By Shalala Oliver Sepiso
Yesterday, I argued that Zambians demonstrated that they don’t appreciate when they voted against Russia at the UN despite all the wrongs Russia has done. I posited that the USSR and Russia have done a lot for us and continue to do so, especially that no country educates Zambians at the levels Russia does and since Russia educates more Zambians than any other nationals in the world. I concluded that we only voted against Russia in order for us to look ‘pretty’. Shame! I exclaimed and concluded that we should have abstained since Kaunda left us the perfect stance of non-alignment.
If I was pro-Russian I would have said we vote against the motion but the best was to abstain, which was an option taken by India and South Africa.
Some of those supporting the voting by Zambia at the UN yesterday, surmise that “it is better to be under the capitalist democracies than being under totalitarian ruthless dictators who have no economic sense to Africa”.
However, I say, why do you think that being “under” is any good?
I tell you that non-alignment means refusing to be under anyone. This is why we had our very own humanism, which was not socialism and not capitalism but a blend and it worked well for a long time with serious development of Zambia sponsored by our ability to work with anyone. For example the Yugoslavians – under a dictator build us so many things for us.
When in 1970 Kenneth D. Kaunda called a conference of non-aligned nations in Lusaka, he needed to build – in four months a place for the delegates to meet and stay. President Kaunda engaged Former Yugoslav engineers from Energoprojekt: Yugoslavia’s biggest construction concern. On a small bush along the Great East Road, excavations and pilings started, based on plans drafted in Belgrade and 115 days later, the Yugoslavians delivered a 4,000-seat convention hall and 66 presidential villas, two weeks ahead of the deadline. The Mulungushi International Conference Centre and the Mulungushi Village were ready to host the Non-Aligned Movement Conference which was commemorated by the monument which took centre-stage at the High Court Round about.
Just in case this link with Yugoslavian is to be taken lightly, let me make mention that these Eastern Europeans, who then lived under a dictator of sorts, also did security upgrades to our State House. While we slept, they tunneled and took soil out of State House under covert ops. The engineers secretly built two huge underground bunkers as a secret command center for Zambia. The underground bunkers were a bomb-proofed labyrinth equipped with living quarters, a broadcasting station, meeting rooms and a cache of weapons. According to records now in public domain following the documentaries by one Luckson Nthani in an ill-advised move by Chiluba to embarrass Kaunda, one bunker lies five levels by elevator beneath the State House. The other was a seven-level basement tucked under a hill in State Lodge area near ZAF twin Palm and Bauleni. To complete the maze, they built houses along Ngumbo Road including the former Celtel headquarters – which was Joshua Nkhomo’s house and whose tunnel to State House saved his life during “Operation Gatling” on 19 October 1978, when a joint-force operation into Zambia launched by the Air Force and Army of Southern Rhodesia attacked the house – and other locations along Presidents Lane.
Let us also appreciate that the Yugoslav engineers also built Findeco House, which at 106 metres is still the tallest building in Zambia; the Kafue Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station, the 300-room five-star Pamodzi Hotel; the ZANACO Head Office with its 15 floors; Zambia National Building Society (ZNBS) building and its 18 floors; the University Teaching Hospital (UTH); military and police facilities; and the Zambia National Credit and Savings Bank head office.
It’s the capitalists who didn’t do much. Britain and USA refused to loan us money to build the Dar-es-Salaam to Kapiri Rail-line. While the Chinese built TAZARA – done with Zambia financing the improvements of the harbor and airport at the southern Tanzanian port of Mtwara for additional exporting potential – the Italians delivered the TAZAMA fuel pipeline in half the cost and half the time the other companies from the West had proposed. China did it for us at great cost of Chinese money and lives as thousands of Chinese died building the more than 1000 bridges and tunnels especially on the Tanzanian side. Italians gave us Indeni, the TAZAMA pipeline, FIAT buses for UBZ, hundreds of Zambia-Tanzania Road Services (ZAM-TAN) FIAT trucks and set up Zambian Airways for us. All this wouldn’t have worked without non-alignment. The Americans only did the 2,400-kilometre Kapiri to Dar-es-Salaam highway after the Chinese had began the railway and the levels of investment are not comparable.
In fact, when we nationalised the mines, at the time when the Copperbelt mines benefitted our Zambians the most, the West squeezed us by raising the price of fuel and reducing the price of Copper – remember that at this time Zambia was only third in Copper production behind USA and Russia – and the rest is history.
