Former State House press aide Dickson Jere has described Zambia’s fourth President Rupiah Bwezani Banda as a great and hardworking Head of State who worked tirelessly for the country although he lost elections after suffering intense and vile criticism.
In his recently released 250 page political memoir on the time he spent with President Banda, Jere describes the humility and fatherly figure in RB and how he treated his staff and ministers with a lot of respect.
Jere said President Banda’s weakness was also his strength as he could not fire anybody without tangible reasons and also believed in giving young people a second chance in life.
“The President wanted us to be 100 percent, which was difficult at times,” Jere writes in his book, which was released on Amazon last week.
Inside the Presidency – Trials and Tribulations of a Zambian spin-doctor is a must read book, which chronicles the days of former President Banda from an inside view.
A twenty-three Chapter book describes how well President Banda used, usually long hours in office, in order to make sure the country’s economy was stable.
The book has already been reviewed by different international scholars and publication and is likely to stir debate in Zambia on various issues that took place during the Banda tenure.
“The power of this book lies in its portrayal of President Banda,” one foreign book reviewer wrote.
“In a hall of shame or fame, the man is cast as selfless, hardworking, wise, religious and outstanding compared to other African leaders who just want to hold on to power come what may.’
The book also details meetings and disagreements with the Catholic Church and how the President worked very hard to try and resolve conflict, which he failed. The Catholics were not happy with Banda’s minister, Ronnie Shikapwasha who called them ‘genocidal’ in reference to their role in the Rwanda 1994 massacre.
Jere also explains the detailed meetings and planning of the 2011 elections and indicate how President Banda refused to manipulate the electoral process even when he was advised to do so by others.
The book also rubbishes the theory that founding President Kenneth Kaunda and the US Ambassador forced President Banda to handover power. Jere reveals that President Banda conceded defeat even before the final vote was announced and instructed his press aide to work on the conceding speech.
In a rare admission, Jere also takes blame together with State House staff for the failure to plan for the President better when they served as aides in State House.
“In retrospect, we advisors were also culprits,” Jere confesses in the last Chapter titled “Reflections”.
“We did not handle the President’s diary well. Throughout his tenure, party activities were never a priority,” Jere revealed. “We in State House also overloaded the President with many national issues and rarely allowed him to interact with the party,” Jere said.
The book is edited by a Ghanaian author and Editor Charles Phebih-Agyekum and published by a Canadian firm, Nsemia Inc; the text is plain and written in a readable and journalistic language. It is a book that will appeal to the public especially those that follow current affairs. It captures well the humbleness and humility in which President Banda carried himself in that office. It portrays the inside details of decisions in which the President had to preside over in his time such as the 2008 economic meltdown and the 2011 pre-election decisions.
“The President’s gift of combining serious discussion with a sense of humor was a source of strength to his staff,” Jere writes.
The first Chapter is brief history on how Banda became President in very tragic and unexpected circumstances following the death of President Levy Mwanawasa in 2008. The Second Chapter is more centered on the author himself how he was appointed to State House as Chief Analyst and thereafter as Special Assistant to the President and the difficulties encountered during that same period.
In Chapter three, the book takes you in the nitty-gritty of State House and security operations while the fourth one gives a breadth of projects which Banda personally pushed to develop Zambia.
The rest of the Chapters give a narrative of the President’s involvement in football and sports, international relations and diplomacy as well as his unique personality in dealing with human being.
The last Chapters takes you right to where Banda is, the trials and tribulations of being accused of corruption and abuse of office to other events such as being humiliated at the airport when stopped from flying out despite court orders.
[Zambia Daily Nation]
Atase! What ma rubbish! Banda worked tirelessly for Zambia? You are one and the bird of the same feathers; they flock together so they say. I am not surprised however that you both originate from no other than MALAWI and therefore, must support each other.
with this mentality,thats why zambia will never amount to anything…typical bemba PF cadre smh learn to analyse things chipuba iwe,look back and reflect on how zambians were living in Levy’s time or RB’s and look at what is happening right now….i wonder how you found yourself in USA,oh tribalism took you there i forgot!
is this baboon called kambwili normal? just wait to account for youth empowerment fund you have been plundering. come 2016 you will account for that. dont cheat yourself that you can ever succeed sata. with a degree fro cornerstone university hehehe
ACC and police should go after Jere to reveal those that wanted the president to manipulate the electoral system. We need to know these people to safe guard our votes at the next elections
Do Zambians know exactly what what they want from their governments? Anyway this is Jere’s opinion.
How about the simple fact that he instructed police to shoot innocent citizens in Mongu, Mazabuka, and Mansa, just because they were expressing their rights. Does the book deal with that? No matter how many times people try to re-write RB’s term in office in a good way, RB was a spineless dictator who did not hesitate to kill. I know for sure that some people told me that they were even afraid what he was going to do if he had won a second term in office…he would have been uncontrollable. Remember what he did to the Lozis: after promising them the vice-presidency, they voted for him in droves, but then he turned around and insulted them that he didn’t force anyone to vote for him! RB was a big-headed t.w.a.t: all those tears on TV were all just for himself NOT Zambia. Good riddance!
RB was a good president, 200% better that Sata, he was presidential, diplomatic and educated enough to mess up the economy.
I meant to say educated enough NOT to mess up the economy.
During RBs time, food was cheap, unga was K32,000/50kg fuel was @ K6,300/litre and the Kwacha had some value. And then an accident happened in September 2011.
Thats the good paradox. in effect things have not become expensive, its just readjusting to the new equilibrium when there is excess money supply in the economy. the simple fact that printed money draws value from existing money.
