By Sishuwa Sishuwa
For a long time now, many of us have complained, sometimes with very persuasive arguments, that Zambia is where it is today because of bad leadership at the national level. We explain our country’s deepening crisis, illustrated by extreme cultural and material impoverishment, sustained institutional deterioration, heightened political divisions and economic decline made worse by endemic corruption and a crippling public debt, as a result of President Edgar Lungu and his accumulation-seeking friends in government. Well, that is simply part of the story. It is time we re-examined this narrative and the leadership question in a wider context. To better understand Lungu, we must seek to understand the forest in which his political leadership was born, exists and thrives. This refers to the wider economic and social circumstances that have created the unfavorable conditions in which it is almost impossible to raise and sustain ethical values.
Post 1991, Zambians have collapsed into a heap of undiluted poverty, mass unemployment and extreme inequalities. The portion of the population that is involved in genuine systemic and structural employment has dwindled to almost an insignificant percentage of the actual total labour force, most of which is either unemployed or eking out a miserable living from the street or from tilling the land. Arguably, there is a very tiny capitalist class, largely of the ‘business man type’, which however is incapable of giving Zambia any ‘national character’ complete with the liberal claptrap about ‘rule of law’ and ‘respect for the constitution’, let alone any semblance of morality, especially in the public domain and in politics. This social base is grown on the ever-shrinking real economy. Zambia is an impoverished country, materially and culturally, not withstanding its natural wealth. We Zambians have absolutely no control, whatsoever, over our country’s economic life. Foreign capital reigns supreme. The tiny middle class that appears to be well off survives by getting into criminal relationships with foreign capital. This includes many of the so-called ‘civil society’ elites who thrive on swindling donor money.
In such social and economic circumstances, professions are a means to find a job, for survival, not to advance the so-called ‘noble ideals’ of the profession. The middle class inevitably mimics the survival behaviours of the larger or majority part of the population, who live survivalist lives. This is the dead-end character of our socio-economic life that breeds our kind of politics and citizens like Lungu. Lungu embodies the worst attributes of lumpen behaviour fit to survive in this jungle of mass poverty. He is a leader par excellence. No Constitution, no law, no morality other than behaviour conducive to his survival is permissible in his life. His personal and political conduct however is simply emblematic of tens of thousands of Zambians who live survivalist lives and for whom nothing is fixed, certain, moral, stable or durable. To overthrow Lungu and the undesirable traits he represents, and to end the lumpenisation of our lives, we need to overthrow what we have become.
The problem, therefore, is the citizen. We need to sort out the citizen question first – although our capacity to do so would be dependent on another variable: our ability to destroy the existing economic structure that presses us down. Once we do that, then we are home and dry. Edgar Lungu simply epitomises and exemplifies the majority citizen. If he was not, what have we the supposedly majority Zambians whose higher moral code or communal values he keeps flouting, done to stop him? Very little. Blaming our leaders represents a cheap attempt, on our part, to remove our individual agency from responsibility for changing the undesired status quo. It is akin to someone who, for years, remains in an extremely violent and abusive relationship, complaining that, “The problem is not me; it is my partner”. Asked to state what actions they took to change their plight, the complainant responds, “I spoke to my partner but they did not listen to me. In fact, we spoke several times, but my partner did not change; they continued in their bad ways. This explains why I am like this. I remained in this relationship all this time because I had hoped that my partner would change. To supplement my investment in hope, I also fervently prayed, beseeching God to perform a miracle that would help change my partner to become a better person. For some reason, God has taken His time to respond to my tendered prayers. And who am I, an errant mere mortal, to question the schedule of God Almighty?”
Such a person is not a victim. He or she is an architect of his or her own plight. That is many of us today. That is Zambia. As long as our lives and how they turn out remain God’s will, we abdicate responsibility for changing our plight to that God. It also means our leadership, in our minds at least, is God’s choosing. So if that God gives us a Lungu, we cannot question His wisdom, notwithstanding Lungu’s obvious poverty of anything remotely resembling the virtue to be associated with a benevolent deity. There are times when I feel that Zambia must kill God, if we are to make progress. When God dies, we will take His place – our success or failure resting squarely on our shoulders.
We Zambians are the problem. Take this same Edgar Lungu to become the President of the Republic of Singapore – a country that got independence later than Zambia but moved from being a developing nation to a developed one in a single generation. The selfless, thoughtful and exemplary leadership he would provide from Day 1 would stun many people. He would actively mobilise and coalesce the energies of everyone, especially the very best of Singapore, to propel the country to even better heights. Some will even wonder if he is indeed the same person – the very Lungu who, when he served as Zambia’s president, was untroubled by insatiable greed, fostered and thrived on deep divisions, and had a legendary aversion to anything remotely involving an exertion on his mental faculties. What would have changed? The people Lungu presides over, coupled with the attendant change in awareness and attitude on his part.
The transformation would start the moment Lungu learns that he is now the leader of Singapore. What would bring about this change in him is not the geographical location of the country or the natural resources within its borders; it is simply the type of people Singaporeans are – a people with a clear and shared value system; a people that would hold him to account more than we Zambians do. By the time Lungu would be landing at Changi airport to take up his new leadership position, he would have read and properly understood the Constitution of Singapore and already accepted that he cannot, even slightly, interfere in the operations of what is a truly independent judiciary that is not susceptible to political and financial interests. He would have further noted with regret the staggering mediocrity that was resident in his Cabinet back in Zambia and overcome his obstinate conventionality and fear of being led into paths that might disturb his rather secured prejudices and extremely limited view of things.
Lungu would quickly know that majority of the citizens of the new country that he now leads would not tolerate anything less than the provision of quality leadership, the one at whose centre is total transparency and the promotion of the public good, not the relentless pursuit of personal gain. Lungu would know where he is, that he is now President of Singapore, not Zambia, and would consequently provide strong and visionary leadership. His commitment to securing public faith in formal institutions and the rule of law would be above reproach. Such would be his immediate and total self-transformation, including his aversion to the theft of public funds and loyalty to all ethical norms and values, that even he himself would be stunned by his extraordinary capacity to change.
Individuals, generally, adjust according to the environment. It is the environment that makes a person. Over time, Edgar Lungu, arguably Zambia’s worst leader since the declaration of independence in 1964, would surpass Lee Kuan Yew to become the best leader Singapore has ever had since the country became an independent territory in August 1965. Even his public speech would change to reflect his new context. Instead of saying things like ‘Ubomba mwibala alya mwibala’, that ‘it is not being corrupt to be wealthy, bonse tukabila ukulya bwino’, or passing extremely inappropriate jokes when delivering serious national addresses, such as ‘I only took two shots, only two, Mr Speaker’ (Ironically, this appears to be the only thing many Zambians took away from his recent speech to Parliament on national values and principles), his speeches would now be laden with such inspiring thoughts that many across the world would yearn to listen to him because nearly every word he utters in public would be actually quotable. Yes, this very Edgar Lungu whose public speech today is so mediocre and dreadfully poor that one can be forgiven for thinking that he deliberately goes out of his way to say nothing sensible.
We Zambians, I must repeat, are the problem. We are far from being a serious people. We are the architects of our own misery. I know that some, particularly the formally educated citizen in the city, would be quick to point an accusing finger, claiming it is the poor and their rural counterparts who are to blame for our pitiful plight. I disagree. Why does Zambia’s ‘educated class’, knowing so well the weaknesses and backwardness of the Frederick Chilubas, Rupiah Bandas, Michael Satas and Edgar Lungus, and fully aware of our state of mass human poverty and extreme cultural impoverishment, still do virtually nothing about both the conditions of our life and leadership? Are we such a pathological parasitic educated middle class that we are completely paralysed and are incapable of the necessary and essential political activity required to overturn our national plight? Are we an impotent social class incapable of fulfilling its historic and social responsibility, always blaming others for our sorry state of affairs in the country? (…Bad politicians, illiterate population, backward rural dwellers, etc. – running away from the answer to our problems which is all the time staring us straight in the face, using our very own eyes: us!) Have we, as a people, become so debased and dehumanised that we have effectively ceased to hold ourselves in high regard, began the downward spiral of lower and lower expectations for ourselves and our kith and kin, and effectively commuted our very existence to spirits, viewing the battles or challenges that confront us as not physical?
