By Fanny Kalonda
NEW Heritage Party president Chishala Kateka has wondered the real reason the UPND government voted against Russia on its invasion of Ukraine during the recent UN General Assembly vote.
In an interview, Kateka said rather than being drawn into a battle that does not involve the country, the founding fathers used wisdom and declared Zambia a Non-Aligned nation.
Recently, Russia’s deputy Head of Mission in Zambia, Dmitry Yudin said his country did not expect Zambia to vote against its invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations General Assembly.
But the Ukrainian Ambassador to South Africa, Mozambique, and Botswana, Liubov Abravitova appealed to the Zambian government to suspend its diplomatic ties with Russia and ask President Vladimir Putin to ceasefire in her country.
Ambassador Abravitova said the Zambian voice was important and called on world leaders to speak against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
However, Kateka said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a complex problem with no simplistic solution, adding that Zambia should have abstained.
“We have had strong ties with both the West and the East (in this case Russia). Rather than being drawn into a battle that does not involve us, is the reason why our founding fathers used wisdom and declared Zambia a Non-Aligned Nation. We are of the considered view that Zambia should have abstained in this matter,” she told The Mast.
“We ask ourselves the question, what was the real reason the UPND government voted in this manner?”
Kateka has since advised the government to critically understand the genesis of the conflict which she said did not arise as a result of the desire by Russia to be a warmongering nation.
“Whilst recognizing that war and conflict between nations is not to be desired nor encouraged, it is very critical that as a nation, Zambia understands the genesis of this conflict which has not arisen as a result of the desire by Russia to be a warmongering and nation-devouring bully as has been portrayed. But has arisen as a result of the fact that Russia is just as intent on safeguarding its borders as other nations are,” said Kateka.
“Zambia has bilateral relations with a number of nations including Russia, Ukraine, the USA, and China to mention a few. Zambia has a foreign policy and thus when an issue arises such as this invasion, the government is best guided by that foreign policy. Zambia voted with 140 other nations for a United Nations resolution against Russia’s aggression on Ukraine. As New Heritage Party, we are very aware that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations fully understands this background very well but opted to vote against Russia’s aggression.”
Are we still on this topic pipo?! A decision was made & we need to look at other issues. The decision was to discourage war & nothing else. Your two children are fighting and the weaker one is held by the neck & about to give up life, as a parent you still feel its ok. Let’s be patriotic & stand with our country. Its these unnecessary arguments that have the potential to influence the position of these foreign countries. Lets move on bane. As we are talking bodies are all over the cameras in Ukraine.
Why shouldn’t we be? The war is still continuing. Move on to where? Dreamland while reality says something else? Our Vice President was contacted earliest and she had no position saying Zambia would wait for others opinions before taking a side. Not a very good stance because principle should guide you not other people’s opinions. As it is our neighbours South Africa, Botswana Zimbabwe abstained even if they were in the minority they had the balls to refrain from taking a side.
Wisdom is often better expressed in silence
The country was non aligned then because the cold war was an ideological warfare with no loss of life. You can not continue being non aligned with those thousands of litres of blood being shed needlessly like that in Ukraine. You can not afford to be accomplices to such massive murders and sit on the fence and say we are non aligned, then why should one be called a leader if their approach is to remain indecisive on critical international issues. War can never be a solution on any day and Zambia took the right decision.
The cold war had no loss of life?? Tell that to the Angolans who died at the battle of Cuito Cuanavale, the Vietnamese who died When anti-communist America invaded their country, the Afghanistans killed in both the USA and USSR’s invasion, The war was cold because from 1945 onwards none of the adversaries pulled the trigger on nuclear bombs otherwise they kept fighting each other with other weapons.
Because the bombs and missiles are not falling on you and your family, therefore you should sit on the fence and abstain. Very insensitive. . The only offence Ukraine committed is that the country is geographically located next to a bully and nothing else to warrant that wanton killing of human life of mostly very innocent civilians by Russia
A Christian nation should be supporting war and say it is our policy as if policies can not be changed, policies of which are made by man, as if policies are chapters from the bible. That is exactly where Zambia’s problems lie, such leadership and many others in other parties
With due respect, Madam this topic has been debated extensively at various fora so don’t revive it here. Just a reminder that under the UPND Zambia will always side with imperialist governments of the West and our President will continue to be patted on his back as a good boy. That’s our current foreign policy. South Africa abstained because it’s led by the ANC, a socialist party
You cannot be hung up on foreign affairs thinking these things matter to the local people. Kabemba is out of touch and needs to focus on domestic issues affecting the country. Looming fuel increases, increasing commodity prices etc. There is also a misunderstanding of the issue, while the West is not saintly, any invasion of another sovereign nation is not welcome. Where are your morals?