If he worked tirelessly to develop the country how is it then people repaid him by booting him out of state house? This is a contradiction. He would have been rewarded with another term in office if his ‘tireless’ efforts had in reality translated into tangible and concrete evidence of development. For all his tireless efforts people saw only widespread corruption with his children heavily involved in the plunder.
Because the voters in Zambia are fools, who will listen to anything no matter how absurd it may be. Sata promised heaven on earth and they swallowed that. What you have now is hell on earth. Stop complaining about the cost of living under PF, it is what you asked for…Pathetic Fools.
His children tarnished his image. On balance a better president than the clown we have in state house today. He had his foibles, but gave some measure of pride to ordinary Zambians to be proud of the motherland. The clown in state house today is just a shallow ruffian who has mismanaged the economy by embarking on projects that were not budgeted for, removal of fuel and food subsidies without providing a safety net for the poor, corrupt, tribal and a cronyist.
His children betrayed him. How can “Anduru” be claiming 2% of every contract awarded by RDA. Who is he?
He was not claiming 2% of every contract awarded by RDA, it was only with ONE Italian company for ONE specific contract ….. get your fact right
RB will forever remain the best President Zambia has ever had! In that order… 4-3-2-1-5!
“The President wanted us to be 100 percent…” Ba Jere give us a break! You are still busy spinning..100 percent what? All garbage.
We have heard from Levy’s press aide, RB’s press aide and now, can we please, hear from Chumbu’s press aid as well?! (NOT Facebook please. You need to wean yourselves of that habit).
On what do you want to hear? His ministers are talking ….
I wouldn’t pay £16 for a book reviewed by ‘International Scholars’ Vernon Mwaanga and Lee Habasonda. I just might read it when they think of releasing a free Kindle version and am absolutely bored!
banda was worse he has put us in this mess that we are today i have no kind words for him.
Lol….a Jere anyway lets just say you have added to your CV as a cataloguist of the Banda’s short stay in office. We would have loved to see how he went about as nyama soya in Mfuwe, the Mpundu Trust etc. How despite being highly exposed by KK he could fail to balance Party Affairs and governance of a nation. How he failed to put in check children who remembered him most when he ascended to the Highest Office in the Land…and suddenly some of his kids became campaign experts…please…
Well at least RB did not make his son mayor of Lusaka by frightening off all other candidates.
At least at least? What’s this nonsense at least he didn’t make him mayor? What arrogance now one is an exile the other one a convict
NYAMA SOYA ALSO WORKED HARD TO KEEP HIS POCKET FULL.
President for all Zambians!
Lets Not Cheat people here.
Banda’s party may Not have been as Violent & Undisciplined as P.F, but Corruption was the same, starting from Plot 1.
Why won’t Henry return, & clear his name?? Answer is simple, he’s as Guilty as Hell.
What about the killings in Mongu, Mazabuka and is it Mansa
?
The riot in Mansa was not political. The people rioted over a suspect whom they accused of practicing whichcraft. It had nothing to do with RB. In Mazabuka, some drunken policeman killed some one in a bar where they were watching a televised football game. That had nothing to do with RB. However, you can legitimately accuse him of the death of the person who was killed by police in Mongu. The Minister of Home Affairs was Mkondo Lungu and the commanding officer at the scene was Solomon Jere. RB never ordered any one to shoot any body. But you can hold him responsible since he was the commander in Chief. If we Zambians fail to cultivate a sense of balance our country will never develop.
We need to give credit when its deserved. Of course RB was a good president however he had very little respect for life i.e. the killings and disappearances in Mongu, Mazabuka and Northern province. In addition he could not stop his children to interfere in the running of his gov’ as well as allowing corruption and abuse of authority to sky-rocket, that is not good leadership. If I am to rate him I will give him 65%.
RB president for all Zedians, a man with a heart. Of course he is human – his reputation waas damaged by his lack of strong resolve. as a result his children took advantage of him, and the likes of Dollar $iliya
Forced ZESCO to surrender fibre optic infrastructure to ZAMTEL which he later sold to Gaddaffi and received stashes of cash through Chadian President Idriss Deby using Dora as go between at Mfuwe. ZESCO was next in line. Thats how I will remember him!
Forgot to add the part of his son, Henry’s role in organising RP Capital to undervalue Zamtel and recommend the grabbing of ZESCO’s optic fibre before the sale was inked. And then further organising RP Capital to come back after 2011 elections in a different name to flog ZESCO. Thankfully table turned!
I think the simple logic we can use those of us who do not like reading (for obvious reasons) is that RB managed to at least maintain and stabilize the economy from where he got it from LPM (MHSRP). The currency was stable, Reserves where in blue and rising, the economy was steadily growing, International relations where good, Zambia’s profile was also good, Bumper harvests were not announced by thumb sucking as we see today, farmer support was largely conducted timeously, Under the current heard of state, Mealie meal price has almost doubled, the Kwacha has taken Banj jump only God knows where it will land, Insults are the order of the day, our Heard of state does not tell the Nation his national development agenda except to announce un coordinated projects here and there…
how much was the kwacha to the dollar, we zambians have short memories, banda was a good peaceful leader and did not give cadres power over the police,,,,,,,,,,,
rb was a great president, you cant compare with sata,. he never gave his caders machetes and economy was good with stable prices and was easy to plan for anything. he initiated construction of schools, district hosp, stadia roads and universities which our friends have come to change names. sata is useless and is running economy like we are under 2008-9 economic melt- down