IMITATING SATA (EDITORIAL COMMENT FOR SUNDAY NOVEMBER 9, 2014) We say that no one is indispensable. But we only had one Michael Sata. We won’t have another. No matter how much one tries to imitate Michael or to be like him, it’s not possible for one to be Michael. Michael Sata is Michael Sata, there won’t be another Michael Sata. Michael had his own style in everything. Michael never attempted to be someone else. He was simply himself all the time. Michael was unique and with distinctive characteristics. He was different from all the Zambian politicians one knows. Michael was himself, and because of this, he stood out. Michael never refused to be what he was - Michael Sata. Michael was not awestruck by other people nor did he try to copy them. When many people in UNIP wanted to be like Dr Kenneth Kaunda and tried to copy his style in everything, Michael remained himself. Nobody can be Michael as efficiently and effectively as Michael was himself. Michael took advantage of the talents God gave him and became successful in his politics and in other things he did. Michael accepted the way God made him. He recognised that he was not created to be all things to all people. Criticism, vilification, humiliation, ridicule, malignment never made Michael change who he was and try to be someone else. Such things never succeeded in putting Michael down, lowering his spirits and curtailing his political activity. We know many people who try to follow the path of least resistance, to be in agreement with everybody. Michael was not that type of person. Michael seems to have understood very well the saying that “following the path of least resistance is what makes men and rivers crooked”. Michael always stood his ground. But this is not to say Michael never changed his mind on anything. Michael always changed his position if he was given a better position than his. It is said that the copy adapts himself or herself to the world, but the original tries to adapt the world to him or her, and that it doesn’t take a majority to make a change - it takes only a few determined originals and a sound cause. Michael seems to have lived his life in accordance with this saying and in tune with an old saying that says, “You are the only one in all creation who has your set of abilities. You are special…you are rare. And in all reality, there is great worth.” Surely, Michael was special. Michael was rare. And truly, his worth is found in this reality. Let’s be inspired by Michael’s life and work. But let’s not waste our time trying to be copies of Michael. It won’t work. It won’t take us anywhere. Each one of us has our own unique, individual way. There are no precedents; you are the first you that ever was. And so was Michael. And because of this, there will be no other Michael Sata. Let’s learn all that we can from Michael and use it as inspiration and as a guide. But let’s avoid using such lessons as dogma. Let’s be ourselves while trying to do the good that Michael did. It’s impossible for one to be Michael because Michael had his own personality and character. Michael’s style might have been awkward and many times brash, but at the core of that man lay a very deep and strong commitment to our country and to our people. Michael was a committed patriot. It is not difficult to describe Michael as a committed patriot because no one can dispute that he was committed to his country and more importantly, to its people. Whatever else one may say about Michael, it has to be admitted and needs to be recognised that he was a patriot. Michael loved this country and its people. Michael felt for them. And we have no doubt that this quality will define Michael’s legacy. We were criticised for not being critical or hard on Michael. But listening to what people are saying about Michael today, we wonder why we should have been hard or critical of the wonderful Michael they are today singing praise of. It’s not a question of just criticising others for the sake of it or ridiculing others for the heck of it. In life, it is always good to analyse issues and situations soberly and be clear about things. One of the benefits of the human brain is that it is rational and able to analyse things and identify things for what they are. There are many people who immediately they alight make a hullaballoo, spout opinions, criticise this and condemn that; but, in fact, ten out of ten of them will meet with failure because criticisms which are not based on truth are nothing but ignorant twaddle. It is true that Michael, like any other human being, was prone to error. He indeed made some mistakes. But the mistakes of an honest man are nothing but simply mistakes and are different from the deliberate decisions and actions of a crook out to cause damage, to rape the community. Michael was not your everyday corrupt Zambian politician trying to abuse his position to enrich himself. Michael was not corrupt and no one in the three years he was in government brought out any issue of Michael being corrupt or abusing his position to enrich himself, his family or associates. How can one in all honesty paint such a man black? It is because of Michael’s genuine goodness that all, including his enemies, are today singing praise of him. And these are the same people who condemned any praise of Michael when he was alive. Of course, in saying this, we are aware that praise, glorification, never meant anything to Michael. Michael was not motivated by greed, vanity or corruption to do anything. There is a difference between one who tries to manipulate things so that he can benefit himself and his league and an honest man who, due to error or oversight, gets things wrong.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 17:50:00 +0000
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