ZAMBIA AT 50- OUR JOURNEY AS A NATION I was born in the Kaunda administration, after Zambia got its independence, hence I do not know how it felt like on the 24th October 1964, but after 32 years in Zambia as a Zambian, I certainly know how it feels to live in an independent Zambia. With our stories and struggles during the British colonial era, Dr.kaunda and his friends worked hard, kept the faith by enduring without complaints that Zambia will attain its independence and finally on the 24th October 1964 a new nation was born and Kaunda assumed authority of the nation. He became the first indigenous president with the responsibility to solve the challenges and problems which only Zambians could solve. Kaunda put on the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction. Kaunda’s quest for uniting Zambians inspired him to coin the “one Zambia one nation” as a national motto. This motto has remained a symbol of our nation to this day. All thanks to Dr. Kaunda and his friends. Many Zambians will not just remember Dr. Chiluba as a man who had a very good command of the English language but also a man to whom we owe our declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation( though a controversial issue as at now) and the reintroduction of multiparty politics in Zambia. He is credited with liberalizing the economy of the country with the view of ‘empowering’ Zambians. From his years as a student at the University of Zambia to his years as Zambia’s attorney general, Zambia’ third republican president, Dr. Mwanawasa made tough choices and decisions when easier ones were available. His willingness to develop different infrastructure in the country like the Levy Mwanawasa stadium in Ndola is testimony enough of how he was willing to go a mile further in his quest to develop the country. He was very well known for being much disciplined in the use of the authority entrusted to him by Zambians. He kept the economy of the country very stable at a very difficult time. If Dr. Mwanawasa taught us anything, it is that one cannot enjoy the pleasures of vice presidency in a corrupt administration while the hopes of a young boy are dashed as he continues to suffer as a street kid along Cairo road. I remember his words in 2008 at Pope square during the amecea conference two months before he died. “I would like to leave a legacy of the rule of law. I would like to leave a culture were national debates are not about assassinating each other’s characters but a search for solutions to problems that affect the weakest members of our society. However our efforts will not yield much if they are not founded on strong feelings of love for one another and a strong commitment to national unity. Let us all unite to create a better Zambia. We need each other to succeed” (Mwanawasa-2008). Mr. Rupiah Banda who took over from Mwanawasa in 2008 will be remembered for his willingness to continue the Mwanawasa legacy of a better Zambia. His ability to lure investors to the Copperbelt after the 2008 financial crisis speaks volumes. Although his rule has many question marks, we remember him for the services rendered to our land for a better Zambia. Before 2011, when his hopes were threatened, he stood up and taught many Zambian youths like me how to dream. Mr. Sata, by winning the 2011 general elections showed us that in Zambia, you don’t need to be from Lusaka to make it to greater heights; even a boy from a village in muchinga province can defy all odds to assume the highest office in the land. He has continued to pursue the goals of developing the nation by following the example of the founding father of the nation Dr. Kaunda. Everywhere in the country there are road constructions which can be likened to the period when Zambia had just attained independence. He is known for his practical approach to issues of development. His contribution to Zambia stem from the time he worked in government as a junior civil servant through to the time he was a minister and finally as president of the country. He is simply a “states” man. Even though he is reportedly ill today, we know that ours is a strong president who knows how to face the challenges of the future. The past 50 years have made us see many things. In 1991 we stood firm and showed Dr. Kaunda that after 27 years of his leadership, rule by the people and for the people does not perish from the many Zambians who demanded for it. We let chiluba know the rule of law by forcing him to follow the constitution which requires a president not to exceed two terms in power. We showed Mwanawasa that Zambians are the carriers of their own legacy and our heritage is strength not a weakness. We showed Rupiah Banda that leaders should do their business in the light of the day because only then can you earn their support. Mr. Sata has our support. We are at times worried by the different people who surround him. Most of them are there for the sake of their jobs. They don’t share in the president’s vision 100 percent. They don’t mean well. We can no longer settle at seeing them tear each other apart at the expense of the majority Zambians. When Zambians elected the patriotic front Government into office, it is because they admired the values and manifesto of the party. We demand that the president surrounds himself with a team that will help him put into reality the vision he has for the country. We thank God for the gift of this great nation. We thank God for the peace we have enjoyed for the past 50 years. Ours is should be to change the negative attitude towards work, so that we can defeat a poor work culture and develop mother Zambia. It has been an experience of years of peace, love and tolerance towards one another. Our hope is to see a Zambia anchored on the wise motto of our founding father Dr. Kaunda; “one Zambia one nation”. We have one country but gifted with different tribes. Therefore there should be unity in diversity. We cannot afford to base issues on tribal lines. Elections of candidates to different political offices should be based on merit and not on tribal affiliation. Any Zambian should be free to contest elections in any part of the country regardless of tribe. This will help realize the vision of one Zambia one nation as espoused by our founding fathers. As a country let us adopt honest ways of pursuing our dreams of a better country by performing our actions in ethical ways and being each other’s keeper. I for one I wish to challenge our man of action to allow the process of having a good constitution be a gift of our 50 years as Zambians. An overview of the past fifty years in Zambia’s constitutional developments largely reflects the changed political environments. Perhaps, the question that should be asked in evaluating the review processes is: Is it better to have a government that listens but doesn’t act, or a government that acts without consulting the people? Either way, the people lose out. The wish of every citizen is to have a government that listens and acts. This is indeed a great challenge for Zambia. There is a moral demand that people’s in-put to both content and process issues must not be a monopoly of a few. Surely, a durable and functional Constitution is one that enjoys internal legitimacy; that is, inclusive of and owned by people who are the custodians of the Constitution. ANTONIO FRIDAY LUBEBA (BD-urbaniana university-Rome) UNZA STUDENT LAW SCHOOL September 10, 2014
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 08:57:51 +0000
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