HH is right. pUtin is wrong.
Abstain??
Some words shouldn’t be used.
Can Zambia abstain from $ex with Ukraine?
Zambian people stand with Russian people, and disagree with President Putin.
You are spot on madam, i agree with you 300%
A – Abstain
B – Be faithful
C – Condomise
When Zambia failed to ABSTAIN, she opted for the other choices on the table.
The idea of asking Zambia breaking diplomatic ties was far fetched than what is on the ground. This is the decisive action Rus-sia will have to take and not pin it on Zambia.
Zambia as a country may have a Foreign Policy, but leaders and governments still choose what they want to suit their own type of leadership.
For example, does Rus-sia have a foreign policy of waring with other sovereign states? No. But Put-In’s leadership has reasons to go to war with UK-raine.
Moderate my comment as much as you like.
However, I don’t write trash; I choose my words carefully.
Putin is the anti- christ. He the legendary 666 spelt out in the Bible. Is zambia a Christian Nation? Can Zambia fight on behalf of the anti christ just because he gives your children scholarships to third rate universities in Russia?
If these so called democratic countries can wake up one morning and start seizing private property, how do we fail to get back our mines which belong to the state?
So KK should not have expelled Israelis because the Palestinian conflict does not affect us.
KK should not have travelled to Iraq to ask Sadam to release hostages because the Iraq invasion of Kuwait does not affect us.
Zambia was non-aligned when it came to issues between the USSR and the USA, and not concerning moral issues. KK condemned the US war against Vietnam. He condemned USSR’s involvement in the Angolan civil war. Why don’t people remember this history? Soviet lecturers at UNZA were expelled becaus of USSR’s interference in Angola. Let us not RE-WRITE history.
Zambia can not afford to continue the non-aligned thing because we have a duty to international charter on sovereignty. We can’t be on the wrong side of history
Such leaders as her, we do not need because they are spineless. Her mentality is still about cold war ideologies, Lenshina, and so forth
@Charles Ngoma – I am one of the people that have liked your post. I like people that speak with knowledge.
PUTIN IS A MENTAL PATIENT
SOON HE WILL LOSE THE PRESIDENCY FOR SURE
KK GOT AWAY WITH THE LENSHINA SLAUGHTER
SHOCKING AS IS THE PUTIN INVASION
She is probably right it’s a complex political and geopolitical futures situations That is the reasons why people are saying it’s a senseless way for Putin to attack Ukraine by doing that he is attacking beyond the Ukraine heartland and as picked from his soldiers it’s a war against NATO and us in Ukraine he is worried of biological weapons developments the movements within and boarders along ukraine The support Ukraine gave to Democrats as can be seen in the Realclearinvestigations. Website inquiries. It’s better to keep quiet and follow events it’s a very complex geopolitical future that was known to occures May year early and will always happen that could be prevent by Russia and Ukraine on the table It’s more than mere voting at the UN
Can lusaka times refrain from using this picture! Surely you cannot find a better one. It’s a upnd cadre who posted this news item. That picture makes her look like she is facing a man who is about to drop or spray something on her face
All of you condemning Russia need to know something called consistency. You don’t select what to condemn and what not. Saudi Arabia invaded Yemen and you and your HH haven’t condemned them. Because you buy oil from there? Israel has occupied Palestine but they are still your friends you don’t condemn them. Suddenly because you see your colonial masters supporting Ukraine you want to be seen as being on muzungu wanga’s side? Have your own mind.
Non-aligned status assured that nobsuperpower – USA or USSR (Russia now) would not attack another. In this case, the super power Russia is the perpetrator. Thats why you cant sit on the fence. We have to side with the small man – Ukraine. UPND 10 out of 10. New HP MWAFAKAPULA.
On that underdog point I agree with you. If Zambia explained their stance like that at the UN we would all pat govt on the back but no in their case they were waiting for the crowd to point them a certain direction
I fail to understand people who wait for whites from the Western World to see things for them then afterwards think for them. Why do you want to involve yourselves in a war that isn’t yours when you can’t even contribute to winning or stopping it? So that Europeans can see which side their slave has taken? Africa has too many problems caused by Europeans to start worrying about problems caused by Europeans on themselves.
I thought we needed to realise the country is morning abakalamba.
Regardless of the situation, it was a vote between good and evil, peace and shading of blood of the innocent people. Whatever problem that Russia has with Ukraine could have been solved diplomatically. Its big ups to govt for the vote against war of destruction and blood shed. As a christian nation, that is the way to go…..