Friday, March 29, 2024

Beyond 90 Days, A nationalists perspective for Zambia

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President Michael Sata takes the Oath of Office as Chief Justice Ernest Sakala looks on at the inauguration ceremony in Lusaka
File:President Michael Sata takes the Oath of Office as Chief Justice Ernest Sakala looks on at the inauguration ceremony in Lusaka

By E.Katyoka

90 days have passed since the PF ascended to power after a resounding victory that gave it a five year mandate and unseated a confident MMD from its 20 year rule. The jury is still out whether the MMD will revive and regain its ‘glory’ or like UNIP, pass on into oblivion.

Five years is a long time in politics, leaders and indeed political formations are yet to be born.

Notwithstanding 2011 will go down as one of the most remarkable years in Zambian history. Either as the year when Zambians finaly got the government they had waited for,elected the long awaited ‘Moses’ to take the Nation into the promised land, and veritably implimented ” Mwanawasa legacy reloaded”
or, it will be the beginning of the worst years of the Zambian expedition. The undoing of a nation.

Much of how things will turn out rests squarely on the shoulders of one. His excellency Michael Chilufya Sata. To any casual observer of Zambian politics it is clear that the 2011 Elections seem to have fractured the facade of a Zambian Nationalism.

The Nation undertook the most divisive bitterly contested Election in modern history. The Nation voted, and Ethnic nationalism like a vampire reared its head again and Zambian Nationalism like humpty dumpty shatterd into a thousand pieces.

It is yet to be seen whether the stitches of political state craft can re-assemble a semblance of a Zambian Nationalism to which all the ‘Ethnic Nationals’ of this country can subscribe to; without reservations.

Two options remain; Either we accept the ethnic nationalist sentiment as something that has come to stay and pragmatically begin to say ” one Zambia many ‘Ethnic’ Nations – unity in diversity” or Embrace a higher Nationalism…an African Nationalism, driven by the commonness of our African heritage
‘Ubuntu’. A Nationalism that embraces the common humanity of all races, tribes and tongues and seeks as its goal the redemption of the continent from the evils of tribalism, conflict, corporate greed,corruption, cronyism and resource colonialism brought about by the new scramble for Africa.

A nationalism that will not be driven by color,tribe or narrow sectarian considerations but one driven by the urgency of the cause of the suffering masses. That Africa, the continent of the great pyramids will one day rise up to fulfil the scripture Psalm 68:31 “Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.” For the Earth earnestly awaits the manifestation of the sons of God

My prayer is that Zambia may remain one sovereign indivisible country. That while the rest of the world is moving towards regional intergration, we may not allow the balkanisation of our peoples who have long lived side by side for millennia under the commonness of our shared humanity: ‘ubuntu’
long live Zambia.

66 COMMENTS

  1. What next after the 90 days…..Given Lubinda refused to tell us what the PF Govt has achieved? Lets here of what this gov has done for the poor, let them not tell us of policy changes which do not result into tangible economic benefits……………..Vote wisely next time…..

  2. 90 days has passed and our beloved president has put things in place through task forces. I have a feeling good things will soon start unfolding and more cash will start trickling into our pockets! Thanks to HEMCS

  3. It seem for me that 90 days have past with nothing but a stage for more rhetorics and confussion. 90 Day has not shown a politcal will but promotion of tribalism and vegeance and failed compaign promises

  4. This tribalism thing is pathetic and until this morning in have ignoring it, but i vow to support my tribe to the bone, if i wont support it who will do it for me………… Be proud, if u Bisa, Ushi, Tabwa don’t claim to be Bemba, associate yourself with your origins….Bounce

  5. Beyond 90 days of enduring pain and suffering. Zambians are becoming poorer and poorer. The Political Failure (PF) has failed and the 5 years won’t make any difference to my siblings in the village, the orphans, the sick, the disabled, prisoners, the abused children, women and men and indeed the hard-working teachers, doctors, nurses etc. Yes. 

  6. i am non-p, but i feel the PF govt has a firm and good start……they have started with a firm foundation of cleanining up all the idiocity of MMD. i dont care about the 90 days: but the foundation for the benefit of the poor zedians….90 days has been used to lay the foundation….BIG UPS PF…!!!

