This week, a video of Kenyan President William Ruto speaking at the just ended meeting in Paris went viral across Africa.
In Zambia, in addition to that video, the government communicators also circulated a second video of Mr Hakainde Hichilema speaking at the same meeting, obviously believing that Mr Hichilema said something impressive. This allowed us to compare what the two leaders said, but we will only point out one key difference between them for now.
While Mr Hichilema impressed Western leaders like Emmanuel Macron and others by urging “speedy” implementation of agreements and plans WITHIN the existing financial and political-economic architectures/frameworks and arrangements dominated and controlled by the West, President Ruto questioned these very structures and the power relations under which they operate, and how they favour the West and consign and confine Africa and the Global South to perpetual poverty, underdevelopment, and subjugation to the West.
As Ruto rightly illustrates, there can be no meaningful global development and redressing of the existing global inequalities without dismantling these structures. No amount of debt restructuring or even cancellation can address this.
In a nutshell, therefore, Mr Hichilema impressed the West as usual, but President Ruto and others, like South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, held their own weight and spoke truth to the West in ways Africa’s leaders should.
By circulating Mr Hichilema’s speech pandering to the West, the UPND have managed to mislead some of their supporters and a few uncritical minds. But the more alert of our people know the importance of understanding what Mr Hichilema and other African leaders said in Paris within the right political-economic context in which Africa continues to suffer from historical and ongoing injustices and inequalities.
Only a leadership that refuses to accept the current Western-designed global order will begin to lift Africa out of these unequal relations; the poverty and underdevelopment they perpetuate. What Mr Hichilema is saying to impress the West has been said before by many leaders before him who, like him, saw the West as saviours and superiors, but this only tightens the chains that Africa should be breaking free from.
So, when supporters were mobilised to welcome and cheer Mr Hichilema as he returned from Paris, the UPND and its leadership must realise that development has never been delivered by any such theatrics and sycophantic behaviour.
Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party
I noticed that the crowd that welcomed their great leader comprised mostly PF fallouts. It was a tremendous effort at self deceit. Amen inkoko basenda. The great leader doesn’t make sense most of the time. We’ll wait to see him celebrate his first project and that’s the Makishi road repair. That’s unprecedented development!
Fruitless engagements do not bother the UPND. They’re too busy delivering like DHL to be bothered about someone who wants to build Zambia on the back of peasant agriculture.
All the African leaders were saying practically the same things in their own personal ways.They did not go there for speech contests .Membe,what is really wrong with you
1. Wealth/Money is a mindset. When you turn ideas into action, you create wealth/capital. Wealth comes from the space between two ears called the *Mind. If I want to make $1m in the next 6 months, I would tap into my mind, use my imagination to come up with an idea to create a *Product or *Service to sell to the global marketplace. When you see brothers who were given an equal share of lifestyle by parents, one is *Rich, the other is *Poor – then what separates them is how they think or mindset. The universe has given a Mind to every human being. The problem in Africa is the mindset.
2. If the World Bank, IMF, China & The Western Nations all wrote off debt 100%, Africa will still not develop because of poor mindsets, and limiting beliefs. So the problem is not the West but Africa. Africa can create its own Banking Power Structures. We just need to turn *Ideas into wealth by utilizing our *Naturals Resources. We need to stop looking for solution from the outside but from inside. That inside is the *Mind which a source all things that have been created from beginning of time. The world pays $$ billions to creative thinkers who look for *problems, then go and find *solutions. That’s how you create wealth.
Fred needs to remember that HH is currently the genuine Zambian President. And he should stop the West / East habit of dividing the world. Few people like him are interested in such divisions. The comparison he is making is all in his head; we should not expect all leaders to have the same message. The comparison is petty.
Fred needs to remember that HH is currently the genuine Zambian President, he’s Fred’d President, too. And he should stop the West / East habit of dividing the world. Few people like him are interested in such divisions. The comparison he is making is all in his head; we should not expect all leaders to have the same message. The comparison is petty.
The best speeches, in order of power came from Ramaposa, Ruto and HH. HH was impressive for the western audience. Ruto was a little bit too emotional but did lots of bash imperialism. Ramaposa was cool and composed. Both Ramaposa and Ruto spoke for an average African. Ours was in the begging mood and tried to impressed the west. The reading was good though.
I dont agree with you. Our president was not in the best speeches category. His was a lame lapdog speech that only comes from that guy (played by Samuel Jackson) in that movie called Django
Nothing compares with the the speech by that woman the prime minister of Barbados.
