By W.E.Kamirichiki, PhD
Mr. Edgar Lungu Chagwa and his PF believe most Zambians are politically naïve, are blind to the true history and facts of MMD’s privatization of Zambia’s state enterprises, and that Zambians will not see that PF are already in the campaign season for presidential elections. The profound tragedy we face in this country is that Lungu and his unpatriotic front are playing extreme forms of dirty political games. Currently, the game is in the period in which the referee has called out HH in the so-called HH’s “extensive abuse of the privatisation process” This insidious framing is from the “referee” also known as government spokeswoman—Dora Siliya. It is a broader attempt at misinformation, disinformation and propaganda to win elections. It is bound to fail.
That Lungu and his PF is bent on sowing malice and craving to scandalize HH and UPND is not a secret. It is a venture that has been alive for some time now. It is an open secret.
But let us return to this nothing burger about HH’s role in Zambia’s privatization activities. In its then progress report on privatization in Africa, the World Bank in 1996 praised Zambia, attested thus: “…Zambia has the most successful privatization program to date, and the experience there offers many examples of best practice…… the privatization program has not been without its problems. Because of its fragile economic situation, the country was not readily attractive to foreign investors; but multinational companies who have invested in Zambia are impressed with the way the program is being managed. As a result, the country is now one of the most attractive to investors in Africa”. (The World Bank, 1996).
One of the 8 factors for success of the divestiture program was transparency, namely the steps taken to inform the public about the program and to encourage maximum Zambian participation in the process”. On all these factors, the World Bank rated Zambia “medium to high”(see figure below of landmarks in Zambia’s Privatization Program). This suggests that there were little to no reservations about the players (which included HH) undertaking the privatization exercise. Put differently, the privatization team, generally, were foresighted, careful, and conducted proper planning of the anticipated issues and risks associated with the deals, and successfully consummated the privatization exercise as indicated in the outline below.
Source: World Bank, October 1996
Fast word 20 years later, the Chinaization of Zambia’s assets under Lungu’s Patriotic Front has been an utter debt-riddled disaster from hell, akin to “ a Chawama-like drunk, gesturing and selling everything in the house” . Under Lungu, Chinaization has shifted control of enterprises and economic activity from state agencies and Zambians to a clique of foreign individuals with inside connections to the PF and the presidency.
Among Zambians there has never been a lower trust of the management of the economy, and an increasing public cynicism about PF’s political and economic leaders, fuelled by the abject failure of Lungu’s economic team to improve the lot of the average Zambians, hence the mafia-like underhanded methods to shift and distract public attention from the current economic failures to manufacture non-existent problems under the earlier 1996 privatization. Again, PF’s bogey man is their tried, tested, and methodical political opponent—HH. And for this venture, the PF is using Edith Nawakwi, herself part of the 1996 Zambian privatization effort that the World Bank, ironically, praised.
But even if we were to accept the absurd accusation that HH profited from the exercise, the larger question is: If the privatization act passed under the MMD government in July 1996 had flaws, was poorly written or poorly enforced and full of loopholes that enabled insiders to pull off tricky schemes, why didn’t the then Minister, Nawakwi, point these out? Why now? There is no doubt that her phoney “revelations” are political utterances for profit and favour in Lungu’s tanking economy and odorous political universe. Speaking of the economy and the politics, the way he runs our now covid-scared country, is so chaotic — the haphazardly indecisive appointments, the industrial scale corruption, the dereliction of duty, the policy-free press statements, the PF thug-riddled fog around the presidency —all echo the empty tyrannies in other jurisdictions on our continent.
Consider the number of corruption cases and shady transactions (Fire tracks, ESwatini land deal, Lungu’s cost-inefficient and unnecessary travels, Mukula timber scandals, etc ) have occurred under PF government. How many of his associates have been indicted and convicted? Zero. Nein. None!
