When the Patriotic Front (PF) dethroned the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) from power in 2011, we took keen interest to dissect and scrutinize the kind of government Micheal Sata, the newly elected president would assemble. And voila….it turned out to be the most lopsided! Sata, affectionately known as “King Cobra” put people from the so-called Zambezi provinces “ku wire” and rewarded his kith and kin, as well as tribal cousins, with lofty jobs in every sphere of government!
As patriotic citizens, we went ahead and exposed such recklessness and blatant injustice in our article entitled, Sata’s Family Forest Explained! It went viral on social media and shook the entire establishment. 6th Republican president, Edgar Lungu was Home Affairs Minister at the time. Oh boy, oh boy…..you should have seen him during a press briefing he called in his office. He had completely gotten hot under the collar!
“This is treason!” he slammed his fist on his mahogany desk as he glared into the cameras. “Am therefore instructing the investigative wings to track down the culprits and bring them to book, immediately.”
We were too smart for them, of course. We evaded the dragnet and went underground, surviving on wild fruits and mice! We resolved to write a book there and then that would seek to basically highlight how our Presidents have tackled the issue of tribal balancing in government in conformity to our “One Zambia One Nation” national slogan from independence to date.
Although those in PF often times choose to ignore the log in their eyes and point at the speck in the current administration, President Hichilema has done far much better thsn his predecessors in terms of coming up with a government that represents our national character. Consider the following list of Ambassadors/High Commissioners King Cobra shamelessly dispatched abroad:
1. Ben Kangwa – USA
2. Bwalya Chiti – Germany
3. Gertrude Mwape – China
4. Paul Lumbi – UK
5. Solomon Mbuzi – Russia
6. Mwelwa Chibesakunda – Japan
7. Grace Kabwe – EU
8. Mwaba Kasese – UN
9. Frank Mutubila – Italy
10. Mirriam Mulenga – Turkey
11. Muyeba Chikonde – South Africa
12. Ali Simwinga – Egypt
13. Barbra Chilangwa – Angola
14. Ibrahim Mumba – Saudi Arabia
15. Robert Mataka – Botswana
16. Timothy Walamba – Ghana
17. Mumbi Phiri – Kenya
18. Wendy Sinkala – Namibia
19. Salome Mwanakatwe – Malawi
Isn’t this a national scandal? This is just a “kadyonko” (tip of an ice berg) of course. The trend was even worse…..nay, nauseating in other departments as my book reveals. If we bother to compare the above info with the New Dawn Administration, we would establish that President Hichilema hasn’t restricted his appointments of diplomats to one particular region even though they have been resolute in their support of him over the years. He has cast the net wider; here are a few examples:
1. Elias Munshya – Australia
2. Andrew Banda – South Korea
3. Percy Chanda – India
4. Panji Kaunda – Malawi
5. Mathew Jere – Tanzania
We are unable to present a comprehensive list at the moment because the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation has been dilly-dallying to avail us the names of ambassadors/high commissioners from 1990s to date!
It’s our hope and trust that after reading this article, Hon. Mulambo Haimbe, the Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation will be able to compel his subordinates to do the needful if they indeed mean well for President Hichilema otherwise they are delaying the publication of our book. To borrow Chinua Achebe’s words, UPND leaders must learn to match the fox cunning at times. Had been PF, they’d have jumped at the opportunity, availed all the information and even invested in the project, massively!
Anyway, look out for our book, Dilemma of One Zambia, One Nation; presidency, governance & regionalism which is yet to be published.
Prince Bill M Kaping’a
Political/Social Analyst
Kapinga lisaka sana
This chap is an1d10t full stop
Good grief!
Sata was a dangerous Bemba wannabe Mnwacusa from Mbeya in Tanganyika. His tribal bigotry was very corrosive to the fabric of One Zambia One Nation. Most of us were glad to see him suffer and die, it was good riddance indeed.
Kapinga is Desperate to join Thabo Kawana as HH’s new appointee in his next press conference. Shouting very loudly on LT to be noticed
Another nonsense from a so called prince. Doesn’t his nonsense expose the lack of wisdom in that royal family? Are they not the ones that have given away minerals and gold? Useless royal families.
Ba Kapinga, compare like for like. Where is the list from MMD, especially during Mwanawasa and Banda’s government? Zambia needs objectivity and the following things:
– Multi-Faceted Approach: Essential for combating poor governance, corruption, and resource misuse in Zambia.
– Strengthen Democratic Institutions:
– Implement electoral reforms.
– Enhance parliamentary accountability.
– Decentralization:
– Empower local governments to address community issues.
– Anti-Corruption Measures:
– Establish independent anti-corruption agencies.
– Introduce whistleblower protections and transparency mandates.
– Judicial Independence:
– Strengthen the judiciary to maintain checks on executive power.
– Improve access to justice for citizens.
– Engagement with Civil Society:
– Involve CSOs in governance monitoring.
– Promote public awareness campaigns for civic education.
– Fiscal Responsibility:
– Improve budget transparency.
– Conduct regular performance audits of public resources.
– Economic Diversification:
– Move beyond mining to reduce corruption linked to resource wealth.
– Support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for job creation.
– International Collaboration:
– Work with international organizations to adopt best governance practices for anti-corruption.
– Goal: Develop a stronger democratic framework to effectively serve citizens.
You forgot an independent media.. DeadNBC should be freed from government control.Zambia needs a public broadcaster like South Africa.