Why are you comparing Apples and Oranges? The agenda in the Paris meeting meant differently for the countries. Zambia came up triumphant and you are still seeing holes? It was not an exam in which we should compare 2 different individuals. Very unprogressive discussion
“In a nutshell, therefore, Mr Hichilema impressed the West as usual, but President Ruto and others, like South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, held their own weight and spoke truth to the West in ways Africa’s leaders should.” The West is not Zambia’s problem. Our problems are hunger, poverty, ignorance, disease, …, and empty socialists like M’membe.
You fail to see the cause of the hunger, poverty, ignorance, disease. Its The West. Just watch the Kigali discussion on foreign interference in Africa and listen to Bryan from Zim and Lumumba from Kenya.
@Wanzelu: We have been independent since October 24, 1964 and you still want to blame outsiders for our failures? Zambia adopted a booming economy from the British and KK / UNIP drove its economy into the doldrums with socialist policies — policies whose rudiments are still in place.
Since 1964? Show me one country that developed in 50 years. apart from the USSR. And ask yourself how many years were you oppressed. Ask yourself what is Zambia and when did it start its journey towards nationhood
We havent been free as I can see by your arguments and our current leadership. The belief most of you espouse that the West will get us out of our problems arises from mental enslavement so we need to free ourselves mentally first and realise that the solutions are ourselves. Thats what China did to become the world’s biggest economy. They didnt yoke themselves to Europe or America.
@Black Muntu: It would take 0 to 5 years for a serious, savvy and hard-working government to put a country on the path for economic take off. Examples: (a) provide for irrigation dams and canals for year-round agriculture; (b) incentivise local and foreign private investments to inject capital into the economy and, thereby, create jobs and adequate goods and services for local markets and exports, among other benefits; (c) improve healthcare facilities, medical supplies and conditions of service; (d) improve educational facilities and conditions of service; (e) improve infrastructure; and (f) create a government that is smaller, that lives within its means and that does more with less.
Fred M’membe is still trapped in the Cold War when the issue of West and East dominated world politics. He seems to have just woken up from hibernation. Anyway, it is immature to judge national leaders on the basis of whether their speeches sound like they appease the West or the East.
@Bongo Man.Your observation is not necessarily true .Before independence Zambia’s vast wealth was only enjoyed by colonialists who numbered less than 50,000 to the exclusion of the natives.Immediately at independence in 1964,the national cake had to be spread to 4 million natives who had gained their freedom and access to the national wealth as a right. GDP per capita had to drop.Please give yourself some respect
@MuZambian: “Immediately at independence in 1964,the national cake had to be spread to 4 million natives who had gained their freedom and access to the national wealth as a right.” This has been one of the major problems facing Zambia and other African countries — spend and spend, consume and consume … without finding the formula for creating more and more goods and services + surplus for exports.
These are the opposition leaders you have pa ZED !!
Useless contribution.
Ba FRED, from that Paris summit. who came out as the winner? Why was RUTO in Paris?
“……Ruto rightly illustrates, there can be no meaningful global development and redressing of the existing global inequalities without dismantling these structures….:
Day dreaming………
Why would the west dismantle their economic structures ???
The only option is to build a strong economy……which zambia is in the process of doing and needs friends everywhere
Kenya and South Africa are developed nations by African standards………they can tell of the west at any occasion.
Zambia, right now , can not afford that…….
Kenya is up to its neck in debt. The government is even struggling to pay public workers.
Was about to agree with you until you said Kenya is a developed nation. Secondly, your statement that only developed (leader of some) nations can tell off the West is shallow. Look at one of the most bold African leaders Kagame, look at the late Mugabe.
In any case, Fred Mmembe’s bias is very clear. I think he would have preferred if HH did not go to that conference, he would be unhappy with whatever outcome. He does live in the cold war era.
Gunner in zambia, Chiza Chirwa
By african standards Kenya is very developed….very ….one of the highest GDPs in africa.
They manufacture and export an assortment of goods throughout Africa and the world.
Chiza Chirwa
On mugabe Zimbabwe was one of the richest African countries and mugabe thought he could do without the world order……the results are clear to see……Nice for the revolutionary but devastating for the common man.
The west controls the world order and can destroy any african economy with flick of a switch.
China can help, but even them need westernarkets which are essential to their economy.