  7. FOR REAL, SATA IS THE PROMISED MOSES CHOOSE TO LEAD US INTO THE PROMISED LAND. DEAR PEOPLE, WE HAVE NOT STRAYED BY GIVING POWER TO MCS, WE’VE JUST DONE THE RIGHT THING. I JUST WISH THAT EVEN THOSE WHO DID NOT VOTE FOR HIM BEGIN TO ACCEPT HIM AS THEIR PRESIDENT BECAUSE THAT’S THE FACT. WE NEED TO BE ONE AS A NATION.

  8. This article has no substance so far nothing much has been achieved in fulfilling the promises but any the foundation has been laid

  9. This article has no substance so far nothing much has been achieved in fulfilling the promises but any way the foundation has been laid

  10. #3’s sentiments are are real! the tribes will go back to identify with their own. That is what the PF government has unfortunately spurned in 90 days, with negative ramifications. The bemba language widely spoken as a “ligua franca” is not in the majority as Miles Sampa wants us to believe. It might be a rude awakening for him to learn that the many tongas, lozis, luvales, ilas, ngonis, chikundas, lenges, chishingas, kaondes, etc living on the copperbelt and speak bemba are actually are not bemba! The nationalist spirit that united us and set us apart from others in the region is being eroded. We have suddenly become tribal before we are Zambian.This is this government’s legacy.

  11. PF promised to bring development to Zambia in 90days,create jobs and put more money in peoples pockets. These are the bench marks they need to be judged on…..to say there was too much corruption in MMD and that is why PF has not managed to fulfill the promise they made to the Zambians in 90 days is accepting failure on the part of PF. We need statistics of how many jobs have been created in 90days,what developmental projects have they implemented, how good is the kwacha doing etc……so far it has been trying to put blame on the former regime come on people that is the reason Zambians kicked out the MMD regime.

  12. 90days only the USA could change things ,after invading another country and snatch resources..To change things sata needs resources, problem is government is so dependent on taxs for income, they need to broaden their income..To deliver in 90days will mean amending some of the labor laws and the constitution at and both of these require legal expatriates who will take months and months debating on the same issue, one thing for sure lawyers take ages to come to a conclusion. Forget about the 90days give them time to correct the wrongs done by MMD..For me thus far its job well done sata

  13. Halo, copy it…we have taken down Zambian Watch Dog. Thank us for doing it, but we thank the chinese for the software. No more contravesial stories. It is all praises chabe pa Tumfweko, Lusaka Times, Daily mail, Times of Zambia, ZNBC and The Post Newspaper.

  14. PF has not failed. Roads are being completed, ZNBC is independent, ZRA saga is being reviewed including those who buried huge tax payers money in their gardens. 90 to start with was fine. Just look at the nice leadership style of our President. All vendors are free to sell their merchandise. All it is because of our listening President HEMCS.

  15. What anti-PF forget is Sata is approachable and he is frank. Sata will never call a spade a spoon. When you are wrong, he will tell you point blank and when you apologize he will forgive you publicly. When you criticize him he will look for solution from you yourself. So do not condemn our listening and hardworking president.

  16. can someone tell me why this writer is trying to sound so dramatic, if i wanted to read i James hardly chase novel i would have picked on up…. try not to dramatise the new and just inform people

  17. Never make a promise you cannot keep. All PF leaders are from UNIP and MMD. You have the same people in government who do not care about your needs and wants. If you are educated and can leave the country do so now. Zambia as a country does not have industries, factories and let alone business centres to creat jobs. For a third world country Zambia has turned into a consumer country, using products let over by other countries. This a sick way of developing oneself. Take a look at Rwanda, a country once torn by civil wars, they are doing far much better than Zambia today. Uganda, is doing great, and here we are still lagging behind as if we were ever in a civil war. Zambia should be a leading example of a developing nation, but we are worse off than the poorest nation in the world. Wake up

    • Ground truthing will tell you that Uganda is never better than zambia. u have missed it on this one. lets be real with ourselves

  18. Yes, you can promise heaven to your would be better-half and you think that everything is okay in the home you are moving in just to discover that there more ground work to be done before the one you promised begins to feel heavenly. The country was so-corrupted and messed up by the RB led government such that real change to take over would start up cleaning the house. Mwanawasa had laid the ground which Banda was just flashing development for the sake of buying votes. This was not real development.
    All the best to the PF government and my God bless our beloved country as we go into the festival season of Christmas and New Year.
    The fellow who wrote the article above should have his head examined by qualified Chainama doctors. Read history and know your Zambian history.