That is Lungu’s Zambia. Since entering State House, his PF thugs have ushered in and stoked violence, tribalism, and divisions. Lungu is the owner of Zambian disorder and chaos. But framing HH is what he is bent on doing because he cannot run the country in the method HH would. Still, he wants Zambians to digest an incorrect portrait of HH as the “Other” Zambian—trumpeting the bogus notion that HH is a tribalist even as Lungu himself is overtly promoting tribalism by not disavowing those who direct it against HH. But it is Lungu and his ill-informed and mis-informed cadres who bear a disproportionately greater place for turning our country into one of intrigue and mindless political factions. And the intrigue, the suspicion, the mistrust, the hopelessness, confusion, and the unforgivable incompetence are not just new happenings, they are trending upwards to a disturbing point for our country.
Desperate to retain the presidency and misuse power , at the time of the worst economic period in our country, and mixed with the uncertain and deadly public health catastrophe to have come to our land in decades, Lungu is stirring a deadly brew for all of us. It is difficult to project how far he will continue to rattle the opposition, especially UPND and HH. But primitive political persecution in which the victim responds with fidelity to the law, maintains common decency, and transfers burdens to the divine, often leads to political sainthood. There is a sense in which HH is on this track. Some Zambians believe that the act of using Edith Nawakwi to cast aspersions against HH is yet another instalment in a template that includes a bogus Mongu traffic case, the break-and-enter of HH’s house, and the fog of Mukobeko prison all over again. Some Zambians have vowed never again to let PF run rough shod against the opposition. And this could light the country. But most Zambians do not want to go down that road, except the most extreme in the opposition parties, who may become uncontrollable if Lungu pursues the most darnedest scorched earth political strategies to remain in power.
But we must reject Lungu’s selfish political warfare strategies to turn our country in another Somalia, or a country in which political disagreements are license to take flight from debate on serious issues facing the country, or as means to foolishly frame and persecute political opponents with bogus non-existent crimes. But all these PF political strategies are routes to energize the PF thugs ahead of 2021 elections—which many political observers believe Lungu will loose on account of a politically unforgivable crime of destroying the social, political, and economic well-being of Zambia. Through a politically dumb fiction of a bungled privatization of Zambia under HH, Lungu and his enablers want to distract Zambians from PF’s failed management of the Chinaization of the economy and good governance of the country.
Remember the tragic gassing that bedevilled the country? To date, no commission of inquiry, no report, no state address to the country. Nothing. Nothing under Lungu because he is an incompetent fake of a president.
In stirring up fake crimes, drip-drip chaos, thugs in his PF party, Lungu is desperately marinating a possible disgraceful path to a 2021 election win. We saw and continue to see what his PF agents of sabotage and violence do to opposition campaigns. In Chilubi Island, for example, they did this through depriving the opposition of access boats to the island and claiming all lodges in the island in the follow up to the elections.
Zambians in love with their country know that PF and Lungu’s game plan is already underway. As so the UPND, HH and all the opposition know that Lungu wants to manufacture, amplify and publicize fake anti-UPND/HH campaigns as much as possible. Lungu’s thuggish infrastructure of violence know the strategy and have done “trial runs” ever since Lungu ascended to the presidency. But most Zambians know by now which party is for development and which one is for destruction and backwardness.
Empty and unethical campaign strategies are the core of the PF regime. But this attempt at manufacturing yet another bogus crime against HH is certainly the most disturbing because it now involves abusing a woman’s esteem and her intellectual capacity for selfish ends. Women—and Edith Nawakwi as a misused political tool—in the hands of PF is a pattern, a tendency, and a habit. We have seen the distance to which Dora Siliya, Mumbi Phiri, and Nkandu Luo have travelled to soil the political discourse of our country. It is a continuously dangerous reminder for how long and low PF and Lungu can stoop to maintain and acquire power. Most Zambians find this latest anti-HH episode disgraceful. But it is a losing political strategy of the party and the leader completely empty of arguments to govern the country and win in 2021. Lungu and PF must surely be voted out to save our country from unending pain, embarrassment, ridicule, and shame in all their multiple dimensions.
Dr. W.E. Kamirichiki is a political, social, and environmental affairs commentator, based in Lusaka.
HH has really matured so much ever since GBM left. The manner in which he defended himself was so cool. Praise should also go to the interviewer, he was extra respectful and focussed.
I can’t imagine any of today politicians who could come with documents on TV. Yes Kavindele did just once, but HH was exceptional. That interview on all TV and radio stations was probably the best “court case” in modern Zambia. Even Be Edgar was impressed.
