Fanning Flames Of Lawlessness And Civil Strife In A Christian Nation

Zambia a very rich country endowed with vast natural resources bolstered by mineral wealth is now economically on a knife edge though it is not a state in constitutional crisis some greedy politicians want it to be thrown into. The 73 ethnic groups of the great nation have stood as one nation prior to the attainment of independence in 1964 to date. The solid foundation of unity in Mother Zambia is not a product of accident but commitment of its founding fathers who believed in dialogue in the face of acrimony and chaos which charaterised pre- independence politics in the then Northern Rhodesia.

Founding fathers who steered the wheels of the freedom struggle since the formation of the Northern Rhodesia African Congress founded by Godwin Mbikusita-Lewanika in 1949 were totally committed to unity and harmony among the black people most of whose ethnic ancestry or descendance is traced back to the Luba-Lunda Empire led by Mwata Yamvo. The Luba-Lunda ethnic groups share common dialects notwithstanding diversity of the cultural traits they espoused. They stood united as men and women from the same root of origin. Inter-marriages charaterised their lives from time immemorial. Some bigger ethnic groups endeavoured to exert supremacy and dominion over minority ones but they could not succeed as Christianity which took root in many regions of Zambians upheld the importance of unity. Even where white missionaries showed racist tendencies which degraded and devalued black people, radical believers in Christ converted by whites had to form indigenous nationalist churches which had Pan African ideals and dignified the plight of the oppressed people. The formation of the first African political party the South African Native Congress which later became the African National Congress (ANC) in Blomfontein in 1912 deeply influenced by church leaders who had Pan African values and never narrowed their freedom to South Africa alone *but* dreamt big for the whole continent. Nkosi Sekelela Africa (God bless Africa) is the veritable Continental Anthem for Africa though the African Union seems to downplay it since it is couched in South African dialect. The vision of Albert Xuma, John Dube, Isaak Ka Pixley Seme, and DDT Jabavu as founder patriarchs of the ANC must not be allowed to die.

Zambia has come of age at 60. We have been strongly attached together as a unitary state for sixty years and we must not take our peace and unity for granted. KK ruled Zambia for 27 years and never condoned tribalism as it was a very serious offence under his rule for any ethnic group or tribe to speak hatefully of weaker ethnic groups. Ministers and governors had to be dismissed for belittling and demeaning the so-called minority groupings. KK cracked the whip and his weight was felt by tribal zealots and religious fundamentalists.

The country became a One Party State owing to our commitment to the liberation of neighbouring countries under Portuguese, British and white South African colonial rule. The bloodletting which characterised the hateful relationship between UNIP and ANC leaders became huge roadblocks to the emancipation of the countries whose nationalist freedom leaders waged war against very formidable colonial forces. The financiers of colonial rule in our neighbours were going to bankroll insurrections against the countries like Tanzania and Zambia were launching pads for freedom movements in Southern Africa.

The Choma Declaration signed by Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula and Dr Kenneth D. Kaunda took effect in 1973 and the liberation struggle waged by Joshua Nkomo and Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe Rhodesia, Samuel Shinashula Nujoma and Ben Geingob in Namibia and Oliver Reginald Tambo and Thabo Mbeki in South Africa took new shape. It was possible to help the freedom struggle movements to succeed in their guerilla warfare and call for sanctions because they were living in countries which were politically stable though economic stability was then far-fetched a dream to come quickly as the colonial masters played ball with their agents in the colonies and did not apply mandatory sanctions and arms embargo on the agents they colluded with. Tanzania and Zambia repelled the racist regimes and resolved not to compromise with Boers. Zambia had remained united up to the time the freedom movements bumped off the brutal racist regimes. Immediately Nelson Mandela was released from prison in February 1990, he came over to Zambia as the first African independent country he visited and commended KK and Zambia for sacrifices the country made. The Wind of Change fanned by Mikhail Gorbachev in the then Soviet Union who had introduced glasnost and perestroika swept through our Motherland. The MMD was formed at Garden Motel as a pressure group and later defeated the KK regime when it challenged KK in the October 1991 polls.