  19. Well like some body said Yesterday,90 days is Politics.No One can make it in 90days.Others can agree with me ,we ever made promises to our friends and relatives which are well intended but circumstances beyound may derail everything.So far the biggest problem I have with the current Gvt is Tribalism,3/4 of the people in Gvt are Bembas and Lozis only,we cant run a country in that manner.As long as One wins an Election,he becomes president for all,just like the 90days we are talking about all zambians are concerned.So abash to Tribalism and forge ahead as country.

  20. So the Zambian Watch Dog has been taken down. We are becoming like North Korea. We need freedom of expression not newspapers in praise of the government. Shame on all those blind followers who can rejoice at silencing of opposing views.

    YOU WILL NEVER SILENCE THE TRUTH!

  21. UNIP, MMD, PF, are all from the same stem, you all voted wrongly again Sata’s PF is only after making that mark for themselves – get rich and move on …!!!! It is a sick way to treat your own people. Africans will always lag behind and never develop. PF are supposed to be working and make government offices run smoothly and get hospitals and schools into motion. Clean up the cities and build the infrastructure. STOP the sickness and give people jobs. How can a third world country run out of manpower to build houses, roads, etc.? Stop the tendency of exploiting your own people and give them jobs.

  22. The launch of corruption foundation that the PF GOVT is in now,seem to be a very good starting point.Eg the unearthing of the LIATO’s K2.1bn,However, as a reminder, the govt should make sure that as these cases started,they will also need to have an end which should be known by the public.The trend of having big cases ending with NATURAL DEATHS should no longer be tolarated.

  23. Zambians, lean to be not MMD or PF or even UPND, but people that are able to seperate politics and reality. The truth remains that a lot so far in 90 days has been reviewed. Who could have known about the wild dog you call Mpundu Trust, K4bn surposedly to have been payed by the corrupt ZRA, the tantamount K39bn spent in RB’ outings, K2.1bn baried clean in a farm of a rackless and humanless man without HEMSC? Its true about the Bible saying, which says ” you have eyes but you can’t see”

  24. I am not entirely sure what the tribal composition of parliament is and even more sadden to learn that it is considered tribalistically imbalanced. I am a black Zambian born and bred in Zed, with both parents Zambians — but I would rather not claim a tribe and choose to be a Zambian.
    We are all Zambians and we should accept each other as such. I would like to think that we voted people into office because we thought they could perform. If you voted based on tribe, then you have no one to blame but yourself.
    We fought and won independence by uniting as one: Together we stand, divided we fall.

    One Zambia, One Nation.

  25. Besides the article centrering on nationalism and trible undertones which is really not important in the scale of things, I feel PF should be proud to have achived the following:
    1) Advocated freedom of press within GOVT media houses and allowed part privatisation of them; 2) Reduced the cost of fuel by K500, subsequently reducing the cost of doing business; 3) removed taxation to anyone earning less than K2M – this constitutes more than 60% of zambian workforce; 4) The anticorruption stance is promising (Liato has been found wanting with $400,000 stash); 5) mining royalties have been increased from 3% to 6% for the first time in 20 years and that was done within 60 days; 6) put together a policy to provide free education up to grade 12

  26. THESE PIPO AR ONLY AFTER MISGUIDING OUR PIPO’S DESTINY. ALL THEY BOAST FOR AFTER 90 DAYS ARE UNSUBSTANTIATED CLAIMS AGAINST THEIR COLLEGUES IN THE FORMER RULING PARTY. THIS IS A VERY CHEAP AND UNCIVILIZED WAY OF POLITIKING. ITS TYM THIS GOVERNMENT REALISE THAT 2016 IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER AND IT WONT BE DIFFICULT TO REPLACE THEM JUST LYK WE DID TO THE MMD. SHAME ON U BA MAMBALA BA PF AND ALL UR SYMPATHISERS

  27. continued: 7) free primary health care; 8) policy to allow Zambians as a must within the top managementtof all foreign investor firms; 9) Honouring kapwepwe, KK, Nkumbula; 10) free Livistone as a tourism capital and allowing Choma to develope as administrative HQ. etc etc. I think we need to rally for this Govt. It is easier to poke fingers at failure but absolutely difficult to be part of solving the problem. Lets work together.

  28. The 90 days was merely a figure of speech, only those with ears to understand could get it. And within these 90 days only people with eyes to see could perceive. A true patriot can not expect to have sudden changes in a rotten system of governance without restructuring it. All we needed is direction. Someone to point to the right direction which is the first step and only after that you can have benefits. We are very far from being developed and this needs the all of us to participate. We should first have a system which is corrupt free at least, it is the only one which can lead to success. Let us not concentrate on the 90 days, instead laying a foundation for a better future.