We must take full responsibility for the mediocrity of our lives and national leadership and our role in getting ourselves out of the mess we have sunk into. Ownership of blame is an empowering state of mind. In as much as we would like to deny it, the truth is that we have become, on the whole, a rotten society. Yes, among us exists Lucy Sichones, Levy Mwanawasas, Laura Mitis, Kenneth Kaundas, Anna Chifungulas, Chama Fumbas, Telesphore Mpundus, Mary Tshumas, James Skinners and Linda Kasondes – citizens who, in general and acting from any position or none, represent some of the most essential values to which we must all aspire. These values include courage, community, compassion and love for fellow human beings, moral force of character, capacity for effective leadership, integrity, genuine humility, honesty, a predilection for consultation, consensus-building, communication, co-operation, active listening, and the selfless pursuit of the public good, and not the selfish striving for personal gain.
The bright spots among us are however getting fewer by the minute – not because our mothers are no longer giving birth but because their children inevitably grow into a society that upholds its decaying moral fabric, poverty of ambition and deplorable socio-economic conditions. Thanks to the shortcomings of Western democracy, the best of Zambians cannot ascend to the presidency, a platform they can use to nationalise their values, without the support of the majority group in Zambia today, the one for whom nothing is fixed, certain, moral, stable or durable, and whose dominant values clash with those of the increasingly best few. Even if we succeeded in removing this Lungu from public office today – and we must get rid of him at the earliest possible opportunity, though this prospect seems increasingly distant as he appears willing to do whatever it takes to stay put – it would not be long before another Lungu emerges from within the ranks of the numerically superior group to win elective public office. For reasons of democratic representation, a nation of drunkards or lumpens is entitled to be represented by a drunkard or lumpen.
I fear, sometimes, that the acuteness of the problem at hand is not one that is appreciated by many of us. The problem, you see, is as much with the leadership as it is with the led. In fact, some would say it is a vicious cycle, feeding into and enabling each other. The chief reason Lungu was elected president in 2015 (I believe he won that election fairly) was because he embodies many of the things a significant number of Zambians embrace and live by. He speaks, looks, and thinks like them. They found a kindred spirit in him. I will leave it to the better discernment of the reader to decide what those things are, but therein lies the answer to how this crisis we find ourselves in continues. We cannot, in my view, resolve the crisis of leadership at the national level without addressing that of the larger social body’s moral and cultural values. For leaders are not hoisted onto us from without – they come from within our society. The real reason why Lungu is our president today is not necessarily because he was re-elected in 2016 – we probably will never know for certain if he genuinely won that year’s election. It is because he is the leader we truly deserve, one who is embedded in a complex network that reveals a society that is, on the whole, rotten to the core.
Lungu is a symptom of Zambia’s sickness and can only exist in Zambia. If Lungu was the problem and majority of us were different from him, we would have long removed him – he possibly would never even have risen to the presidency in the first place. The hard reality is that Lungu projects our collective frailties. He is not the one who stops us from turning up in public in huge numbers to protest against his inept leadership or the stinking corruption of his administration. He is not the one stopping hundreds of thousands of us from embarking on daily anti-government protests, demanding his exit from power for saturating our country with debt, worsening our already miserable existence and strangling the aspirations of workers and young people. We Zambians, with all our collective capacity and power, stop ourselves. Why? Because he reflects what we really are – a people capable of only producing itself. We have created and earned Lungu, much in the same way that we have re-created God to function, primarily, as a proud partisan and charged Him with nothing less than the custody of our individual agency. Lungu is our own Frankenstein, the monster we are seeing in the mirror. So before we condemn him next, we should know that he is being himself. It is unfair to call him to virtues that we, the majority of us as a people, do not possess.
Where then does our future lie? In the total destruction of what Zambia has become. Focusing on isolated incidents or Lungu alone will not help us much. Our ailment requires thorough social change from below, which must include educating ourselves about the dead-end character of our socio-economic life and the kind of values and politics this breeds, and igniting a broad and popular movement that can and must give birth to millions of leaders who can perform the revolutionary surgery we are urgently in need of, nurse the country back to its full health, and sustain it in that state. My faith in top down change has severely weakened over the years. Many of the notions I held about our society have been disabused by hard-won experience. Zambia’s values must reform from the lowest social echelons. Maybe then we can see meaningful change. For the truth is that the full character of the Zambian society has changed: we have sunk so low that we can only rise. If we have a country where stealing begins from State House and extends to all manner of public servant, whatever the rank, then the problem runs deeper than bad leadership. We steal even when we absolutely have no need to – not that theft is ever morally justified – and pick out the very worst of our elements to govern us, even when better options are readily available. Ours is an underlying social moral cancer, one we will only cure at great pain to ourselves.
Zambia is a tinderbox, a bad drama too sad and too painful to watch. It must explode. Not if, but when it explodes, then perhaps it can be reconstituted. Those in charge are, with great abandon, dragging the country towards an epic economic collapse. Everything is coming to the fore. The tipping point is near. I do not know if Lungu’s stay in power will last up to 2021 or even beyond. What I know is that for our national psyche to change, our downfall would have to be so complete and the consequent pain so unbearable that we will be forced into a kind of collective introspection we otherwise would not have brought ourselves to. Then and then only can we learn. One of the major reasons why we remain so good at choosing bad leaders, if at all we even know what good leadership means, is that we, or at least the majority of us, are a bad people. We need to become a good people first before the simultaneous process of producing good leaders can begin. This is where the challenge is. There will be no messianic essence or phenomenon in our country to liberate us. It is not our leaders; it is us. This is it. Nothing else. We are our own leaders, we are us, we lead ourselves, put in reverse.
Well, I must stop here, for now. I must go and listen to two of my favourite songs, sang by Kendrick Kafula and Jordan Sinkala, that legendary musical duo, now deceased, popularly known as Impi. One track is titled Bantalamisoka. The other is Basakalanyongo. Both are enlightening and incriminating tunes. May I invite you, dear reader, to come along with me and listen to them, paying particular attention to the lyrics.
This!!!????????
“The chief reason Lungu was elected president in 2015 (I believe he won that election fairly) was because he embodies many of the things a significant number of Zambians embrace and live by. He speaks, looks, and thinks like them. They found a kindred spirit in him.”
Sishuwa is right. We deserve Lungu. Too many of us are mediocre in our dealings, cheap in our standards and morally bankrupt. There is no way we can vote for a hard working, morally upright leader.
We love shortcuts, bribes, easy money, corruption, ease. That’s the common zambians mentality. It’s therefore not surprising that we have a mediocre, corrupt, lazy leadership.
Am speechless!!
This is an excellent article.
The mediocrity is in the citizens and not leaders. Look at the dimwits in opposition who are busy flogging an unelectable candidate just because he is their tribesman. How do you expect the status quo to change if lungu waz replaced by THAT ONE. This is why we need to keep this ONE for the time being until a suitable candidate is born.
Although the idea of killing God is stupid and ridiculous. In trying to sound educated, we must not turn to sacrilege. This is one of the points at which Mr sishuwa is dead wrong. I understand the point he is trying to make. But to say we must kill God and take his place, is very similar to Satan’s aims. The reason he was cast out. Be careful, lest in trying to seem clever, you veer from the truth.
A world without God is logically impossible and morally meaningless. It’s really that simple. What we need to do is obey God’s commands to be morally upright and hardworking.
8ts really silly, really cheap, to say we must kill God. And funny that it’s an idea borrowed from Karl Marx. How have things worked out for his philosophy? And just for interest how have things worked for another…
Kikkkiki @Shishuwa boyi naushupa, very interesting. But got to back to sleep, was just going through the Ethics lecture I have to give on Wednesday and Friday.
Zambians like to imitate the president, especially when it comes to stealing.
– When word went round that FTJ was stealing via Zamtroop, every manager with access to cash e.g. at Supreme Furnishers, Ellerines, bank tellers would loot millions in cash and flee the country.