Lastly, ingratiating yourself to someone doesn’t mean they won’t cheat on you. These “White governments” only Love us as far as they can use us. So no foreign government loves us more than the other beyond what they have demonstrated to us. Remember how Sierra Leone and Liberia were driven by Blacks who came back from the USA but remember the poorest nations on the continent despite their American connections. Let’s see how the Western Democracies will “help” all the 141 countries that voted against Russia. It won’t happen. Are we forgetting the likes of NORAD and others left Zambia and others closed their embassies here? Didn’t we see how on TV – during the Ukraine evacuations – we are still not treated as humans in The West? Or is it “The Worst”?
Anyway its 8am and its time to work now and worry less even though we made a mistake as a nation yesterday. We shall chat after knocking off time.
UPND government thinks Westerners will rescue them through IMF. What a political blunder this is. Never has Zambia taken a stance against anyone in times of wars. These are immature politicians running our country.
Yesterday, I argued that Zambians demonstrated that they don’t appreciate when they voted against Russia at the UN despite all the wrongs Russia has done. EVEN IF SOMEONE HAS BEEN FEEDING YOU FOR THE ENTIRE LIFE, A WRONG IS A WRONG AND MUST BE CALLED OUT.
It’s really saddening to read that Zambia followed (blindly) during voting, I wish we could have just abstained. Really the Ukrainians we are trying to show solidarity have no regards to Black people. I wish there could be a way to pulling back or reversing the wrong decision we made. Look at Zimbabwe our country sister, I think they did the right thing or even our neighbor DRC. Sometimes it’s important to think thoroughly before making a decision. It’s quite embarrassing to note that we have disappointed or rather double-crossed Russia after all what it has done to Zambia and Zambian. I think as Zambians we need to distance ourselves and categorically state that the decision made by whoever voted against Russia does not represent the interest of Zambians. I rest my case with a…
The comment above can not justify a killing of a human being, Russia should be thoroughly condemned
Very misguided thinking.
The 141 nations who voted against Russia at the UN general assembly did so in the interest of peace and not in exchange for help from the west
It seems author of this article is willfully blind to the suffering that war brings to humanity.
Those cold war era , soviet union beliefs are history and the world has moved on…even Putin himself wont succeed in taking humanity back to that dark era.
I think Society House has 19 floors and not 18. Anyway this is a good write-up and a timely reminder about our history. Our leaders have sold their souls because of their greed for money. Gugu Wetu wa Zabanga was a dictator and darling of the West because he availed national resources to the imperialists at the expense of his people. He had more wealth than the country that he led but he died the death of a pauper and his children have never seen his wealth hidden in France, Belgium and other Western countries. The Non Aligned Movement died with Fidel Castro. Mandela refused to be blocked from seeing Gaddaffi, he simply told the West that he could not allow them to choose his friends. Can we see such courage in Bally? I doubt. His economic crusade relies on what the West can do for him…
This is a straight forward issue, Russian can not be killing innocent people and a country like Zambia just looks on. This is a straight forward issue which does not deep thinking, even if the people being killed are not our relatives. Kaunda could take a non aligned stance because the cold war was a cold war, it was just shadow boxing between the west and the East with no blood shed. The stance Zambia took was the best despite any repercussions from Russia. Zambia should always be guided by the bible and it took the right voting stand.
Go and do your reading. The cold war doesn’t mean there were no wars. This is just a term meant to describe the non-direct war between the US and the USSR. Otherwise the two sides were fighting each other in Angola, Vietnam, Korea, Mozambique. The US assassinated Patrice Lumumba in the DRC and replaced him with Mobutu. These are called proxy wars because they were not direct confrontations.
Yes The US killed Lumumba because he was pro-USSR. They thought Congo would become communist
The majority of nations voted against Russia and that alone should tell you that you need to be on the side of history
No wonder Zambia is in this mess, how can one say because they might be repercussions from Russia so Zakmbia should have just continued playing a blind eye to the killings of the Ukraine people, a normal thinking country should stand on the rights of human beings despite the repercussions
War cannot be justified as a means of solving a problem on any given day. It is just like GBV, beating your wife instead of solving problems in a reasonable manner. Killing people for what ever reason must not be allowed in the civilized world. Russia must be isolated and condemned with the contempt it deserves, if voting was to take place again, Zambia should vote exactly the same way it voted.
DOWN WITH RUSSIA !!
CALL A SPADE A SPADE
FOR ONCE ZAMBIA MUST TAKE A STANCE
Tito was the pillar of NAM… he’s dead and so is his Yugoslavia. India under Indira Ghandi was a pillar of NAM… she’s dead and India has moved on. Ethiopia too under Emperor Salasse was a strong leader in NAM… he’s dead. The Cold War that made NAM a necessity went with the demise of the USSR (albeit being resurrected by one Putin). Let peace prevail.
