WHO SHOULD SET SIX FOREIGN PRESIDENTS COMEour–NINETYFOURMORETO ZAMBIA’S AGENDA?

politics; and particularly worrisome is the tendency of some leaders’ attempts to attract undue attention to themselves through rabblerousing. Take the issue of President Edgar Chagwa

Today THE

Lungu being a foreigner. Troubleshooter The issue question of foreign or problem presidents that marks a milestone; the or even arises ministers when people has discuss now

column is celebrating national agendas, is the

become obnoxious. All the past

issue of responsibility; who

its 100TH week and so this is five presidents

has the right of to this set country the article The agenda number lists 100. activities Certainly in the have been nation’s labelled agenda? foreigners; no order one in which would they blame are to me be if taken I up and now In even what our was sixth the president world’s engaged beginning in with some the call vanity. to order But and has become beacon a of foreigner democracy after alas, ending self-praise with the adjournment. no matter It must ruling the before country the January for four 6, years. how always include praiseworthy one or more one’s specific It started 2021 insurrection with President in the achievements items to be acted are upon. can irritate Kenneth US David Capitol, Kaunda. this is what During

The word agenda has a massive list happens after each

one’s audience and lead to the first General Elections that

of synonyms depending on different presidential election. rejection. situations. It can mean a list of things led to our “During independence his first 100 in 1964, days or By matters coincidence, to do or attend the number to, a plan the African in office, National U.S. President Congress 100 (usually became secret) a for significant achieving fact one’s went around Donald the Trump country issued telling in goal determining or the underlying the headline intentions for or voters sweeping that they should executive not orders vote my motives article of a today. particular I had person already or for UNIP aimed because at reversing its and leader determined group. the subject during Kaunda dismantling was a foreigner. key elements

Just as in the case of individuals of former President Barack

the past week, but when saving Before we gained

or corporate entities, there can also Obama’s legacy and

the file on my laptop, I always be a national agenda for the entire independence, pushing an our “America country start country with or the for part digit of followed it or a section by of was part First” of platform the Federation that upset of the narration society. For of example the subject in the for United Rhodesia decades and Nyasaland. of bipartisan The the States week. of America, they have a national two Rhodesias consensus on were foreign present agenda So when for I the typed education the figure of the 100 blind day Zambia policy. and Zimbabwe followed which was by launched the subject in 2003. matter, and Nyasaland Now, the was reversal present of day the For file orderly was named development 100 Foreign and good Malawi. Trump’s By the reversals way, the is name

governance, it is imperative for every coming, as new President Presidents. It then struck my Rhodesia Joe was Biden derived has vowed from the

nation to set its agenda every so mind often. that, The agenda yes, Zambia for each will nation one will surname to unwind of the arch major imperialist Trump- day depend have on the its form 100TH of government. President Sir Cecil era policies Rhodes. to contend Imagine and If the going system by the is socialist way we so have will be our the countries with a massive named array after of a performed agenda and in if the system last 53 is years, communist foreigner! new national Nyasaland security was the he the may agenda be a will foreigner. be communist and poorest threats, of the from three the territories ongoing capitalist To be honest countries with will my have fellow capitalist and coronavirus the African pandemic National

agendas. to a surge in U.S.-China

Zambians, I am worried at Congress led by the late Harry

I am not a student of political tensions to an Iran nearing the science, way but we scholars are conducting has summed up Mwaanga the cusp Nkumbula of producing exploited a the critical values of any good national nuclear weapon.” agenda:

“At the very core of democracy are the values of transparency, due process and good governance, ZAMBIAN

respect for human rights and the ability to

word agenda is defined as a list of things to do. Agenda is the plural of the Latin word agendum which literally means something to be done.

awarded damages by the High Court of Zambia. By the time of his death, the same people who had campaigned against Mr. Kapwepwe and labelled him a foreigner were agitating for his return to UNIP and to lead the country.

Zambia’s second republican president was Mr. Frederick Jacob Titus Mpundu Chiluba; I am sure we all remember that painful episode of Dr. Chiluba’s established by statute. parentage. They even found him

OCIDA supposedly constitutes a father one man called Kafupi. very senior citizens. I gather The allegation that the this time was that average age of the members Dr. Chiluba of OCIDA was Congolese and is 70 years. People in that not age Zambian. group The accusations all over the world are supposed to be

of Dr. Chiluba being a foreigner statesmen who do not take sides in political disputes but act only as arbiters began in for his second term. the common good of their When countries. he led the Zambia

Did I hear somebody say Congress that of Trade Unions in some of the seniors in OCIDA very difficult rose to repressive times, prominence because they he was were a the hero, a son of the soil best of the worst during who their was time? worthy The all the praise. OCIDA leaders should allow the ECZ

“Ba Chiluba nga tabalipo, to do its work without interference.