– However, when Levy Mwanawasa came in & fought corruption & worked hard, all the theft stopped & Zambians started working hard.
– When RB came and started stealing with his sons, Zambians copied & started looting again. Ghost supplying at the mines became the norm.
– When Lungu stepped in, everyone learnt how he had become wealthy overnight (K23million in 1 year), Zambians joined in the stealing through overpriced Road contracts, Fire Tenders, kickbacks from Chinese etc. Civil servants loot treasury through…
Edgar will go down in history as the worst president Zambia had. After, this mediocrity, sure we could not possibly have anyone worse than Edgar ever!!
SISHUWA IS TURNING INTO A CHIEF WHINER. I SENSE AN INSECURE HEART AND A BROKEN SOUL. A CHAP SO LOST IN HIS PROBLEMS WITH AUDACITY TO SHAMELESSLY DISCREDIT OUR PEOPLE WITH IMPUNITY.
Guess what? He has managed to trash everyone but his stooge. I must congratulate myself for reading that long lamentation of a story to the later.
Goons like Sishua think we Zambians will die off because we removed KK from power, we ushered in a new system of Governance, we removed MMD from power, we will have to remove PF from power some day. The goon is overlooking the fundamental system of Governance we have chosen for ourself; democracy that is firmly anchored on the tenets of the Rule of Law. I have said this and I will say it again, that you the ‘elite’ who have seen and heard and witnessed in one…
..way or the other the transgression of a leader vis the POTROZ, gather evidence and head to court. We are peaceful but why are you going to demonize us for not voting for your ‘King’? We are not going to rise against the president we put in office.
In a democracy, you have people who never voted for ECL, obviously some voted for double h, others voted for FDD and other political parties. Chaps like you have failed to get it that ECL is president. Unless he goes against the legal constitutional provisions of Governance, we don’t mess with him. Your bitterness is your waste enemy. When the time is right, Zambians will decide. We decided to end UNIP, we decisively made MMD fall and so we will decide the end game for PF. We will then decide whether the ethic pampered party can lead us. AND yes the God you want to ‘kill’ will aid our decisions. You needed to be in DRC to appreciate the fact that we are not fools.
May God almight forgive you for unashamedly insulting Zambians. You are a disgrace punk! Evil spirit.
In a democracy, you have people who never voted for ECL, obviously some voted for double h, others voted for FDD and other political parties. Chaps like you have failed to get it that ECL is president. Unless he goes against the legal constitutional provisions of Governance, we don’t mess with him. Your bitterness is your waste enemy. When the time is right, Zambians will decide. We decided to end UNIP, we decisively made MMD fall and so we will decide the end game for PF. We will then decide whether the ethic pampered party can lead us. AND yes the God you want to ‘k.i.l.l’ will aid our decisions. You needed to be in DRC to appreciate the fact that we are not f.o.o.l.s.
May God almight forgive you for unashamedly i.n.s.u.l.t.i.n.g Zambians. You are a disgrace p.u n.k! E.v.i.l…
… spirit.
Zambia is not dying today mr. Chicken little.
Get over it and sober up.
Editor next time tell this Sishuwa Sishuwa upnd cadre to be brief. He surely annoys me. a lot o crap and just 1 point the whole article. there is no writing competition here badala.
This article is spot on …I mean we docile have let this lazy man rule without ever hosting a press conference since he got elected, he ducked Presidential campaign debates and we let him get away with…the lazy bum is more than eager to only address PF cadres at rallies even for ward level elections but he cowers addressing the nation. He thinks picking rubbish at the same spot every mouth being watched by hundreds of idle people on the streets is good leadership…he thinks jogging with his bootlickers in the morning is good leadership when the economy is in free fall.
Thorn-YOU ARE SPOT ON!! WALASA MUNE!!
UNSURE SISHUWA!
What’s not right is writing articles that inciting violence. The author may have a point but encouraging people to raise against the government violently is unacceptable. Use your ? if you want to dispose the president but not in a that encourages violence. Lungu is a product of Zambian society and he is no different to last generation and next generation if the country doesn’t change course. Not person or leader is perfect and everyone person is loved and hated by section of the society. If I was president I will on your door
Not sure that we deserve mediocre Lungu. We deserve better. Whoever thought it was a good idea to have such an incompetent person as President of Zambia need to be sued. And that goes for all the PF members who forced Lungu on us. We wouldn’t have minded any other PF member to have become President. But he/ she has to be COMPETENT for the sake of the country. I mean, look at our neighboring countries with good leadership, Botswana and Tanzania. Botswana is making tremendous progress in development, and so is Tanzania, while Zambia is retrogressing under the mediocre leadership of clueless Lungu. If only PF members can put partisan politics aside and at least give us a competent person to be president in 2021. And no I’m not UPND, nor do I think HH would be any better. There should…
… be a competent Zambian out there, who can do a better job. We just need to identify him or her, and vote for that person…for the sake of the country.
He’s presided over British aid cuts, ballooning debt ,rampant corruption ,cholera epidemic and IMF warnings yet you see nothing wrong in Lungu remaining president?
The best part of this article …
“Zambia must kill God, if we are to make progress. When God dies, we will take His place – our success or failure resting squarely on our shoulders.” …
Zambian presidents have to stop dying, full stop.
We ended up with 2 WRONG ones because the RIGHT ones died on duty.
I would have loved Dr.Sishuwa to include Nathan Nyirenda’s iconic song”Mwemakufi yandi” to his musical repertoire…and notice the paradox
Simple the majority of Zambians are dull and lazy.
Sinkamba put it right “DOMICILE citizenry” .
Saviour Chishimba even put the points Shishuwa is making even better. Zambian people shouldn’t blame Edgar for the mediocrity. He warned that he had no clue and the Zambians still voted him in. Lungu is allowed technically to do as he pleases. They put him in anyway. He was very honest that he had no idea of what to do but the Zambians still sent him to State House. So what has changed and why do they want him to change now and become a great leader?
To the point where you think the next person will answer to your lazy whining azses. Shishuwa nao awemwandi. Mapenzi.
Some are already falling for this emotional piece.
You’re like, kill god, kill god. Because you can’t kill God.
Sishuwa don’t say “we”. 4 sure you, yourself, did not vote for Lungu. The majority Zambians in 6 and half provinces voted for him. That’s democracy for you, whether you like it or not
Hes taking responsibility.
OLD SCHOOL indeed. KKKKKKKK
How can we develop like this??????
Excellent article, we are a problem as Zambians. We think if we leave everything in God’s hand all will be well. God gave us the mandate to look after ourselves. What else do we want from our loving father, Mana. The other problem is the number of churches that have mushroomed in the Country most run by criminals who are misleading the masses that God provides. God does not provide, he blesses those that work hard, simple! If your Pastor is cheating you that all will be well regardless of doing nothing. He is a criminal, the Disciples of our Lord Jesus were hard workers either fishermen or other Jobs.
Excellent article in the eyes of the bitter 2016 losers.
The crying continues and sounds like all the time.
Now you want to murder God for not granting your evil wishes.
Have you chaps been killing our presidents. Merchants of evil. Kill God? What?
Long article , maybe should have been presented in two parts. A lot of truths in what is written and if it weren’t for some contradictions and the fallacy of Singapore hypothesis , this would be a fairly accurate reflection of what we have become as a society. ..Basically , we have to educate the masses in order to change the mindset. And indeed , we should take all our problems out of Gods hands and deal with them head on!
This article is not for you …stick to articles about political statements.
Perfect contribution. As citizens, we have failed to cause these politicians in power to account! We tolerate the rot!
Very right shishuwa. Lungu is a reflection of many Zambians; hungry and selfish opportunists who are ready to do anything to get rich.
The kill God mantra chears the deads. Wonder why I call deads.
Evil spirits.
My grandma in the village can not make sense out of shishuwa’s lamentations.
I would rather be in the presence of the lord than in the kill God slogan environment.
Evil.
