By Fred M’membe President of the Socialist Party
It’s very sad that some key political leaders of our country don’t know or understand what caused shortages of cooking oil and other commodities during the last part of Dr Kenneth Kaunda’s reign. These leaders are out of ignorance attributing the shortages of many consumer goods under the Kaunda era to socialism.
Firstly, the Kaunda government was not a socialist government. At most, Dr Kaunda can be said to have been a social democrat. And these were extremely honest leaders who cared more about their people than self enrichment. They had opportunities to enrich themselves like their colleagues did in Kenya and other African countries who robbed their people of land.
The period of shortages was at the height of the liberation struggle in southern Africa when the country was totally blockaded – with no dealings with South Africa, Namibia, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Angola, Mozambique, and Botswana were not the prosperous Botswana of today. Tanzania was also not the Tanzania of today. And oil prices had shot up worldwide. They had to start companies to produce their own cooking oil and other commodities. And these were the companies some of these leaders denigrating them today came to privatise at very exorbitant fees or commissions and enriched themselves.
Thanks to the very high sacrifices our leaders and our people had made that made it possible for our leaders today to go to South Africa and do deals with representatives of corporations that colonised, exploited and humiliated us for centuries. People who claim to be economists should have a better understanding of things than this. This is really an exhibition of crass ignorance and dishonesty.
Socialism is not about, or synonymous with, shortages of cooking oil and other essential commodities.
How can someone in this era and age think having or drinking Coca-cola is a big achievement, an indicator of economic and social prosperity? What is Coca-cola anyway? A mixture of carbon dioxide, water and caffeine! Of what nutrition value is Coca-cola? It is actually dangerous for the human body. And what is wrong with our people coming up with their drinks? Is this how empty and pro imperialist they are? What will remain of this country at the end of rule? Coca-cola will be everything! They will own everything. What will remain under the ownership of our people?
Socialism is about a better life for all our people anchored on equity, solidarity, humility and honesty. And socialism has shown how poor nations can get out of poverty in the shortages historical times. Look at the achievements of Cuba – a country fought and blockaded for over 63 years. Without the minerals Zambia has, Cuba in 2020 had a GDP of around 107.35 billion U.S. dollars. GDP is an important indicator of a country’s economic power.
GDP in Zambia was expected to reach 24.00 USD Billion by the end of 2021. In the long-term, the Zambia GDP which has been pursuing unbridled neoliberal capitalist policies for more than 30 years is projected to trend around 27.00 USD Billion in 2023, according to some econometric models.
India’s socialist state of Kerale is leading in many economic and social indicators and scientific achievements. Whatever their attempts to credit China’s achievements to capitalism, that is a great socialist state pursuing socialism with Chinese characteristics. And this is what its leaders say. They attribute their economic successes to socialism. We also have the successes of Vietnam.
The ignorant attempt to smear socialism and socialists to hide their greed and corruption quest to become billionaires won’t do. No matter what they say or do socialism will one day triumph in our homeland. Capitalism has for centuries failed our people. Let them show us where capitalism has succeeded in Africa?
And more interesting is the fact that the most achievements scored in Zambia can be attributed to certain socialist inspired principles that were implemented in the country. The creation of free education, infrastructure development, creation of state-owned enterprises that employed many and some which still stand today are as a result of having a human face towards national economic development which in itself is socialism. Most leaders today who are a product of free education and other socially oriented programmes want to ridicule a system that moved them from poverty and then support imperialist policies that only benefit a few foreign interests.
Zambia definitely need a citizen led economic development agenda which under a socialist government will be attained.
We want Zambians who can have genuine businesses and not these crooked dealers, tenderpreneurs calling themselves businessmen. Like China, Zambia will manage to free its people from poverty through socialism with Zambian characteristics. It’s socialism and only socialism that can guarantee our sovereignty, dignity and prosperity.
WHO IS SPONSORING THIS CHAPS LOST CAUSE ?
More wisdom from comrade. You can hate him but one thing you can’t hate is his intelligence and well read mind. He makes hh seem very ignorant
ONE LOSER SUPPORTING ANOTHER
He is right about one thing the Kenyans leaders from one tribe robbed their people of land without shame after the colonists left….one Fred can not foooool me though you just have to read The Post Newspaper of 1991 when this guy founded it with three co-founders Mike Hall, John Mukela and Matsautso Phiri. He never wrote such articles then in support of such principles or KK remember Fred is an Accountant by training…people need to ask him when he decided to be a socialist …its like a Lion telling you to come and visit him because you are safe because he has turned vegan. Fred like his marriage with his wife has too many question marks.
Who ever is sponsoring this dynasour is outrightly wasting their own resources, This is the tax evader for so many many years which is the money government uses to buy medicines in hospitals and sponsor hunger programmers. Now whats socialist about that?