Nawakwi will per $3million. I remember HH feeling pit on Makebe Zulu that he was too young to be wiped clean. HH is a nice guy….
Slept around 3am , was busy filing and putting in order all my records and receipts, might never no the green goblins that might lay ambush after 20 or 30 years, I just have to prepared for the future just like Bally.
Just laughing at Nawakwi talking like a child. “me I was just quiet, then he singled out my name”, and yet we know she was relishing this opportunity. Nawakwi and HH, please meet on national day of prayer, reconciliation and….. Were immediately after the event the ruling party and opposition are back at insulting one another and wait for the following years national day of prayer, fasting, reconciliation and fighting again.
Thanks Kamirichiki, that is a great analysis, I would give it A+ and wished there was a way of widely broadcasting such logic analysis pinpointing to Zambia political and economic status at the moment
Hogwash!
Some phd things in Zambia are literally Pull H’em Down piece of $#!+.
Writing long hogwash jibberish.
Scrap the crap!
Next item please.
Coffee!
On point , no beating around the bush……..the best write up I have ever gone trough.
UPND media team , get this man.
This is all truths , nothing but truths.
I challenge any lungu supporter to debate what is in this writeup ????
The author has proved to us that education does not stop one from being an ldlot. The man is a deluded chimpanzee whose phd is probably more like a qualification in Pull him down ( phd).
How does private citizens asking hh for answers on his involvement in privatisation become a lungu or pf government issue. Is nawakwi part of pf? Do not involve us in squabbles over two opposition leaders. Our role is to govern. We have independent authorities who will decide whether to investigate the allegations. If that leads to hh arrest then let it be. The law is the law
What a useless president this lungu is….
My soul bleeds seeing what has become of Zambias governance systems.
Permenant Unemployment has been raising ever since lungu took office.
Only the riot controll under the home office seems to be functioning ok.
Very well written article! PF OUT!
Very well written! And rightly calls him Mr. Lungu because his antics are far beneath what the presidency calls for. PF OUT!
I wonder whether many average Zambians will feel inclined to read this.. it’s too long-winded.
Job well done! Well written…there is no way the PF administration can rule Zambia again…enough is enough, how did we get here. The PF has run out of ideas what will be next if this does not work.
@Kaizar Zulu….you are a waste of human being…once PF loses go away with them you are not welcome here….
Give credit where it’s due…that was a well written article, I’m ka Lungu thinks so too….
You will see what will happen to PF administration once they lose….
We have all seen this before.
The Lungu presidency is slowly and surely coming to an end, like ice it will soon melt away.Yet we shall have some take aways . We shall remember that during this presidency there was Kaiser Zulu who exhibited negative energy ; if its not beating people then it was shooting , if it was not insulting and swearing then it was arson, if it was not spending the whole day wasting time on Lusaka times then it was amassing (ill gotten) wealth. Like Bob Marley said ; soon we will be finding out the real revolution there is. We shall also remember Bowman C Lusambo , the man who became rich in an instance in a flash of a second .We shall remember how it pays to be the Presidents daughter, flashing money in millions and acquiring forests not plots.
This has indeed been the most exciting time to…
Have not read past first paragraph, it appears it contains same monotonous questions I heard on radio from the Under 5 sympathizers.
PF has fished a dry one!
PF has fished a dry one again!
PF dead and gone next year. Arrests to follow. We no longer need criminals & dull people to take us backwards. Busy wasting tax payers money on defence in a country that has known peace until pf. Instead of focusing on how to come out of the economic mess & high debts to improve Zambian Citizens lives. The focus is on bribing people with fake empowerments, sponsoring crimes to instil fear & confusions. We are tired. Worst government of all times. U dont even deserve to reach next year. God just eliminate these Pathetic dull failures & save us. They hv no morals
Kaizer Zulu I am not here to exchange insults with you… you will win. I am trying to find out more about you Sir. Kindly share with us your achievements in the private sector prior to 2011. I am in awe of how successful you have become. Only problem is there is absolutely nothing notable about you or any of your businesses online or anywhere else for that matter before PF. Not even your CV. Google HH and you will find mention of him way before privatization. BTW, you bare strong resemblance to a bus boy kaponya I used to see way back in the day…2009. Think nothing of it probably just coincidence.