This tribalist is back. I’m leaving
USA ,Japan , The UK , Italy are also up to their necks in public debts…so yes Kenya is both a developed country by African standards and western debt standards.A sign of a resilient country able to carry lots of weight due to high GDP
Fred M’membe is petty; he is highly intoxicated by personal and ideological anti-Western propaganda. He shouldn’t try to act like he’s Zambia’s spokesperson. By the way, our development partners are Western countries + China. The Cold War ended with the disintegration of the former USSR. His Socialist Party is the problem, not Western countries. Zambia is a peace-loving country that doesn’t wish to create enemies around the world for no apparent reason.
If the Soviet Union did not disintegrate, Fred M’membe’s party would have been called Communist Party of Zambia.
Socialists in Zambia will need to convince the world about the beauty of socialism: [a] Winston Churchill (1945), British PM: “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of Socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” And “Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and … its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” (Cont’d)
I have never seen a lender in such a hurry and excitement to lend money at zero interest rate, to the extent of even referring to the borrower as ”brother”. Zambians , is there something you’re missing? This is probably the real ”python” around people’s necks.
Where is mfumu ya mpuno Kaisar Zulu to praise Castro? Mr. Nose tall big lips and anthill forehead labels others to be worse looking than him. It’s a shame really for the ugliest man on earth to label others worse than him. It show sick minded he really is. Let sleeping dogs lie.
He is on the ran like a headless chicken after putting his friend who did him a favour in trouble.
@Kaisar Zulu ni ga’nga iya wume.
Fred M’membe is more ridiculous, inept and f00lish than I ever imagined.
William Ruto speech was full of empty rhetoric and was useless.
President HH speech was so impressive and indeed one of the best I have ever seen or heard from an African. You could see from the reaction from the Chinese and other world leaders he had their attention.
At the end of the day President HH was able to get the result that Zambia needed, something M’membe would never be able to do.
Soon these fellas so called politicians will start comparing who put on a nice underwear.
I think HH also mentioned something about a balance in the way the structures should support more of developing countries than the west….did we miss that part?
KKKKKKK HOW I REMEMBER THE SONG OF THE LATE MR MPUNDU MWAPE may his soul RIP ”AFRICA MY AFRICA” can some one from the media play this song for the next 3 years please kkkkkk
Mpundu Mutale
The naysayer as usual. The bitterness coughing up from his chest will kill him.
While you are comparing speeches, I wish to talk about Zambia’s “ills”.
This president, who praised the West; who also says Zambia’s GDP has been falling since 1964 (as graphs shown in the graph) must be seen and proven to be doing something differently. Since debt is suspended for next 23 year, will we see economic upswing? Let’s witness moneymaking contests as opposed to speech battles.
Zambia has been down this road before. In 1991, the government promised Zambians that they would have three square meals a day if the economy was restructured with the help of international advisors and an increase in foreign direct investment (FDI). However, 31 years later, Lusaka is still predominantly a slum and some people are still using pit latrines.
The economic reforms of the 1990s did not lead to the promised improvements in living standards. In fact, the opposite happened. The reforms led to a decline in real wages, an increase in unemployment, and a widening gap between the rich and the poor.
Erratum — This message is for avid readers who may wish to print and keep a copy of this article: Item 16 relating to petitions for a referendum is incomplete; the following statement should be added at the end of the item: ‘, he or she will reject the petition’.
The “Erratum” message was intended for the article titled “Zambia: Socialism vs Constitutional Order.”
Thank God HH is not falling for your malignant deceptions. What would happen if HH went on attacking the countries that Zambia is indebted to, while seeking for debt relief? Those who live in glass house don’t throw stones. We know what you want is for this government to fail but HH is focused to rebuild this economy. Let those who are clean to fight the battles for Africa, but HH ni Zambia first.
HH went for our problem never went for competition or attacking people that side fuledi mmembe the chief tribalist therefore I don’t see the reason of making camparisons between ruto and HH,RUTO struggled to explain and wasted time to be there because he came with empty hands and his speech is under the carpet.
Dear FM …I know you have read widely…I also think you know the adage ‘you can think it but don’t say it!’ in a public space such as that emotional intelligence is vital. It is not about who gave the best speech but rather who opted to table issues at the right fora. It is easy to attack the west or the east but that does not offer solutions. When frame works are in place the rest is much easier…take for instance the debt restructuring..this would never have happened a few years back…but we take not of your position.