LEADERS ARE NOT LIKED 100% BY ALL. ZAMBIA HAS A PRESIDENT IN THE NAME OF EDGAR C. LUNGU, AND WE NEED TO RESPECT THAT. THE PRESIDENT HAS MANAGED TO PROVIDE QUALITY LEADERSHIP BUT SOME HATERS ARE BLIND TO SEE THIS. WE JUST NEED TO BE HARD WORKING ZAMBIANS TO SUPPORT THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY – BE PRODUCTIVE AS INDIVIDUALS, PERIOD.
Thats the problem ….. bashing the people who want to remind you that the nation is lost. Quality Leadership just changed its meaning …. anyway, waste of time.
Why is this guy shouting
9.1 Ci Sure sishuwa is only championing what you bigoted double h loyalists have been gambling about since 2006 when UPND went UPNDEAD with a vivid tribal tag. Only the deads have an evil agenda for Zambia.
You now realise that because of God, you can’t revolt, now you want to kill him. Evil.
MYOPINION…Obviously you know nothing about quality leadership. Clueless corrupt Lungu has no quality leadership skills. Look at Botswana and their leaders and you’ll understand what quality leadership looks like. Botswana is developing way faster than Zambia, because the leaders know what they’re doing and they vehemently fight corruption. Lungu has no clue what he’s doing. It’s just trial and error. No wonder he’s scared of holding press conferences, lest they grill him on some issues that he has no clue about. Lungu is a mediocre leader, sorry…and he can only be a president in Zambia…because the majority of Zambians indeed have no clue what to look for in a person to see if they’re presidential material.
It would be nice if you did Include a disclosure of your political party affiliation or whom you work for.
Your mentally is the same reason why Zambia remains undeveloped, you expect to be spoon fed. No government in the whole world can create job’s for every citizen and they will never be one. Job’s are created by private sectors that’s including you. If 15-20% of Zambians were to be small scale business owners and employing 1 to 3 persons, unemployed rated would be less than 10% when you include jobs from corporate organisations and public sector. The problem is there is to many educated fools all waiting for GRZ job. The role of the government is to make rules and regulations that are favourable to it’s citizens and foreign entrepreneurs to establish businesses . Yes the president…
You are one of the educated fools!!
The leadership that you get is what you deserve. A voters card is an instrument to vote in mediocrity or excellency. You cannot expect better leadership if you are emotional in voting. Most of the voters do not realize that a vote determines their destiny. They vote out of euphoria and excitement. The outcome is failed leadership.
Like we dread giving power to a known national asset stripper. Are we not saying the same thing? What makes you think the other one is a better option?
I appeal for level headedness.
Is that why you wanna kill God? It’s rough yeah?
Highly doubtful any other leader can surpass Lungu in being the worst ba Thorn in the chakuti. The man is not only dull but also a thief. That combination I cannot see in any of the opposition contenders. If Lungu loses and since you love him so much, tell him to head your family.
Thorn in the Flesh …
I used to think you are level headed and a force to reckon and debate with … but i was dead wrong. You think any of us who have opposing views are HHs minions? You are so obsessed with political inclinations such that you cannot debate issues. Lungu us a President for zambia and a public figure. We have the right to question him and bring issues to the table. Your level of thinking leaves much to be desired for. SMFH
ECL doesn’t put food on my table. We have lost 2 serving and sitting presidents before. You don’t have to agree with me neither should I agree with you but a call to revolt is a no brainer mwaice. Why are you so whacked that this ECL I only know as the POTROZ will stand again in 2021? Let me be forthcoming with you, I will respect the outcome of the 2021 polls whether its your hero who will emerge winner and I will defend his royal azse. Should Zambia suffer because bo sishua is not happy with current regime. shishuwa’s opinionated mantra to demean Zambians though personal is mindblowingly insolent. Like a cry baby he bashes Zambians for removing KK. Who does that? Have you read his article and understood it fully. Whacky, infact spooky. Let leaders also have their say. I beg.
11.2 DudeHate
I imagine your government that takes people to jail on mere allegations. Reasons why you niggaz must not rule over us, shaa! Chiputa bati! Chai!
Very dull characters.
Thorn in the Flesh,
When i see you rant more than 3 times on a topic then i know it has hit the nail. Truth hurts and this article is talking about people like you. wake up from this blind support and apply logic and criticle thinking.
You seem to happy with the status quo of our economy and governance of cadres. shame on you
Negative.
I wrote more because sishuwa wrote more. This is like a counter. Don’t get me wrong.
Don’t murder our presido.
Happy commenting. Imwe ba UPNDEAD are like kids with special needs, kikikikikikijukiju.
Cry my beloved country Zambia. Why? Why? Why? Where do we go from here if not rising up to the occasion and rid ourselves of the mess we are in.
Exactly the intention of the article.
You can’t kill God, therefore your evil plots will be quashed. You will be jailed. Rule of law remember?
Great piece and something worthy of a morning read. This is what a mind free from political bias can produce. Thank you Dr Sishuwa for a refreshing piece or work and the great effort put in clearly shows. I like this high level thinking than the typical low level thinking of most NGOs and so called political commentators who do it for the belly. You have finally come off the low level NGOs rhetoric that you had been pedalling based on a few pieces of silver.
Anyway back to the issue at hand. You are right. Maybe the approach taken by PF number one enemy Fred M’membe is the right one. He is basically building an ideology at grass root level. That is a man to watch for 2026 or 2030. If it wont be him, the next leader could come from the base he is busy building right now..
But again I really there there is really no choices on the plate. This crop of leaders is really mediocre for the simple reason that the people who sat in group 1 in class abdicated their leadership obligation and the asylums in group three took over and they are now in both the ruling party and opposition party. The best strategy is to just build a fresh base and hope in 2030, we clean up the system. That is why I think Fred M’membe is onto something. I don’t think he even sees himself as the next president. He sees himself as building a system that will take over. That is the man to look out for and not ALL these leaders in the so called largest opposition in Zambia.
True, But i have this strong believe that Harry Kalaba for the most part is introducing a different way of looking at politics and leadership. Otherwise, what we have is all jokes from ECL himself, HH, Kambwili, GBM u name them…
Mere emotions. Anything that excites emotions puts you in a feel good moment. Sishuwa’s emotional article has alot of contentions that border on his apparent scornful whacking of Zambians and an insult on their integrity. He seems to be an alien. He seems not to appreciate demographic dynamics of the people of Zambia. During the MMD rule, the PF kopala dwellers then bashed and abused the rural dwellers for not voting like them. They failed to appreciate that the dynamics of needs differ.
So no matter what sishuwa preaches in an insulting manner only affects and hits netizens not the citizen of the land. The deads lauds this. Kill God? Blasphemy! Stone this nigger patriarchs would yell!
Talk, talk and talk. Easily said than done. Sishuwa seems to miss the real problem with Africa. Lungu is president of Zambia, but how many African countries are doing better than Zambia. The problem is not entirely Africans, but forces elsewhere that ensure Africa remains behind. Africa has resources controlled by the West. Any African leader that tries to correct this is eliminated using Africans such as Sishuwa. Leave Africa to Africans then development will come.
I don’t agree with you , Asians have the most vital resource- people and market and yet they did it. We can’t continue putting the blame on others. And if you really talk about Mineral resources, come on, MidEast has the most wanted resource. Look how they have developed. Yet African countries with the same resource like Angola and Nigeria still wallow in mediocrity and chaos. It is the people. Sishuwas is right.
Its not the people. John is right. Africa has had too much interference. Now Africans are getting wiser and choosing their own path. Zambians have rejected hh 5 times. Rwandans have chosen Kagame. Nigerians chose a sick man over the western puppets in opposition. Don’t forget the now existing regime change agenda that tried to force hh, Odinga, Maimane, Fayulu, Chamisa etc on its people.
Great pieces John Chinena and Zambian Citizen
You’re the true sons of the land.
Zambian Citizen, PF have chosen the Chinese mune.
Lungu is nothing but a chawama tarven lawyer….those who get to drink by advising criminals in bars how to beat the system.
42/42 was the defining moment in my judgment of lungu. No morrally sane leader of a country that survives on aid can sanction paying $42 million for cheaply converted fire trucks that should cost $12 million…..we know lungu pocketed $5 million.