I havent also forgoten how this Amphibian used to be divisive in his articles (Infact the Bemba tribal narrative was driven by this begger) ,he , in his heard, divided Zambia into two major parts : South & Northern, and his articles were based on either point of view but never a uniting view. Oh Sata this and that, and later on oh wynter Kabimba this and that and later HH this and that. This is the Chap that made and broken down Chiluba into pieces. This animal is a danger to society with its own agenda to destroy. Hence he is now coming in a sheets skin-He is more dangerous than Edgar Lungu as he has scores to settle with all presidents-whether previous or current. He is indeed a danger to society & must be exterminated as soon as possible!
Capitalists get money to finance their programmers from their investments. Socialists finance their projects using money collected from Tax. So you yourself Fred Mmembe the only crime that you ever committed or Zambians know you for , is, Tax Invasion. Now who do you expect to pay tax to sponsor your socialists programmers if you yourself couldnt lead by example? and yet here you are preaching socialist , socialist atase when you yourself is practically anti-socialist. Your life history proves so. Your entire life was hell bent on dividing Zambia rather than uniting it and you are still pushing that agenda with your foolish Socialist as a cover.
It is not true that our leaders in Kenya enriched themselves. We would rather stick to our Kenya and you stick to your Zambia. Kenya is a stable country with no single default on its obligations
Karioki – Who are you fooooling ..here we miggle with Kenyans? Who doesnt know about the Kikuyu wealth divide
Jonathan Mutaware – Unfortunately the kids who were born in the 90s are buying into Fred’s rhetoric…he is pulling wools over their eyes with his socalists talk. There is a reason even Politicans detest this man as he is poisonous …I have never met a colleague of Fred from back in the day who speaks highly of him and by colleague I dont mean his puppets like George Chellah amd others who he planted in State House. What type of socialists gets away without paying any tax.
He has never come out in the open and commented on how he was treated under PF of Lazy Lungu…why? Has all been forgiven…he is happy to write articles about others in past but his personal issues he keeps to his chest. As a politican sometimes you have to open up…tell the people when you decided to become a socialist and what has happened to your wealth…why is it you pick any candidates to stand for MP seats on your party’s ticket even if they are not socialists? Fred you are a fraud…stop cheating people!!
Mr Fred Mmeembe is using the India’s socialist state of Kerale as an example.Why are you ignoring Botswana our next door neighbor. Is it because they chose capitalism and became a very economically successful and stable African country? When Zambia nationalized the copper mines (100% Zambian) and took the path of socialism .Botswana partnered with De beers to form Debswana to run the diamond mines(85% De Beers/15% Botswana) . De Beers was founded by Cecil Rhodes in 1888. in 1926, Ernest Oppenheimer who founded mining company Anglo American was elected to the board of De Beers. The stats below show exactly how the two countries have developed.
1968 GDP per Capita…. Zambia ($408) while Botswana($110)
1991 GDP per Capita…. Zambia ($409) while Botswana($2,973)
2021 GDP per Capita…
No ! Socialism cannot will never guarantee equality and all those things Mmembe is dreaming about !! To be clear , capitalism is the only proven economic system that have over the centuries spurred unmatched human progress in all facets of human endeavour including medicine, technology, space science, transport, big data revolution, communication, business and the list is endless. China officially endorsed capitalism when they joined the World Trade Organisation in early 2000, India is equally an active member of WTO and is predominantly capitalist . But that said, it is also a fact that Nazi Germany was socialist and we all know what happened, Italy’s Benito Mussolini was socialist and we know what happened and so the list can go on and on. The bottom line is capitalism is the only…
I would rather have socialism than the system that led to hh selling and undervaluing our state resources for peanuts during privatisation.
Comrade Fred is off point………..
He does not tell us how many countries capaitalisim or market economies has lifted out of poverty ………
We can show you many places where capitalism has worked in Africa. i.e Every successful African country. We can also show you where socialism and communism have failed i.e Everywhere that tried, including Cuba. You’re talking about 2020 being a good year but they’ve been in an economic crisis since 2021. Let’s be realistic.
Show me one succesful African country
Zambia has been this capitalist path from 1991 we dont see any successes. Malawi has been capitalist since 1965. DRC, Gabon, have all been capitalist. South Africa with the highest violent crime in the world and highest unemployment rate has been capitalist throughout its existence
@ Karl:: Finnish your comparison pls. and Socialism? Which countries in Africa?
Zambians,especially the youth must not be duped by this guy!! he is totally fake.
When did Fred become a socialist mwebantu ??? he was among the first people in Zambia to buy a Hummer,A Mercedes Benz S600 limo.He paid himself a gigantic monthly salary of USD 100,000 from a humble business like the Post newspaper.Bought a house for USD 150,000 along Nangwenya Road and demolished it to build that infamous mansion.
Besides,who created the PF Monster mwebantu???? it was none other that Fred… daily waxing lyrical about the excellent work of Micheal Sata….Micheal this,Micheal that….. who can anyone forget so quickly….
It’s not about ideology…. it’s about people’s mentality. People removed the PF because of corruption, but right now the people who were shouting anti corruption slogans are looking very wealthy.