  29. However, I also feel that PF should not have appointed Mr. Mwamba as the northern province minister due to his close association with FTJ who the Zambians believe was unreservedly corrupt. While this may have been done with good intentions, this appointment tarnishes the ant-corruption agenda. The other thing the president should desist from making public statements until his organs have finished with investigations. This will avoid retracking on issues and make hime more credible. Overall I am very impressed with this new Govt

  30. Amayama you put your message like your message tlike you are jesus. this government has so far been rubbish. stop cheating bloggers here. They were given enough votes to win, we expect no less than a perfect job. Only candidates who are ready should be contesting elections. These losers took us for a ride

  31. We didn’t force Sata to make the 90 day promise,he did it himself actually we voted him based on that promise!
    The appointments of THE POST journalists, no advertisements were made and I strongly believe this was simply done to cripple Mmembe and that Mmenmbe knows very let him not pretend in today’s editorial.

  32. 22/26@ Tonga bull;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;what have your ranting got to do with PF in govt for 90 days?Give our new govt time to put things right, you are so blinded by your tribal crap to the extent you forgett we have 72 tribes aside yours, who have now come to reject your tribalism. Not only tonga votes in an election but the whole Zambia. Ask how many non-tonga will vote HH ?? Answer is 0 (big zero). YOU keep your 12% we shall keep our 88% ..but for you HH being tonga is the only one to lead zambia, sorry that will never happen. PF has had a good start, with 4 years and 9 months to go, plenty of room to improve on the 90 days

  33. You talk about nationalism when we are being sold to all the others. Stop displaying your stupidity Mr Author, I can tell you are a dunderhead because you don’t know what you talking about. Next time, use those little dirty hands to publish something better.

  34. This article is quite useless and lacks substance. The man only wants to talk about tribalism. Period. Has no clue about nationalism.

  35. No body forced Sata to promise people money in the pockets.He said this very conciously. So there should be no excuses. He has just Failed.

  36. I hope Sata could know why we coined the “One Zambia – One Nation” slogan! How can he know when he was in Pharaoh’s quarters boot licking the Egyptians [White Colonial Masters]. Sata was working against the independence of a “Nation” which he has so badly wanted to rule over! What do you expect – tribal comments bringing divisions! These fools like Kambwili have no diplomacy at all. His office is of integrity and he can be issuing statements like that about other tribes! PF is now in Government – wake up and act as a party ruling all Zambians and not a segment. Sending a person to be PS in Southern Province – to a people he insulted shows how shallow the thinking of this HEMCS is with all his teams. I rest my case!

  37. The author of this article is either malicious, retarded, or too young to put things in perspective. Zambia is not/has not been looking for a Moses. We have been seeking a TEAM which will create an enabling environment for us as citizens to utilize our talents and live well off our hard work. Anyone who thought/thinks that a president/government solves their problems while they sit back and count days is a parasite. To say “much of how things turn out rests squarely on one person” is to dangerously redeem others of their responsibility as well as over-burden one man. Ethnic divisions came before PF started ruling, so please do not play that blame card. When Mr.Mazoka died traditional leaders from Tongaland decided that only a Tonga should replace him. So, do not be petty or malicious.

  38. The legacy being created is Zambian Nationalism based on ethinic grouping a departure from One Zambia One Nation a Zambian brand of oneness comprising many ethinic groupings. This was well crafted by our founding father KK and natured through out his rule. Later, confirmed by all presidents except now. Mr Sata has brocken ranks with this much cherished belief and replced it with his ethinic tribe ‘Bemba’ as a “Cut above the rest” of tribes. This sould worry every loving Zambian who is well vested with the evil ethinic groupimg can bring to a nation.

  39. Ethnicity is not something you can just erase. It is like saying we should stop identifying with our families and identify with the neighbourhood instead. Unity starts by firstly acknowledging our individual ethnicities,and recognizing the same right for others to do the same, and then accepting that we can co-exist with our differences. How do you stop being from the tribe you are? The very first connection you have from birth is with your mother and father and siblings, i.e family. The next unit after family is ethnic group, then neighbourhood, then the State. Kaunda did well with the One Zambia One Nation phenomenon. Chiluba erased it from the media. Be honest. Mwanawasa did not restore it. What is surfacing now is not of Sata’s making. It is a sign of under-currents of discontent.