There is nothing admirable about war. We need to understand why it happened. Ukraine was becoming militarized and would host nuclear weapons if accepted into NATO, they chose to ignore Russia’s concerns and hence this unfortunate situation. Would the US allow Mexica to join a military alliance with Russia and host Russian weapons?
Coming back to the issue, HH has proved to be nearly a puppet of the US and EU with his praises of these powers and travels at the expense of domestic challenges. Did we vote against Russia due to our moral standings or did we do so due to please HH’s friends/IMF pressure?
Most of LT’s readers who post here need the kind of education Sepiso is offering here. One of them was prophesying to me about Putin being toppled by NATO the way Gaddaffi was thereby reflecting his poor understanding of World politics. This is because he follows World events via CNN, Fox News, and BBC and other Western propaganda media. Most shallow experts start thinking the world has only one viewpoint the one propagated by their former colonial masters via Western Media. It was to avoid this one track mindedness that Yugoslavia came up with non=alignment. . China and Russia are neccessary adversaries of the West otherwise we will all be under a Western dictatorship economic or political. Who started the first and second World Wars? Not Russia, not China, Right now West Africa is…
My comment is awaiting LT’s moderation
Right now West Africa is in perpetual colonialism by France. The West have started more warslike Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq than the ex-communist countries but ex slaves cant think outside the colonial
Zambia should have abstained, only to protest at the arrogance of the USA……
Would the USA allow Russian nuclear or offensive weapons in Cuba ????
Because Ukraine joined NATO means western offensive weapons on Russian boarders ……..
That is what this war is about…….
The EU and Russia have their own argument that led to Russia invading Ukraine. This is not our battle to take sides. We should remain non aligned as KK positioned this country to do so. If you take sides you are obliged to send troops to support your side if it’s a world war. As it is the West is guilty of unrighteous wars and aggression Iraq and Libya wars based on lies. Don’t involve us in such nonsense.
In foreign policy there nothing like a policy of non alignment as Countries are interdependent and in view of global Regional geopolitics nations act to seek national interests National interest is the ideological term and equity to all global countries and regions This was a cold war Warsaw pact of 1955-1990 not to be part of any alliance NATO or others as the cold war and words took center stage This is very similar for now and the country must seek for it’s ideology and national interest even with UN meetings Keeping quiet and be passive is also a foreign Policy having determined the geopolitics and judged stratergically without forming alliances in politics and military but rather freely as an informed Nation
Proverbs 18:17
17 The first one to plead his cause seems right,
Until his neighbor comes and examines him.
As it is the West has blocked Russian Media from the international platform so we don’t hear Russia’s side of the argument but only get brainwashed with their propaganda. One million people have died as direct a result of the Iraq war, why didn’t they behave the same against America? Keep Zambia out of things that don’t involve us.
Then here comes that f00Iish under 5 hh, aligning himself to the people he sold our mines to for peanuts during privatisation. He is the biggest f00I I have ever come across. Meanwhile Africans are being racially discriminateed against by the same people this preek supports
It’s was wrong
The Non-Aligned Movement was a grouping of mostly Third World countries that decided to be independent of the two post-war ideological and military blocs. There was the Communist Soviet Union led Warsaw Pact and the Capitalist US led NATO alliance. In practice non-alignment in the case of Kenneth Kaunda entailed Zambia having the freedom/sovereignty to criticize both the US or Soviet Union if in Kaunda’s estimation they had engaged in an unjustifiable action. And indeed Kaunda criticized the USA over the Vietnam war and policy towards Apartheid South Africa. And in 1968 Kaunda condemned the Soviet Union for invading Czechoslovakia and voted along with other UN members to condemn the USSR. Please stop mischaracterising both Kaunda and the meaning of non-alignment. Non-Alignment means…
“The World Factbook is a must-have application for those who possess a curiosity or concern about the rapidly changing world in which we live.”
I rest my case.
As the Chinese ambassador to the UN says……..
The USA was directly or indirectly involved in 80% of conflicts around the world………
That is what zambia should be protesting by abstaining such a vote at the UN……..
We need some kind of independent thinking………..
unless the west and the USA wipes out our debt and provides unconditional aid like in the case of Israel , then we can be yes men to them.
……independence from the influence of any of the then two blocks. It didn’t and does not mean neutrality. If you want to be abstaining from taking votes in international organizations don’t be members. That is what Switzerland did. They are not members of international organizations. Russia is wrong and they should be condemned for invading another sovereign nation. The UN was constituted to stop exactly these kind of wars. If Zambia cannot condemn a war perpetrator, it is only logical to stop our membership to the UN.