Our country has run peaceful bonse niba ngwele. (If Chiluba elections under the same is Electoral not there, all the others are Commission of Zambia junk). for many In years the first term he was and it is difficult to understand an angel, the the Moses leading us hype about this year’s election. to the Promised Land. Then he

OCIDA should not pretend commits that a they mortal sin, he wins a do not know the source of political

second term and that suddenly violence in our country. If they stand

makes him a foreigner and on the truth, our country will remain peaceful. huge resources are wasted to

The continuous allegation prove of rigging the allegations and the will cause problems in our man country must just also spend millions like Donald John Trump to did defend early this himself. Besides the month in America. wasted resources, what about

Those who enter into politics the emotional must stress that such an learn to be good losers; unless one

accusation causes to the harassed has a hidden agenda which would include laundering of evidence mind of for past the person at the crimes. center of such disparagement.

In all fairness, I would Only vouch obnoxious that Mr brats can get Edgar Lungu has been satisfaction a consensual out of such sadism. president; and for that reason, Our we third president was the should allow him to set headmaster the national Mr. Levy Patrick agenda with the youth of this country.

Mwanawasa. He too faced All over the world, it is the sitting president who should set accusations the agenda. of being a foreigner No favours and not frivolous! when he went into his second Yours truly, term. The allegation even went Troubleshooter. beyond Mr. Mwanawasa. It pentvision@gmail.com, was alleged that all the leading ecchipalo@icloud.com, politicians ecchipalo@ from Ndola Rural yahoo.co.uk were of Malawian origins and

that’s why Dr. Kaunda had

Mulongoti was born and bred in Zambia. Would he, if he were to miraculously become president of Zambia, be happy to be labelled a foreigner. Would Mr. Mulongoti be happy to be put under such stress? I am sure he will be very unhappy when he reads that I have questioned his own citizenship as well as his Lamba origins. President Rupiah Bwezani Banda succeeded Mr. Mwanawasa. He was all the time a Zambian until the day he became president of Zambia. I have known Mr. Banda for a very long time since he was chairman of the national soccer team’s supporters group known as Bola Bola. He was also the first person to get Lottie Mwale a professional contract outside Zambia. The allegations of President Banda being a foreigner reached feverish pitch during the 2011 Presidential and General Elections which he lost to Mr. Michael Chilufya Sata. And yet, President Banda was born in the then Southern Rhodesia because his father went to work there in the mines and so many other Zambians were born in Southern Rhodesia and South Africa because of the immigrant labour policy of the imperialists.

President Sata was himself labelled a Tanzanian. Before he became president, King Cobra was a full blooded Zambian whose victory was wildly celebrated. And then after a few months in office and the building of his family forest, he became a Tanzanian. How could a Tanzanian have a family forest in Zambia?

By the way, I also remember that the same people who are leading the allegation of President Lungu being a Malawian, are the same people who labelled UPND Vice President for Administration Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba a

Mwamba as Chief Munkonge.

On his mother’s side, GBM’s maternal grandfather was Zambian or Northern Rhodesian who went to work in South Africa as an immigrant laborer. He married a South African woman who is the grandmother of GBM. But GBM’s father and the fact that he was born and bred in this country means that GBM has a birth right to be called Zambian citizen. However when it suits them, GBM’s political opponents will champion South African connection label him a foreigner.

If all our six presidents have been foreigners, I am beginning to wonder when we shall choose a Zambian as president of our country. I also hasten to ask, why have we been choosing foreigners as presidents? I can only imagine that we Zambians hate each other and therefore prefer to be led by foreigners.

However, at the end of day, all Zambians must wake and see the reality behind all allegations that politicians spreading in the country. Some of them are just strategies divert attention from issues that could have a negative impact on some opposition leaders’ ambitions. wCan we say that it is an ordinary coincidence that Mr. Mulongoti must raise the issue of President Lungu’s citizenship at the same time that Mr. Hakainde Hichilema has instructed his Members Parliament to start impeachment proceedings in the National Assembly? I see a conspiracy whose motive is to destabilize the country and not to serve the Zambians. These wild allegations of all our presidents being foreigners do not add any value to our politics and national ambitions. Politicians who thrive on such allegations lack wisdom and vision and must be ignored. It’s just cheap propaganda.

Our country Zambia has run peaceful elections under the same Electoral Commission of Zambia for many years and it is difficult to understand the hype about this year’s election.