Currently I look at be excess love for power among the so called leaders in the opposition as well as the ruling party as a huge setback to national progress. Little parties with less impact on the nation have been formed and the focus is taking power by whatever means. Alliances with the Jezebel touch have evolved with some failed pastors fronting themselves as torch bearers of unity and peace are busy in the newly formed alliances born with concealed agendas known best by its architects longing to parachute the Sixth Republican President as they disqualify themselves and repose misplaced confidence in one ECL yearning by all means to have him get the huge seat at Plot One. Failed pastor Chibale Pule feels politics is the easiest way to win souls to himself other than Christ and the once Dunamis Diplomatic Centre is now a hall for hire by politicians and social events organized by some evangelical Christians closely associated with him. I do not know how many members are committed to his party considering his zest and clamouring for the glamour of a clown in priestly robes with an honorary doctorate degree and stage-managed eccentric admiration for the office of Apostle. Pule’s arrogant refusal to stand before a Tonga magistrate in his case of sedition speaks volumes about his character which Zambians know better than himself. He is now a self-appointed and self-anointed trumpeter blowing horns for the third term of one ECL at whose feet the Accountant-cum-Apostle he now grovels. He can dance in floods and do gymnastics in a swimming pool all intended to please the mighty fallen Edgar Lungu.

What boggles my mind is the truth that Lungu does not seem to have a denomination in the Christian circles where he is made accountable. He could be a syncretic politician who can be Moslem, Buddhist, African black Hindu, or a Shintoist. He is a feature at all churches where he feels like going and he has the inalienable right and freedom to throw his weight everywhere he fancies. Nothing makes Dr Lungu motivated to get back to power other than repossessing grabbed ill-gotten property of his wife and children who beat all the first ladies and first families in Zambian history in quick amassing of wealth to create a huge moneyed family enclave. The other factor convincing Dr ECL is his deep-rooted vendetta against his successor at Plot One Hakainde Hichilema whom he hates with perfect hate.

A number of Catholic priests and evangelical (Pentecostal) pastors were closely associated with him and he manipulated them with huge sums he gave them beating by a million fold the slush funds President Frederick Chiluba gave so many churches to help them refurbish their church buildings. No first lady would beat Esther Lungu in possession of property acquired in seven years. One would wonder what would have happened to some heroes and heroines who dipped their long fingers into the treasury of our nation in Jerry Rawlings’ Ghana of 1979. People conversant with political history would be the best judges on this. The comeback of ECL seems to be nightmarish to thousands of Zambians who experienced his ruthless rule powered by lawless cadreism which overshadowed the Gestapo of Hitler’s Germany. Democracy was under crucifixion and rule of law was severely compromised. We were made to believe that there was only one perfect redeemer for ZAMBIA Dr ECL Ni Boma E Muntu Fye and his prophet was Given Lubinda. The excess use of pangas and brutalisation of perceived opponents of the PF and ECL stands out as a huge gaping hole on the structure of Zambia’s political edifice. Those with very short memories. We saw massive closure of community radio stations and merciless closure of Zambia’s most independent newspaper, The Post.

No one can force Zambians to vote for people they do not like but it is incumbent on them to seriously weigh the pros and cons in the leadership of the ones aspiring to be employed by them. Greedy leaders are full of vengeance and and hate. They cannot be entrusted with higher office leadership unless we want to roll back faster than lightening to the politics of the stone age which we were accustomed to at one time under a known humble brutal dictator who masqueraded as a saint. We must distinguish between a saint and a scoundrel. There is nothing sinister in having a known tyrant stand in elections as a constitutional right. The worry is that despots cherish and relish suppression and repression of the opposition and promote lawlessness where criminals go scot-free with outrageously stage-managed acquitals and innocent people are thrown into jail to rot perpetually at the delight and excitement of the elected autocrats.

Zambians must not allow a throwback to cold-blooded murders of political opponents and brutalisation of innocent citizens where some colours of party regalia were made criminal and punishable by beatings reminiscent of Idi Amin’s reign of terror in Uganda. We have every right to vote for a miniature Idi Amin. The majority have the right to restore sanity to the Presidency and uphold the rule of law. Fanning flames of lawlessness and civil strife in the respected Christian nation would spell perpetual disaster. There is no glory in worshiping any leader and making them appear like flawless and sinless men and women. Let us be wary of what awaits us in 2026. Wiser choices of candidates must be made.

Author is Shaddon Chanda a Luanshya based historian and academician