@22 Spaka, Are you excusing corruption?
Then it doesnot mean support ing wrongfully or siding to take positions You always seek good neighbouriness and fair treatment and term’s without indirect and direct confrontation respecting sovereigns and the world This one is beyond Ukraine and other parties it’s historical So the stance was to keep a back sit and listen to follow the interested parties hoping for a peaceful settlement without aligning to either Other reasons also it was wrong
Whether or not abstained from voting at one point we still have to take a side…..those who voted truly showed the stance of No war while those who abstained still showed they support what Russia is doing. This is not the case of who did what and not for Zambia… A wrong must be called out. We can’t sit on the fence and trying not care what is going on. The same people condemning government for taking a side could have come out to castigate them for doing nothing.
#StopWar
#25 Patrick
March 4, 2022 At 11:25 am
“Whether or not abstained from voting at one point we still have to take a side…..those who voted truly showed the stance of No war while those who abstained still showed they support what Russia is doing….”
Not true……….what of those who voted against the resolution ??
Most of those who abstained see two sides of this war………the USA wanting to surround Russia with offensive weapons and Russia acting irrationally after their warnings and protests being rebuffed…..
#23 Daniel Chisebwe
March 4, 2022 At 10:36 am
“@22 Spaka, Are you excusing corruption ?.”
How ? There is no corruption. If the west agrees to wipe out our debt and provide development aid , then zambia can take their side like in this case………….
It’s about intelligent diplomacy balanced with moral obligations………..
The issue is a moral one at the moment. The countries that are in the forefront of asking the world to punish Russia are the devil incarnate themselves, USA and UK. The blood of the millions of people they have sent to their early graves is still crying. Ukraine on the other hand wants to be going to bed every night (as and when Russia is sleeping) with these devil incarnates and in a few years later, with all their arsenal amassed in Ukraine, would do to Russia what they did to Libya and Iraq. So Russia said ‘ Well instead of us paying a price in future because of your stupidity, pay the price now yourself’ Why would Ukraine honestly want to host Nato and the devil incarnate America when they know they are being used as a front to one day attack Russia? Did they ask for it?
The issue is a moral one at the moment. The countries that are in the forefront of asking the world to punish Russia are the devil incarnate themselves, USA and UK. The blood of the millions of people they have sent to their early graves is still crying. Ukraine on the other hand wants to be going to bed every night (as and when Russia is sleeping) with these devil incarnates and in a few years later, with all their arsenal amassed in Ukraine, would do to Russia what they did to Libya and Iraq. So Russia said ‘ Well instead of us paying a price in future because of your stupidity, pay the price now yourself’ Why would Ukraine honestly want to host Nato and the devil incarnate America when they know they are being used as a front to one day attack Russia? Did they ask for it?
Your mind is demented. You will vote for a murderer simply because he helped you with a loan?
Where is your moral judgement? Putin is a war criminal
The Non-Aligned Movement died when Josip B Tito died. Stop kidding yourselves.
What about the atrocities America has committed ??…the special operation by russia is justifiable so zambia should have stayed put
It’s like watching a KABUKi act in a theater in Tokyo. When the 2 interest groups can find commonalities and end the war it’s bigger than Ukraine moreso touches many global interests that can be resolved away from Ukraine but it’s a show of influence power. And sovereign It’s an act show of power That is why others have acted carefully to avoid direct conflict and avoid unnecessary conflict
#30 Benson Moono
March 4, 2022 At 12:00 pm
“Your mind is demented. You will vote for a murderer simply because he helped you with a loan?
Where is your moral judgement? Putin is a war criminal..”
More than 1 million innocent Iraqis died because of the false claim by the USA that sadam hussein had weapons of mass destruction…….
What do you say to that ????
Point of correction: Joshua Nkomo’s house was bombed on 13th April, 1979. In a 3 A.M. strike into Lusaka, Rhodesian commandos disguised as Zambian soldiers wrecked several buildings in an attack apparently aimed at capturing or killing Joshua Nkomo, one of the two principal Rhodesian guerrilla leaders. On the other hand, Operation Gatling, which took place on 19 October 1978, was a joint-force operation into Zambia launched by the Air Force and Army of Rhodesia; the main forces which contributed were Rhodesian Special Air Service and Rhodesian Light Infantry paratroopers.