Well written article. Facts after facts……. Zambia is in this mess cause of us the people. When Lungu and his PF government do wrong we never rise or speak out, we just let things die down cause we tolerate their nonsense.
You think Rwanda is where it is today all because of 1 president and his cabinet?? NO!! The mind of Rwandans has changed drastically and Kagame is just enforcing that based off peoples mentality today.
The difference between Sishungwa and Sunday Chanda is that Sunday has openly declared his position and Sishungwa tries to hide behind the intellectual veil. This is a upnd driven opinion complete with the deep rooted hate for ECL. Sishungwa is a upnd cadre-look at the people he holds in high esteem (Levy, Linda, etc) and the people he despises (RB, FTJ, etc). WE KNOW THE CIRCLES THAT HAVE STEREOTYPED THOSE GROUPINGS AND THEIR RELIGIOUS SUPPORT FOR KAINDE. Useless biased and political article by a upmd cadre!! Just like Telesphore last week they all hate ECL and are trying to subvert his presidency.
Citizen, with all due respect, there are many of us that wouldn’t touch HH with a pole, and yet we agree with what Sishuwa has written.
And it’s a FACT that FTJ, RB and Lungu are kindred spirits, all marked by corruption on a grand scale. No matter how hard you try, you will never be able to clean them. They are tainted by their own corrupt deeds.
For Chiluba, he is also stained with blood. He killed Paul Tembo in cold blood, using his wife, the night before he was to testify against him.
Citizen, how can you try to defend such a man?
As for Lungu, more theft and corruption has occurred under his short watch than the other two corrupt presidents combined. Those are facts. And facts are a very hard thing to get rid of. No amount of propaganda and pseudo intellectualism by dull…
Journeyman-Facts convict people. After eight solid years FTJ was acquitted. RB was found with no case. The same circles label ECL corrupt but fail to provide proof for the world to see. Continue to wallow in naivety….
Citizen, yes facts convict people. But corruption perverts justice. Corrupt FTJ was dubiously saved by corrupt RB. Corrupt RB was dubiously saved by corrupt Lungu. We all know these things. Had not corrupt Lungu wanted help from corrupt RB, RB would be behind bars, as would Dora. We all saw the court process messed up, with a stooge DPP to drop charges against Banda.
We saw RB meddle with FTJ prosecution. But if that’s the Zambia you want….hey who am I to judge you? The ultimate judge is God, and I promise you will answer to him in due course.
Naivity? That’s real funny mate.
So tell me Citizen,
Am naive for questioning the purchase of a scania fire truck for 1million dollars? 1 million baba.
Or for questioning a man who spends millions of US dollars on a private jet, while civil servants and other grz workers go for months without pay?
Am naive for questioning the purchase of silly ambulances for 350 thousand US?
And all you say is provide evidence. Citizen, the evidence is in the public domain. And even just common sense, which apparently ceases to be common when you benefit from corruption, tells us that there is corruption.
And what about the FIC report which cited a known minister who had 6million USD and 17million ZMW? And it even showed that this money came from GRZ coffers. And all you guys could do was threaten FIC for publishing the report. Smh
Journeyman-FTJ cases started 2002 all the way up to 2010. Levy was alive for most of the time. Why wasn’t he convicted then?? Mutembo flew to Nigeria to gather evidence for RBs supposed corruption but came back with nothing. The people who manipulated the justice system to continue persecuting their perceived enemies are people like Mutembo, Fred, and Levy himself. That’s why Mutembo was found guilty of misconduct by a tribunal and fired as DPP. I have told you your knowledge of this country’s history is awful. Naivety yeka yeka….
continued….And that minister cited in the FIC report is still serving in government and enjoying his stolen wealth.
Citizen, feel for you relatives and fellow countrymen that can’t afford a meal a day, can’t send their children to school, can’t access decent medical facilities….all because we have selfish people in leadership, who are only interested in enriching themselves.
Is it naive to question how Lungu, in less than a year, moved from declaring 2.3 million assets to 23 million?
Or how clowns like Lusambo, who was nothing but a kaponya suddenly have 10million to throw around? How Chitotela who was a police constable now buys luxury cars and houses? And you can come here and and start telling us to provide evidence?
It’s funny how we lose morality when we see money…
Ba. citizen I know far more about Mutembo than you ever will. You speak from a propaganda perspective. I speak from knowledge. I know what am talking about.
The fact that the case took long is neither here nor there. It’s typical of high profile cases all over the world. And it’s just sad that you can say Mutembo was tried and fired. We all saw that Lungu didn’t want Mutembo. I know for a fact that he even sent emissaries to Mutembo to ask him to resign. And when he asked why, he was just told the president didn’t want to work with him. And when he refused, a “tribunal” full of corrupt former judges whom Mutembo had either exposed or prosecuted was assembled to try him. And you call that justice? Ernest Sakala, Matthew Ngulube, these are all people that Mutembo’s work had exposed…
Wasn’t it Mutembo who gave Rajan Matani a nolle prosequi then he had a $4m loan at Rajan’s bank cancelled?? Mukelabai had a tribunal and was cleared yet Mutembo was involved in his unconstitutional removal by Levy. Mutembo was dirty to the core!! ECL did well to remove him.
Haha you are a funny guy citizen.
You are good at trying to distract and evade by raising dust to distract people’s attention. You haven’t answered any of my points. All you do is raise dust elswewhere to distract our attention. Read through my posts and try answer what I raise.
Anyway enjoy mate. Enjoy.
The same people voted for FTJ, LPM, RB, MCS and ECL.
They are evil because they have not given one individual a chance. Really? Are you sick?
Is that why you wanna murder God?
Cheap politics.
Are sure Zambian Citizen? We don’t need a rocket scientist to tell us that Chiluba stole money including other peoples wives
I love Lungu, no matter what you say he is winning 2021!
Hello Sishuwa,
In wanting to sound clever and educated you have touched the untouchable. You have crossed the line. You can discuss your dissatisfaction concerning the leadership but never “include God” . You can not attribute man’s failure to God. Never borrow words of people like Karl Marx “then using them without understanding the person you are addressing. I feel SAD for you but maybe I leave here.
He is evil.
Maybe a mason too!
Khumalo Mthunzi,
What is so untouchable about god naimwe? Wake up from this docility of thinking theres always some guy upstairs watching over you! take responsibility of your actions. start with yourself. When this is done collectively as a society, you will see change.
Japan is the one of the most nonreligious (ungodly) nations but very highly developed with minimal corruption and looting. Your “christian” label is your number one enemy in Zambia!
Brilliant article DR Sishuwa. Everyone who reads this and is normal and rational will not help but largely agree with you, regardless of their political persuasion. I think we need to sow these seeds in the brains of us the majority Zambians, so that perhaps, germination can occur at some point. Unfortunately, I also think order will only come after chaos!
Its amazing how some readers have misunderstood Sishuwa’s statements: “There are times when I feel that Zambia must kill God, if we are to make progress. When God dies, we will take His place – our success or failure resting squarely on our shoulders”. This is hyperbole, i.e. exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally. He is not talking about killing God in the literal sense. Of course that is not possible. The meaning here is that we should take responsibility for our decisions and our actions. God has given us the ability to choose good leaders, but as long as we continue choosing leaders based on tribe or ethnicity or some vague so-called ‘tribal chimbuyas’ and so long as we continue to avoid holding these leaders to account, the nation shall continue…
You are missing the point. In a democracy, allow divergent views and independence of choice and freedom of association. The last one is one fundamental reason you may belong to a certain political party or church and I choose another. If I chose another one you don’t call me dumb.
Some people voted for double h, so they thought he was right for them. The other camp chose ECL. You need to respect their choice. They still love him and he said he would be president for all. He will stand again and they will vote for him again until 2026. This is the democracy we chose. KK resisted but we emerged victorious. Why would insult the people brethren? Why?
Forgive them for the satire is too deep for them.
