UPND general membership will soon sack Hakainde Hichilema

Dear Editor,

PRESIDENTS in the SADC region have personal relationship at different levels with each other, besides those that exist as fellow Heads of State.

And, this is common all over the world, as human beings have a tendency of favouring one against the other for different reasons.

So in the event of any president having issues with his citizens in a particular country, the reactions from neighbouring presidents tend also to vary at personal level, however, since they belong to a required grouping of SADC, the common voice of the SADC will have to override the friendships or personal relations.

For the Zimbabwean case, of vice president Mnangagwa an intended matter, but the President Mugabe on a fell purely on the hands individual presidents, supposed to comment or negotiate as this may be deemed as interfering for personal reasons.

In as much as the sovereignty of every member state within the regional grouping is supposed to be respected at diplomatic level, the positive collective influence from neighbours is essential in good times because not doing s0 is ignoring the regional mandate and allowing the adverse consequences which often times are not only limited within the boundaries as the incursion and refugee influx spills over.

To this end, how individual states comment on issues often encourages fellow presidents to act in the way they do- statements such as “rule of law”, “democratic process” etc, and the one to one discussion may be deemed as interference.

Sadly enough, in some countries within the SADC including Zambia, some opposition leaders who have lost steam and direction, have opted to even liken the Zimbabwe situation to their countries forgetting that such peaceful revolution is like an orchestra, which has different instruments but playing one and the same music.

In Zimbabwe, the orchestra was composed of citizens both from the ruling and the opposition who in their entirety without being asked, decided on one thing which was to ask their founding leader of the nation to retire with respect, not with destruction and bloodshed.

Those that want power at any cost, have abandoned their role of offering checks and balances but are just there to incite citizens, as they may not be as lucky to have a defence force by their side like that of General Constantino Chiwenga, which can react without excitement.

Overzealousness-conflict has no segregation, it victimises anyone along the way, and bloodletting is the ultimate result.

We just have to consolidate our democracies starting from intra party structures, as it is where the monsters are groomed from, even the ZANU- PF of Zimbabwe did the same, and it is openly happening in some opposition political parties in Zambia without learning a lesson from Zimbabwe.

Leadership is not a pressure of one person and for that matter, Zimbabweans never burnt markets, offices etc they just reacted when it was right to do so. Disappointingly too, there is information that some standing/sitting presidents have been shaken and are seriously contemplating straining their country’s’ budgets in wanting to appease the defence forces and the public service.

All lies in the tenets of democracy buy the people, for people end not an individual person’s egos.

In the SADC region, there is generally a smooth change of government and leadership.

Leadership oneself in the time.

Dr Guy Scott, grabbed the acting presidency from Mr Lungu and sacked him from the position of secretary general when president Sata died, but he still bounced back and became republican president.

Equally, leadership is only meaningful to one as long as the rank and file membership still believe in you and the rule of law is put first.

We experienced it in Zambia in 1991, the people just decided to divorce UNIP and its leader Dr Kaunda, just as the Zimbabweans have done with Robert Mugabe, and it all started from his own party and one political party will experience the sacking of its leader somewhere soon.

ADEODATUS MATAFWALI