You don’t how economy is..ask yourself what about people is not working…
Mr Kaizer Zulu, I am not here to exchange insults with you… you will win. I am trying to find out more about you Sir. Kindly share with us your achievements in the private sector prior to 2011. I am in awe of how successful you have become. Only problem is there is absolutely nothing notable about you or any of your businesses online or anywhere else for that matter before PF. Not even your CV. Google HH and you will find mention of him way before privatization. BTW, you bare strong resemblance to a bus boy kaponya I used to see way back in the day…2009. Think nothing of it probably just coincidence.
Justin I don’t respond to jealous nobodies.
If we are really honest with ourselves as a country, we would have been coming hard on the MMD government of Fredrick Chiluba which included Nawakwi, Katele Kalumba, Sata and the like. These are the people who made the decision privatize public companies and stole and pocketed all of the proceeds. The amount a lot of these companies were sold for and the conditions that governed the selling was for the most part dictated by the IMF and the World Bank, partly because these companies at the time were broke and had so much debt.
It was never the consultants’ fault and we know it if we are honest. But even the little that we got from the sale if we had put that back into social, education, health for the people, we would have been better off as a country.
…Instead the rest ended up in the MMD chaps’ pockets and into Swizz banks.
As for the consultants buying shares into these companies after they were sold, I doubt there was any law, legally, morally or ethically that prevented them from doing so. Most of these companies were bought by foreigners and you have to praise and give credit to any Zambian that bought any shares in these companies. Regardless anything wrong with that program should be blamed on the ruling politicians… same way Lungu is today selling Zambia to the Chinese.
@Kaizar Zulu, you just responded. ..albeit you have not answered my question. Lets not digress and delve into name calling. As I said earlier, you will beat me with experience. I don’t live there. Your rush to name calling is a clear indication of your insecurities and a deep-seated inferior complex. A chip on your shoulder that you’ve failed to shake. I cannot help you on that one. No one can. That is who you are. One thing I know is certain, you have now learned that no amount of money can buy you class. It’s either you have it or you don’t. You Sir are devoid of it.
Tell us who you are and what is the source of your miracle fortune on a government (tax payers) salary. Lastly, if my questioning you to shed some lite on your source of wealth is considered jealousy then it’s only…
@Kaizer Zulu if questioning you to shed some lite on your source of wealth is considered jealousy then it’s only fair to deduce that you are envious of HH. You have no history before PF government. There is no record at ZRA of you personally or any of your companies having paid taxes prior to PF formimg government. In fact Sir, none of your companies existed. Tell us.
Justin go ask your wife about me . She knows more about me than she does you.
@Kaizer Zulu, your default setting is to insult. I cannot join you there..you win. Now that you’ve got that off your chest please answer the question asked. Tell us how you have amassed so much wealth on a government salary. Secondly, there are absolutely no records of you or any of your companies at ZRA before PF took helm of the country. An affluent businessman such as yourself paid no taxes!? How do you explain that? . Do not ask of others what you cannot ask of yourself. You are a leader Sir___ lead by example. Tell us.
BTW, greetings from my husband.
Mwanba, mwabula Amati mwashinga HH Sri eunyele Naifwe tusumine – Twakana
Kaizar yanka funso afunsa Justin. Where did you get your start up capital from Mr. Businessman? You chaps are lucky we are not in Zambia, we would have exposed your skeletons one at a time, you would even be ashamed to walk in the day light. Dare us ba fulwe, we have Snowden on speed dial. We can drop all your financials to the media by close of business tomorrow. Leave HH alone and focus on your failed governance. Kuyabebele!!
The deep south please drop them. I have nothing to hide. You think with the amount of hate I get from your fellow tribesmen if I had anything illegal they wouldn’t have reported it by now? It’s not my fault your demigod and father HH is a thief and privatisation crook. I know it hurts and is disappointing. You upnd chaps need to realise that hh is just one person. Are you saying you are so dull all of you such that since early 2000s only hh is capable of leading kiki