We need new direction fresh vigilance to protect our future ! we deserve change NOT the current main opposition leader. The bitterness that surrounds HIM will consume the nation and the more he postulates the more he hardens the hearts of the would be voters. All stances he pulls are laughable, he hasn’t taken a step back to see with a clear vision what’s before him or against him. So the likes of Kalaba,Hamududu,Linda to name a few will eat into his constituency even further…and by the way ‘I took only two shots of whiskey!” refers to an MP who instead of debating the constitution was at the bar upon his re-entry in the house… its CK who pointed out that the member was ‘drunk’
Continued: …the nation shall continue languishing in poverty, disease, and squalor while the leaders continue getting richer and richer. Its a very sad state of affairs.
Be governed and stop hallucinating and being emotional please.
This is by far one of the best articles you’ve written Sishuwa. It is objective & not far-fetched. You must have picked up some personal growth book this time around, lol. Unfortunately people without a sound understanding of this philosophy will never appreciate your enlightening article or agree with your line of reasoning. The other unfortunate part is that people are questioning your political loyalty. Are you honestly objective or in this nice write-up you are trying to woo people to join a certain political party? I take your article for what it is because I know that ‘As a man thinketh, so he is’ .. therefore as a society thinketh….so it is. I believe there’s no politician in Zambia who means well for the people because the people are not ready for such a one yet. Anyway,…
Zambia may not be needing philosophies at this point. You failed to respect leadership and you expect emotionally charged article to develop the land.
Tell your leadership to pull up their socks and work with Government.
I couldn’t agree with you more but until you said, “the environment ” even when we take ECL to over see the Sahara desert in 3years time we would be asking where that sand gone, what is in the heart is what over flow and a mask doesn’t hide our face but it shows for who we are!
Just noticed that Lungu, Wina and Lubinda are all from Upnd. Maybe HH should join PF to make it easier for him to get his cherished holy grail.
Kikikikikikikikikiki
Sounds great.
Like selling time.
Aka commercial break.
They wanna kill God for nothing. Ba sishuwa nabo kuwayawayafye.
The analysis is correct. However, your articles are too long. Keep your articles short and to the point.
Thorn in the Flesh: I think you are upset about this blatant truth.
‘No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth. -‘Plato
See much as we know there is a Leadership problem in Zambia, the actual or real cause of this predicament are Zambians themselves; Sishuwa is spot on!
The reference point and one that we should be attentive to is that we do not even think we have a problem – Denial!
Kikikikikiki
Calm down dude. See, Doctors and Professors in this land are a complete let down. I have called for people to undertake genuine research projects in order to reach viable conclusions. Can you imagine my brother that even a well researched paper can be questioned or improved on. The doctor here is just assuming. Research in a land picks up data that translates into information that can go along way into aiding national development. These articles you just write and reach conclusions without working hard and facts mislead many like you and others on this podium. If you are a Zambian and be labeled negatively like Sishuwa is labelling you who has not done any study and you smile about it, then you are sick. A scholar like me can’t sink so low to laud emotional sham articles…
… like this one. Zambians, read, research and conclude with sound and sober minds. Every so called learned nigga in Zambia doesn’t want to do a great thing for the country. Most Zambian problems require research to develop new ideas but no it’s politics and politics and politics. Imagine what the world would have been without Sir Newton Isaacs and the Galileos of this world. Imagine if those folks engaged in political battles and baseless insinuations and innuendos like sishuwas inept Zambians mantra.
Who does that?
MOST OF THE POVERTY OR MESS WE ARE GOING THROUGH IS BECAUSE OF YOUR HERO Dr. KK. FOR YOUR INFORMATION WE USED TO QUEUE IN A LINE FOR NOT LESS THAN 6 HRS JUST TO BUY 500mls COOKING, 2KG SUGAR, A 25KG BAG OF MEALIE MEAL. WE WERE SPENDING A WEEK OR MORE AT THE MAIN UBZ BUS STATION TRAVELLING FROM COPPERBELT TO NORTHWESTERN, LUAPULA,NORTHERN PROVINCES ETC. PLEASE IF YOU DON’T KNOW THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY KEEP QUIET. WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT ZAMBIA’S ECONOMY REACHED A DEAD END IN 1990 AND WE HAD NO CHOICE BUT YOUR HERO TO GO. HE RUN OUT IDEAS AND WE WHERE GOING NO WHERE. AND ONLY BRAVE LEADERSHIP HAD TO MAKE BOLD DECISIONS TO TURN AROUND THE ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES OF THIS COUNTRY ALTHOUGH UNPOPULAR DECISIONS OF COURSE NOT CONDONING THE CORRUPTION. WHAT WAS THE…
Thorn in Flesh – you want to do a research to find out something in plain black and white? Have you head of library based research? research based on literature review of secondary data? You can go to statistics office and get data about poverty levels, unemployment, etc. You can review articles on political discourse and also check ECZ for voting patterns and you can make inferences about the social-economic-political landscape in Zambia.
Perception can be deceiving. What you are calling plain black and white can be mind boggling when you get to the nitty and gritty of things. Therefore don’t fall for this article and think the sky is falling. Look at some of the progressive comments on this article to gain better understanding of how things work. Don’t spend most of your valuable time contaminating your mind with negative stories from sadists like sishuwa. I condemn this learned fellows article with the contempt it deserves. The country needs the effort of every citizen to keep it going assetless as it looks. What do you call rants like sishuwas? It is not backed by any stats, it pure emotion and like I said the country needs research practitioners to head somewhere. What is the actual essence of shishuwa’s article…
…if I may ask. To make you feel guilty of your choices then what? Abanabo!
Taking some wise counsel from the Bible; “The path is wide that leads to distraction and many follow this path…Matt.7:13 ff”
To me this means that Democracy is a flawed system and it leads to distraction. Following the masses will always lead you into a ditch. That’s exactly where we are now!
“Destruction” not “distraction”
Blaming Zambians because they are not reflected in your own image, is a wrong approach. The level of development is where it is today depends on many factors some of which are beyond Zambia’s control. The standard of democracy and rule of law is not the poorest in the world. Neither are the majority of its people starving. Rome was not built in one day.
It is debatable whether “we have become, on the whole, a rotten society”. It depends on criteria. The bird eye view is not enough justification for amplifying problems at the expense of telling the truth. Geographical and environmental factors need to be taken into consideration. The tropical civilizations, like the type found in the Sub Saharan region are unique, special and worthy of protection and preservation. It is possible to identify certain areas in dire need of improvements. For instance, road accidents reduction measures that work. For instance, functional banking consolidation measures; for instance, promotion of efficient linkages via cellular communication; for instance, improve prison conditions. Singapore is a good example of Asian Tiger model. What is missing is the…
For instance, road accidents reduction measures that work. For instance, functional banking consolidation measures; for instance, promotion of efficient linkages via cellular communication; for instance, improve prison conditions. Singapore is a good example of Asian Tiger model. What is missing is the Savannah Lion model of Africa. Or are you ashamed of Ian Khama?
Excellent piece of article with truths, truth that known authoritarians regimes, dictators, despots are often, but not always, foolish. They engender a mob rule targeting language group, culture, patronage and belonging. This done, everyone with diverge opinion is victimised – a god now exists. How do we decide where we belong? what convinces us who we are is lost – we are now the led, the peril of a people, that’s we – Zambians.
Mwamba thank you for advise to thorn in flesh, sadly some people are as thick as two stones. I love Zambia and PF, unfortunately what is happening in this country is catastrophic. How can Rwanda, a country that was torn by war 20 years ago should do better than this country that has abundant minerals, plenty of water and fertile soils. The simple answer is Mismanagement! you don’t need a rocket scientist. Mismanagement leads to death in Hospitals, failure to go to School by the under privileged. Some people deserve seats next the devil.
I am a patriot, I don’t take alarmists lightly. Abundant materials you dont control. You don’t have assets under your assets to talk about.
When the author says Zambians are docile, he means those of us on this platform who contribute nothing to the inter-pollination of progressive ideas by spewing nothing but insults.
The worst citizen is an educated creature (semi-illiterate might I add) who when presented with an opportunity or forum to voice out his/her views on pertinent matters, instead chooses to squander it. Yes, semi-illiterate because a little education minus wisdom is dangerous.