OF COURSE PUTIN WILL BE VIEWED AS A WAR CRIMINAL
SO IS LAVROV
RUSSIA WILL SUFFER FOR THEIR AGRESSION ITS ALREADY STARTED BANKS CLOSED SPORTS BANNED
SWIFT GONE
GOOD NEWS FOR THE SENSAIBLE AND LOGICAL AMONGST US
Point of correction: Ukraine is NOT a member of NATO. It is still NOT a member of the European Union, though it receives special treatment from the EU. However, Ukraine has recently amidst the war applied for admission to EU.
Putin accuses Ukraine of being pro NATO and advancing western interests. He went to war to prevent Ukraine “Americanisation” since the US is the powerhouse of NATO.
Benson Moono March 4, 2022 At 12:00 pm
Your mind is demented. You will vote for a murderer simply because he helped you with a loan?
Where is your moral judgement? Putin is a war criminal…………FOOLISH *****, RESPOND TO THE ARTICLE BEING DEBATED AND NOT ATTACK YOUR FELLOW COMMENTATOR YOU TRIBAL MORON. YOU ATE THE SAME PEOPLE THAT HAVE BROUGHT OUR COUNTRY BEHIND WITH ALWAYS THINKING TRIBAL AS IF WE ARE IN 1902
Benson Moono March 4, 2022 At 12:00 pm
Your mind is demented. You will vote for a murderer simply because he helped you with a loan?
Where is your moral judgement? Putin is a war criminal
WHO IS DEMENTED YOU MORON? YOU THINK WE ARE DISCUSSING TRIBES HERE YOU MORON. WE ARE DISCUSSING SERIOUS MATTERS AND YOUR BRAIN IS JUST THINKING OF TRIBAL POLITICS
I don’t know what stand Zambia is taking these days. But I believe President Kaunda’s stance was excellent, as you didn’t put yourself out on a limb for conflicts you might not have fully grasped. It could also be said that, Zambia’s say – in the politics of Ukraine and Russia, is but a whisper too insignificant to matter; we might aswell be non aligned.
#plant a tree please!
They are family and in touch it will be not a surprise to play down the conflict by Ukraine it’s like comedy actions the west may be surprised to see change of tone but it’s in the interest of all countries to foster peace human rights and sovereigns It trick the family can decide to reconcile and expose you The surprise is Eritrea but understood Others traditional friends not only economically and institutions including political like the party in SA most African African countries are beneficiary of Russia and have that inclination It’s a trick situation because Africa has been a friend of both in conflict and others that heart and attitude must continue to foster unity peace and sustainable development without being captivated how do you side with members of family still…
None aligned means being “Passive”
No!
Significant Gold exports like Sudan to Russia Okay understood ??
RUSSIA IS A PROBLEMATIC COUNTRY AS IT ONLY A FEW YEARS AGO THAT CHRISTIANS WERE ALLOWED TO WORSHIP. IN FACT CHRISTIANITY HAD BEN BANNED. SO VOTING AGAINST RUSSIA BY A CHRISTIAN NATION LIKE ZAMBIA IS A GOOD THING. OLIVER SHALALALALALA HAS MISSED IT!
He has short Wu economies and the West through Ukraine hoping to emerge bigger so the target is not Ukraine but EU influence there and west He feels though the world voted in such Russia is still a world super power and they cannot do away with it Okay it’s now clear the politics at playing They cannot survive without food and oil and gas from Russia long-term
ALL THIS ROT STARTED WITH KK NOW LEAVE HIM OUT OF IT HE NEEDS TO REST IN PEACE
HOW DO ALL THE COMMENTS ON HERE ATTRIBUTE ZAMBIA’S DOWNWARD TREND FOR THE LAST 57 YEARS
WAKE UP !!
I’ m proud of Zambia for an excellent Decision. We haven’t betrayed Russia in anyway. What we have done is to remind Russia that we don’t support the decision of invadeing a democratic sovereign State based on unclear concorted reasons. What Russia is doing in Ukraine is an issue of immorality of highest level. We should salute our government for the job well done.
It’s been fatal error than could have ended with assurances on the security concerns he wanted to be addressed If you look at developments since 1990 you see similar occurrences and the 2 conversing now could have played a role better than the China or US even EU So far the stance taken not to confront and be in direct conflict with Russia is the most wiser
You know that the UK airlifted oil into Zambia and copper out between October 1965 and October 1966? Because Rhodesia closed the border. Zambia would have collapsed but for the British doing that. In today’s money it cost over £118 million just for the airlift.
https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1966/nov/08/zambia-petrol-airlift
Vote for Russia, against Russia, abstain. Won’t change anything in Zambia any time soon. Though if we consider what each bloc can offer to us Russia is by far the least attractive.