifwekelo, Paul Lumbi and Edgar Lungu in 2001, 62 days before the general elections. Edgar Lungu was the party’s candidate for Chawama Constituency. He was Sata’s lawyer, friend and confidant and this relationship was tested in 2006, when Sata adopted to adopt Rev Sampa-Bret for Chawama instead of a party faithful. Lungu remained loyal to the party and to Sata until he was adopted in 2011 and won the seat for PF. I have heard many assertions that Guy Scott founded the PF with Mr. Sata, a fact repeated by The Post. A simple scrutiny of facts however doesn’t support these assertions. After resigning from the MMD in 1996, Guy Scott and Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU), president, Ben Kapita formed the Lima Party, a party that focused on the revolution of the agricultural policy. During the 2001 general election, the Lima Party forged alliances with the Zambia Democracy and Development (ZADECO) to form the Zambia Alliance of Progress (ZAP), led by Dean Mungomba. Later in 2002, Scott joined the PF and was appointed the party’s Secretary General, succeeding, Edwin Lifwekelo who had trekked back to the MMD after the general elections. When Mr. Sata constituted the Central Committee in 2007, he elevated Guy Scott to be Vice-President and appointed Chimumbwa as Secretary General. THE RISE OF EDGAR LUNGU, THE FALL OF WYNTER KABIMBA On August 28th, 2014, President Michael Sata fired the party’s strongman Wynter Munachamba Kabimba, who was the apparent heir to the PF and country’s throne, as Minister of Justice, Secretary General and as nominated Member of Parliament. This action surprised many, as despite the strong opposition Kabimba’s leadership was subjected to by his colleagues and protests against his style of leadership by party members, President Sata appeared determined to keep him as Chief Executive Officer of the party and had not only helped him weather the political storm but appeared to prime him for the top job. Within just a period of four years (2009-2013), Kabimba had emerged as a strong force elbowing out competition from veteran senior members of the party and his colleagues in the legal fraternity that had anchored the PF. Kabimba’s relationship with Sata stretches back to 1986, during Sata’s reign as Governor of the powerful capital, Lusaka and Kabimba as legal Director of the Lusaka City Council (LCC). Further, during the period he served as Minister of Local Government in 1994-95, President Sata, who was also Member of Parliament for Kabwata, partnered well with Kabimba who was now the Town Clerk. In 2009, President Sata appointed Kabimba as party Secretary General after he dispensed with Charles Chimumbwa and Edward Mumbi. Kabimba was new to the PF and had only joined PF in 2007 after abandoning Ben Mwila’s Republican Party (RP). Following the death of President Mwanawasa, RP’s only member of parliament, Sylvia Masebo also joined the PF. Sata appointed Kabimba into the Central Committee as Chairperson of the Local Government Committee. Kabimba is a fractious, ambitious, polarizing and divisive figure that, his five-year reign at the top, left the party riven with deep divisions. During this period, most original PF leaders were marginalized to the sidelines and members felt left to the peripheral. Many attribute this mess the party finds itself in today, to the unwavering support Kabimba received from President Sata who constantly sided with or supported despite these serious flaws. But others attribute this to Kabimba’s brash and the naked presidential ambition he displayed. During his reign as CEO of the party he concentrated on tailoring and suiting the party structures to himself instead of attracting new members and winning good will from the voters. But Kabimba can also be credited for serving well as President Sata’s vicious attack dog that went after the party’s adversaries such as Rupiah Banda and the MMD. But he was also quick to turn his mauling abilities to in-house senior leaders of the PF such as former Foreign Affairs Minister, Given Lubinda, former Defence Minister, Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba (GBM), and former Home Affairs Minister (in the MMD) Eastern Province strongman, Lameck Mangani. When the PF entered into an alliance, and formed an Alliance with the United Party for National Development (UPND), the pact was doomed to failure from the onset as senior leaders competing for positions in the event of a poll win and forming government, engaged in acrimonious bickering that splintered and broke the chords of unity holding the alliance together. The Pact was an initiative arising from demands from numerous citizens, the church and stakeholders that felt that the MMD could only be dislodged from power through an electoral pact and unity in the opposition. At the center of the bickering was Kabimba who through The Post issued numerous attacks against the UPND calling its leaders as “junior partners”. After months of wrangling and bickering the last straw was when Kabimba refused to apologize for his injurious, offensive and tribal comments in a letter addressed to the UPND in which he referred the leadership that: “Tongas use their tribe to think and not their brains”. When the Pact finally collapsed in March 2011, the UPND held a press conference, and singularly blamed Kabimba for the collapse of the Pact. The UPND stated that due to Kabimba’s constant and careless remarks against the UPND, the party regretted that Sata as party leader of PF didn’t control his Secretary General. When PF formed government, Wynter remained outside government but his absence from government is remembered for his constant attacks against Cabinet Ministers who he regularly accused of failing to deliver services. On 3rd September 2012, President Sata nominated Kabimba as Member of Parliament and appointed him as Justice Minister, replacing Sebastian Zulu. What seemed to have cost Sebastian Zulu’s job was a long and bitter succession battle he was engaged in. In 2009, government recognized Eric Mwanza as Chief Nyamphande of the Nsenga people finally replacing the late former Zambia Air Force (ZAF) Commander Hannaniah Lungu in 2004 and ignoring the bitter contest staged by Sebastian Zulu who hails from the Kakwiya clan in the same chiefdom who claimed to be the right heir to the throne of Nyamphande. But political observers accused the cartel of being behind Zulu’s dismissal in order to create room for Kabimba who was losing political influence for not being in Cabinet. Sebastian Zulu is also reported to have refused to back the cartel’s plans to constitute a tribunal against judges that ruled that cartel must pay the money they owed to the state. Immediately Kabimba was appointed, he pushed for the now ill-fated