Vulgar language is not sharp enough to punch holes in the lie or truth espoused by the author. Meet intellect with intellect.
Call a spade a spade!
ECL never won any election fairly 2015/2016
Blantant tribalism & selfishness by crooked groups installed him as Prezdo
From all indications ECL had questionable track record, no personal vision nor no aspirations whatsoever that shud have ultimately disqualified him.
To beat off tribal tag by Scot & Kabimba accusation of a “tribal clique in PF” that’s how suddenly ECL became a compromise candidate. EP & NP & LP have never voted along: 1991, 2001, 2008 & 2011.
The marriage of convinience between EP, NP & LP is only ECL whose other qualification is “Ala landa ichibemba”, a tool efficiently used to vote out RBB who speaks none.
Pilate “Who do I release 4u?” Barnabas! I wash my hands of Jesus’ blood he is innocent. Let his blood be on us & our children. So…
So Chambians blame your’A’selfs!
Thorn in flesh – you keep veering off the main focus of the article.
Critical thinking means you see things in different frames, be logic and have data to support your assumptions and also look at long/short term implications, which sishuwa has demonstrated and you Thorn in Flesh has failed in that respect.
There are no perception problems here, but empirical data is available to support issues sishuwa has raised in the article and you need not dig deep for that data.
Cut the crap.
Sishuwa never carried out any study. He is just an idealist who has lost it. He is telling us like many of you that ECL never won the election. Couple that that with the unsubstantiated claim that your president is stealing but you can’t act. Add to that a claim that Zambians need to take some form of action to revolt so that ECL doesn’t reach 2021. This isn’t SA. You get it. Okay to be so elaborate Sishuwa is a UPNDEAD surrogate and sounds like simuwe because he failed to address the opposition party’s shortcomings. Had his article not been political, name calling and alarming we were going to be on the same page. Read your comments again and comments from minds like yours. Your article just hit a snug and got debanked, sorry. Hey sishuwa don’t insult Zambians, you…
hear? Shaa!
We have created our OWN reality by how we THINK.True ECL is a reflection and product of our greater beliefs and thinking!The problem is bigger,needs a total mind re-set otherwise we,shall be experiencing the same cycle of leadership problems!!!
This one of the best articles i have read in the Lusaka Times, I am glad Laura Miti whom I admire so much has got a mention. She seeks for not only a moral country but she tries to get rich people to support the poor in education. Every Zambian with a bit of change to donate to Laura Mitis charity that helps pay fees for the very poor but intelligent students.
I must confess here that Sishuwa is an intellectual. I have noticed that his level of thinking is above a good number of most bloggers here. A good number here have not comprehended the “killing God” Aspect. The point here is that as much as God has a role in putting a leader in office the voters must take time to evaluate each candidate so that they choose the best.
Romans 13 tells us that it is God that has appointed President Edgar Lungu let him rule as he has been mandated and anointed to do so by God. But the Bible is also clear that Gods anointed will rage at his choice. So continue raging.
Psalm 2
2 Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
6 “Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”
You don’t blame people if they don’t like your preferred candidate or preferences, that is madness. Every person has the right to choice whether good or bad, I can make amends if the choices I made did not bring the results I anticipated. Sishuwa can not tell me how I should live my life and the choices that I make, he is educated but not qualified because he should not think that his poor analysis is the solution to many problems faced by this Nation. One of the problems Zambia is facing today is having people like Sishuwa and the free mason himself. Tell your UPNDead to go for a convention, you haven’t had one since 2005 to date and this is totally lack of democracy on the part of the Upnd. Sishuwa you are not even ashamed to talk about governance when your article was supposed to…
“…You don’t blame people if they don’t like your preferred candidate or preferences, that is madness. Every person has the right to choice whether good or bad…” Yama mwalasa!! That’s the type of democracy upnd don’t understand. To them, only their version of democracy works.
The best example of “Killing God” is in Rwanda where Gen Kagame has De-registered all churches with pastors who have not undergone theological training up to degree level to avoid sending a grade 4 drop out pastor to preach at Unza Chapel in bemba with english tenses switched just because he can cast out demons. Among other errors, the guy will not observe time risking the whole congregants leaving for lectures. Then he condemns students (as they leave for classes) starts saying he preaches as the spirit leads.
I find it so interesting that people have taken offense on behalf of Lungu when this should be about introspection/ self reflection on ourselves as Zambians. Give Lungu a break is what Sishuwa says! We are what and where we are because it’s what it is we put Lungu there. If you think he is performing well why are you take the offense? If he isn’t then let’s agree that the onus to change things lies with us full stop! Great article Dr. S!
And those that are raging against Gods elect forget that Gods Word is not idle but a Sword. That’s why those parts of the Country that stand opposed to Romans 13 are suffering drought and hunger.
Isaiah 1
19 If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword”;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Sishuwa, your article was supposed to have been directed at Pre- School children who can’t analyse issues on their own and for themselves. All Politicians in Zambia are self centered and Greedy, others stole even before they could form Government. What more in Government, how much can they steal? They can easily mortgage the country. Governance is not directed at one person, it must be collective and not everyone asks, what is there or in it for me. Poor article.
The writer should no it is not people that elect leaders or get themselves elected it’s is God that appoints. Familiarize yourselves with the word of God or even you that supports disobedience from afar bring a curse of misfortune on your own head and the innocent that reside next to you.
Romans 1
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving,…
Thorn in Fresh – Try to think critically and in a structured and logic manner devoid of subjectivity and profanity. Yours blogs and comments are oxymoron at best.
Stone hearted you are but read my last comment and a few from others below.
……., unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
Even the most democratic countries do not always end up with the best leaders . Hitler and Trump are good examples. Democracy maybe a gamble in selecting leaders ,but it still is the best way.
Mwamba’s contributions are very positive in the face of the rigid and angry approach of Thorn in the flesh. ..Its most unusual for a person who is a ‘scholar’ to boast about the fact in trying to present ones argument.
.. .The issue of killing God as stated by Shishuwa is meant as a figure of speech. It is not meant literally , which would be counter intuitive , as God cannot be located anywhere for him/her to be actually murdered !
And so my last comments on this channel evil post will end like:
“We have created and earned him: Why Sishuwa Posted such a Politically demeaning rant against the beautiful people of the land”
It’s freedom of speech baby!
But the chap got busted when I reached the middle of his filth article.
So bitter, politically charged, alarming, derogatory, insulting, scheming, devilish, conniving, evil, uninspiring, divisive, uncultured, unschooled, unspeakable, desperate, unscrupulous, !d!otic etc etc. He is hurting.
What an insult.
But continue posting so I measured your growth.
master card kaloba creditor – yes “Killing God” is metaphoric; but people are missing the point or focus of the article and sishuwa has highlighted this as denial, apparent in the carder mentality.
Thank you Dr Sishuwa Sishuwa.We Zambians are victims of Stockholm syndrome, a cunning citizenry that will countenance the worst form of behaviors in leaders; a mephistophelian citizenry that enjoys vanity and is devoid of self introspection. We are done in, as Pilato and Laura Miti have been warning us for a long time. As long as Zambian citizens refuse to acknowledge that associations like tribe, regional affiliation, language and some such other intangible correlatives trump sound logic and reason when it comes to choosing leaders, we might as well say to each other “each man to his tent, we have no share in the house called Zambia”
Many thanks again dear Sishuwa Sishuwa!
Often looking at the kind of imorral responses, (for lack of a better expression), one gets for airing such views l have in the past erroneously thought it futile for one to do so in the first place. However, the responses hereby manifested would suggest that Zambians may not be the extremely passive dead wood that one might imagine them to be.
Nevertheless, as you say, Zambians are squarely to blame for the state we have come to be in. Those in office didn’t put themselves there. We did. It is only unfortunate that after we’ve done ourselves so much harm, we sing our misery in public. We complain about the high cost of living, massive unemployment, corruption in high and low places, a stagnant economy, state capture – the list is endless!…
Waal both the article and the comments are arresting. Read without prejudice, one sees the main premise: to change leaders is not that difficult. But to change a collective stupidity is another animal altogether. Leaders are a mirror of the society they arise from. I have often said a society of demons (metaphor please, before someone sees red like a spanish bull!) cannot produce angelic leaders. In this respect the author is right. Has Zambian society become that bad? Knee jeck reactions have violently ruled that out in earlier comments. Is the jury still out? Me thinks one has to be a millennial to fail to see the metamorphosis our society has gone through to where we are. I also think that if there are people among us who seriously cannot even see our sorry state, then our problem is…
Then our problem must be gargantuan!!