  40. Lets up get united for the good cause of mother Zambia. The facts are that MMD was given a full madated of delivering us from the shackles of UNIP but became a corrupt machine for selfish individuals who extensively used the OP to supress and get undue malpractices of securing their stay in power. Most of the people are calling the PF government with all sorts of bnames are either benefited from the MMD government through shodd deals which have been sealed or are related to most of the plunderers who are liable for criminal prosecutions which they are claiming to be persecutions.Honourable George Kunda’s claims are in fact baseless since he failled us being one of th most distinguished lawyers in the country by forcing Chalwe Mchenga to stop and acqwuiting welknown plunders.

  41. In Kaunda’s era, for example, the people of North-Western province cried ethnic foul when the tared road only went as far as Solwezi. The people of Western province have forever been talking of the Barotse Agreement, which Kaunda’s regime mis-managed, hence its still being an issue now. When His Excellency Mr. Anderson Mazoka passed on, the Tonga traditional leaders made it very clear that the replacement had to be a Tonga, and we all know how that went. Our tribes and ethnic groups have been there long before Zambia or Northern Rhodesia, dwelling in their self-governed tribal homelands. For zambia to work, we have to recognize this, and recognize that the State as we know it is an artificial creation that encroached on these ethnic territories.

  42. For advocates of maintaining Zambia as one State within the current political boundaries, it is necessary to accept the ethnic diversity and the history of the modern State, and acknowledge the interests of the different ethnic groups as well as the common interests. Advocates of a federal system are closer to the solution than those advocating the illusion of a State where ethnicity is irrelevant. Those who blame Sata and the PF for this tribal issue are either very näive and ignorant, or are just malicious people who hate Sata and will find any lame excuse to destroy the man, and are therefore part of the problem, not the solution. Look beyond your nose.

  43. This is a very useless article stating nothing beyond the obvious.

    The author should also check his facts about pyramids. There are pyramids in Mexico, Indonesia and under the coast of Japan.

  44. fellow blogers we are talking of 90 days.to me it has been the poorest type of governance i have ever experienced.

    However merry christmas to all blogers

  45. Mr. Sata is a Failure and a Tribalist. Zambians need to wake up to this reality or we are headed for doom. His government in incomptent and they will fail missarably. Watch this space for more.

  46. So far so god as the foundation is laid. I will waite for 5 years to judge Sata and PF. Dull and stupid is a person who voted on the premise of achieving economic development in 90 days— where on earth has that happened?

  47. Zambia will only become a legal soverign Nation, unitary state, once the Barotseland Agreement is enshrined in the Constitition of Zambia. As it ius now, Zambia is not a Unitary State. it is colonising some areas of this country which falls within Barotseland.

  48. #37, U a Stupid cunt, since when did any country vote for a president to preside over that nation’s affairs in 3 months. We voted for him on a five year mandate not that bullshit 90 days. let’s judge him after five years, not now. Banda ruled for 3 years and what did he do but destroy his predecessor’s legacy. lets get realistic not this primitive thinking we are in the 21st century people!!! 

  49. You can not think straight when you are drowning in hatred. Even those with two brain cells know you can reverse the fortunes of a nation in 90 days but the warning shorts from the PF are promising. Some people are still evolving and can not see beyond tribe. We are all children of the universe, citizens of the planet and by the time we become zambians or that tribe, we have already been defined as humans.Please snap out of this mediocrity!

  50. RB is the hero whether we like it or not.Cycle Mata Chilufyanya has brought great disgrace to Zambia and Africa as a whole.The World was eagerly waiting for the best formula the PF had to liberate the Zambians and the economy.Nothing is there to show of what they promised had been achieved apart from telling us stupid excuses that they were laying a foundation,stupid,*****s.Why didn’t you tell us that thus what you would be doing in 90 days?

  51. Kapola kid#57, learn to respect other people’s opinion and if anything, admonish with respect and not insults. Remember that this site is not your father’s bedroom that only your opinion is right. When promise, you will always be held accountable for that promise in that given period of time. John the Baptist was beheaded just because of a promise, that is what happen when you promise using emotion without brain being involved. 90 days has past and the biggest achievement among others is that, the pots are boiling and even enough care is not taken, they will soon overflow, and Zambia will be on fire. This is the problem of having heartless leaders, but corrupt tribalist.

  52. I used to be recommended this web site by means of my cousin. I am now not certain whether this put up is written via him as nobody else understand such precise about my problem. You are wonderful! Thank you!

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