Chikopa tribunal to attack the supposed enemies of the cartel. Kabimba quickly stormed in government in September 2012 and was soon at the center of regular controversies as he “began to bring discipline” to the PF. From then own, Kabimba’s goal appeared focused on the big prize of presidency as reports of the complicated medical condition and poor health of President Sata. The concern grew from silent whispers and rumours in small circles, to a public matter treated as the worst kept secret. Kabimba’s foray into international politics was also a disastrous venture. His international visits took him to pariah and far left countries. He has been to Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba, Afghanistan, and Zimbabwe and avoided Israel for Gaza in Palestine. His public statements demonstrated that he loathes Britain, America, France, Canada and other western democracies because he thinks they are imperial powers bent on exploiting African resources. He even took time to pose for pictures with Al Bashir, the Sudanese Head of State wanted by the International Criminal of Justice. FRED MMEMBE AND THE PF – HIS AGENDA The love, support and hope so far displayed by The Post for the PF but is new. As recent entrants to the PF, however the paper and its Editor, Fred Mmembe have picked the largest benefits and share from the fruits of Michael Sata’s ten-year hard work. After supporting the MMD and President Levy Mwanawasa in the 2006 General Election and after publishing the numerous negative reports and editorials against Michael Sata, matters took a sharp turn following the death of Mwanawasa. When Rupiah Banda was acting as President, Mmembe and his business partner Mutembo Nchito, owner of the Zambian Airways, a floundering airline that struggled to stay afloat, attempted to meet him. The Post had supported Finance Minister, Ngandu Magande as suitable successor to Mwanawasa and mounted a vicious and vitriolic campaign against Rupiah Banda’s candidature. When repeated attempts to meet Banda failed, Mmembe finally abandoned the begging and crossed over to Michael Sata and the PF. He was to pursue MMD and Banda to their loss in the 2011 elections. It is this effort that he prides himself and his colleagues of helping the PF win the 2011 elections. But this is not true, as the PF had grown from a small party in 2001 to becoming the largest opposition party by 2006 when Mmembe and The Post were supporting Mwanawasa and the MMD. The PF showing in 2006 was so strong that many hold and insist that Sata actually won the 2006 elections beating Mwanawasa into second place. Many hold that it’s only the only electoral malpractice that gave the MMD the victory. Mmembe’s and The Post’s influence on President Sata was so evident after the 2011 elections that many of its employees from editors to photographers were appointed into government and into the diplomatic service. Friends and comrades of the paper soon occupied key positions in government. Dr. Patrick Matibini won an election as Speaker of the National Assembly, Mumba Malila was appointed and ratified as Attorney general, and Mutembo Nchito suffered a bruising ratification with fierce opposition from many MPs. From the above, it is clear that Fred Mmembe planned for total control, total influence and total takeover of state institutions. For the PF is a perfect political enterprise. It enjoys a wide following, with a strong foundation in Luapula, Northern and Muchinga provinces. From 2006, the party has stamped its strong presence in Lusaka and Copperbelt. The PF has probably a longer shelf life and will likely survive and carry the vision of President Michael Sata beyond 2014. But if it can only, during this time of grief and loss of its founder and visionary leader, overcome the 3-year wrangling that has plagued it. OTHER CANDIDATES, WHAT ARE THE CHANCES? WHAT WILL HAPPEN? Guy Scott- Born in Livingstone in 1944, Scott’s parents migrated to Northern Rhodesia. Alexander Scot came in 1927, and was later joined by his wife, Grace in 1940. Guy Scott completed his education at Peterhouse in Southern Rhodesia and went to the United Kingdom. He studied Economics at the Cambridge University. He also obtained a PhD in cognitive science. His father supported Zambia’s anti-colonial struggle and formed the Daily Mail newspaper in 1962. In the 1950s, Alex Scot was a member of the Federal Parliament for Lusaka. Guy Scot joined the Ministry of Finance as a planner. In 1980, Guy Scott relocated to the United Kingdom and lived there for ten years. He was teaching at the Oxford University in the Department of Engineering. Guy Scott came to prominence when he returned back in 1990-91 from the UK, when he joined the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD). Chiluba appointed him as Minister of Agriculture. Frederick Chiluba fired him in 1993 following the swine fever debacle. The issue of nationality was raised against Scott and his counterpart Dipak Patel (Minister of Commerce, at the time), and were accused of being British and Canadian respectively. He resigned from the MMD and later formed the Lima Party. In 2002 he joined the PF and became its Secretary General and later it’s Vice-President IN 2007. GBM, MULENGA SATA, CHENDA, KAMBWILI, SAMPA AND OTHERS Clearly the PF has leaders capable of taking over from President Sata. Parties in Africa rarely discuss succession plans, and refuse to prepare successors; this scenario is not different Zambia. However, it has dawned on many that the trust, confidence and responsibilities bestowed on Edgar Lungu were enough to indicate President Sata’s preference of his successor. Edgar was made Secretary General of the PF. He is a member of the Central Committee and Chair for the Disciplinary Committee. Edgar Lungu was also made Justice Minister, and Defence Minister. At the time of the demise of President Sata, Edgar Lungu was also the Acting President of the Republic of Zambia and Acting commander-in-Chief. Although other ministers have acted as President before that include, Chikwanda, Chenda, GBM and Kabimba have acted, Lungu has been distinguished from his equals by the many portfolios bestowed on him by President Sata. Of worry however, is the fractious debate and slander that has emerged against each other in this period of campaign. The PF leaders should learn from USA primaries. If the internal campaigns to pick a candidate is not done properly, and during the campaign you harm each othear fatally, the Opposition will pick the dirt spewed against party candidates and during the national campaign use it effectively against the selected candidate. END
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 11:35:14 +0000
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