Problem in Zambia is that you tend to think that every problem is a political problem. Trump is corrupt, has lied, has his businesses making profit off the USA, daughter and son in law bilking the USA government, but yet through it all, he has grown the economy and created a lot of jobs. So what’s my point? Zambia’s problem is not politics or lack of, but LAZINESS. Whether Lungu is president or HH, it’s yoir responsibility to control your destiny. How come foreigners (refugees) prosper in the same Zambia you are TRASHING. Rwanda is ruled by a dictator and opposition like HH are non-existent, but Rwanda is prospering. Why? Rwandese are hard working while Zambians are lazy.
I don’t have time to read all these words..Please send 128 twitter characters…
This article reminds me of the article that appeared on here saying Dr Chilufya and Lusambo will be key to Lungu’s 2021 election victory.
From the comments, I couldn’t understand how some people would look up to Lusambo and Kapyongo as potential future Presidents. We have set the bar too low for ourselves. From henceforth, it’s like we just want embrace mediocre leadership.
The author of this long, winding and boring article is a big twit who doesnt deserve any attention. This is how corrupt minds miss the mark, they write, speak and think with screwed minds. Look, we all know the main point in this article, which the Shuwa something is trying hard to disguise, i.e. to suggest that HH is the right person to be in State House. Let me remind the author that we all been to Universities, local and abroad (very good for that matter) and are able to synthesize and make meaningful conclusions after reading a book, article or piece of a scribe. What the author should and must write next time is this, whenever an important national Governance matter is before the public to participate, let us all, especially those that have been to College, Universities and let me…
contd
What the author should and must write next time is this, whenever an important national Governance matter is before the public to participate, let us all, especially those that have been to College, Universities and let me say all who care to take interest and participate. For instance, if its really true that the current leadership is corrupt and are not making the very best of the time to improve the social-economic welfare of the country, what should be enshrined in the constitution so that the leadership of that time can be made accountable and punished? What should the constitution say and outline about those in the opposition that lie with impunity to citizens and cooperating partners about the country just to instigate chaos and bring meltdown just to satisfy their personal…
contd
What should the constitution say and outline about those in the opposition that lie with impunity to citizens and cooperating partners about the country just to instigate chaos and bring meltdown just to satisfy their personal ego? How should major developmental projects be procured without unnecessary bureaucracy and delay? What stringent processes should key strategic office bearers be subjected to before they are confirmed in those positions even if they are appointed by the President? These and many important and scenarios that support “good governance” are what is expected to be debates in our beautiful country instead of personal assassinations which dont yield no results. I can go on and on but got better things to address for my life and family!
I agree with the article entirely except the”killing of God” crap. Surely our leaders especially those who are popular among us, they resonate with our value system that we treasure. And that is the reason we vote for them in larger numbers. It is therefore right that when we vote for one of us and we get what we do not want we must take full responsibility for what we have crafted using the alien democracy. The article is a genuine Lamentation from within our own. We read in the Bible “ wretched man that I am who shall deliver me”.
I see how an article written in abstract,metaphor and subtleties can have intellectuals/scholars jumping here and there,cherrypicking only what they understand.The doctor is contemplating on the Zambian human condition and asks Zambians to self-introspect their current condition.He is not picking on one single person and qualifies it by..”to better understand Lung,we must seek to understand the forest in which his political leadership was born, exists and thrives”.He even starts from 1991. He conludes the poverty and squalor a collective responsibility because the Zambian ethos has diminished over the decades and calls for our cultural renaissance
For those who read the Bible,the man could have been writing the Psalms or Ecclesiastes
Thorn in the flesh, ‘wavutika’ take panacea to calm down, the cost of an expendable for Lungu.
I blame the citizen for electing Lungu. Lungu has actually worsened the Zambian economy. From time he came to power we have accumulated too much debt with any projects being completed. You can’t blame the citizens for poor leadership decisions. If the President fails to manage the country and the economic climate is poor how do you expect the citizens become successful? If you father is an alcoholic, he goes to work and then spend the salary on alcohol, the children are starting, do you blame?
Pretty detailed article Sishuwa, well articulated. Only the wise can appreciate the gist in the article.
All you are mad like chama fumba you think talking about your selfish to become rich mean that you are talking on behalf of the voiceless. you fools what will you do if you can be president think before tamulanya amasushi.
What I find shocking in this write up is that Sishuwa is only realizing now that we have such a problem. We have had this challenge for as long as one cares to remember. Dr Sishuwa has diagnosed the problem correctly, now it is time for him to prescribe the medicine, to assume the mantle of leadership, to answer God’s calling to him. How and when he does that is up to him. But if he wants to change things, he must initiate the change himself. Producing treatises about leadership and followers simply won’t do. He must take the bull by the horns and in the process grow a lion heart. It surely is time to get out of the classroom and head straight for the kitchen. When Sishuwa shows his vision and courage, he will certainly attract and motivate the type of followership his is yearning for…
Dr.sishuwa asserts:”…….…. what I know is that for the national psyche to change,our downfall will have to be so complete and the consequent pain so unbearable that we will be forced into a kind of collective self-introspection that we otherwise would not have brought ourselves to”.He means that poverty, squalor and humiliation will have to do their total demolition of the Zambian persona that will force him to realize, like the prodigal son that”I do not deserve this.I am actually a wealthy person and need to return to where I come from”. Zambians will have to be whipped and insulted by foreigners.despised and humiliated abroad, dispossessed and living in destitution.loose(in sports) to very small teams,mature men walking around in tatters,eating garbage before we realize the…
This is crap. To think civilisations and development were carved overnight, believing the post-genocide Rwanda propaganda of development, citing Marxism and showing crass ignorance of the dialectic processes of civilising and developing society, demonstrates the warped up pontification of people who think they know it all. It’s the reason Lungu appeals to most Zambians and not the demi-gods of media aggrandisement and their favourite Presidential candidate because Lungu and the people recognise how long, humanely flawed and tough the journey to get there is. Zambia is doing very well among its peers (live in Rwanda for a month and you will realise). China and its nexus of the likes of Singapore have been Civilisations since before the time of the Romans and Christ. Zambians love being…
human and not demi-gods. Will be happy in so-called poverty and imbecility just as when we get there.
LT,I would have sworn that @ Kelvin Malunga(63)post must have come after mine,now at (64). Your timing and sequencing sucks.Wouldnt be a bad idea to leave this blog.Am averse to too much amateur stuff.
This is a scholary article.As MuZambian points out,take away messages from the article depends on which lenses one reads the article with.It’s not about change of political leader. All parties come from the same parentage.Expecting change by merely electing someone from this current stock of Zambians is simplistic. This generation would not have fought for independence for the reasons the young academic has given. There are no more ” imposa mabwe” Zambians left to drive a second “cha-cha-cha”.Lastly, I would be very surprised if Shishiwa is partisan.He is intellectually, miles apart from Ndulo and Hamusungule.
This was a beautiful read. Honestly, it’s very hard in this time and era to read a deep thought provocative article on Zambia, for Zambians, by a Zambia. I think, therefore, whether you agree or not with the writer’s words, there is at least a line or two that may have poked your cognitive faculties. That should be the starting point to retrospect about our Zambia.
Ideas have consequences. The ideas espoused in this article are the ideas that bring about a dictatorship. When you deny God as the Source of Truth, and reject His Law, you must have another source of “truth” and “law”. This source will be the person, or group of people, who end up with the most coercive power. Without God’s Law, there is no ultimate Law to restrain this dictatorship.
The author needs to repent of his blasphemous ideas. God will not be mocked, but He does extend mercy to those who seek it, through the Lord Jesus Christ, the sinless Saviour.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
(Romans 6: 23)