“Raised hopes, Shattered dreams” is the title of my book on the democratic crisis in Zambia. I am one of those who had so much hope in the Sata-led Patriotic Front administration. I debated one of my friends in 2010 about the value of voting for president Sata. My friend told me that nothing good can come out of the Sata administration. Within one year of his administration, I realized my friend was right.
The savagely beating United Party for National Development (UPND) supporters, the imprisonment of a citizen for “insulting” President Sata, and the deportation of Fr. Banyangandora in 2012 to Rwanda created a sense of déjà vu in Zambian political history.
I am not the only Zambian frustrated with President Sata’s manner of governance. Aside from his constant reshuffles of cabinet ministers, the president seems to take us back to the years of colonial, the United National Independence Party (UNIP), and the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) era. Besides, he seems to follow the Robert Mugabe led Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front’s tactics of intimidation, violence and arrogance.
My disappointment with the PF government reminds me of the early 1960s. People held higher hopes of the Kenneth Kaunda led self-rule, but their dreams were shattered when the UNIP government turned out to be much worse than colonial masters. 27 years later, people’s hopes were rekindled when the “hour” came for the MMD to rule. Alas, our hopes were shattered by poverty, corruption, and underdevelopment. In 2011, the PF donchi kubeba campaign promised more money in our pockets in 90 days.
Within 3 year, our dreams are shattered—the PF administration has become the first administration to fire striking nurses in our 50 years history. Over the years, our presidents’ names have changed, but our economic conditions are unchanged. In most cases, they have even worsened.
The results are self-evident: an ever growing gap between the rich, and the poor, extreme poverty, the collapse of the health delivery sector, and increased violence in residential compounds and streets. Children parade the streets like swam of locusts, while politicians spend millions on pleasing themselves. I come from Mansa. When I was a child, we had running water.
Today, Mansa has no sewer system or running water. Pit latrines are all over, while contaminated bole-holes are the only source of drinking water. One is lucky to find safe-drinking water in Mansa today. The situation is not different from Siavonga town. Despite being by the edge of the Zambezi river, water is a luxury.
One wonders whether we are dancing our traditional dance akalela—whereby going forward means retreating backwards! Moreover, politicians know that hurdling on our hopes is a good way to win elections. The UNIP, the MMD, and the PF did so when they were in opposition. It is ironical that the MMD government now wants us to believe that it would address the plight of masses should we develop dementia, and vote it back into office.
I hope not. Zambia’s biggest problem is not the PF government, but the political structures under which it is governing. The current government structures are founded on the oppressive configurations that once characterized colonial rule. Just as the colonial governor was central to colonial power, our presidents have too much power over every aspect of our lives.
It is the president who interprets our constitution, controls the courts, and who speaks and heard— the people’s voice mean nothing. Democracy grants power to the people, yet the current political configurations are not democratic at all.
Currently, the president can legally create new districts, provinces, change names of international airport, and appoint or fire judges. Unless such powers are drastically reduced, democracy will remain a sung slogan. Currently, all organs of accountability aid the sacred cult of president.
Just before the 2011 elections, for example, people called on the police to investigate the then, ruling MMD government’s abuse of public resources during the campaign season. Since the police was unwilling to investigate, the PF sought court ruling on the matter, but lost the case.
Likewise, the then MMD Lusaka province Chairman, Mr. William Banda orchestrated untold violence against the PF cadres in the Chongwe constituency. Many calls were made for his arrest, but the police turned a blind eye. When the MMD lost power to the PF, the same organs arrested some senior MMD officers and Mr. Banda for the same crimes they did not want to investigate. This state of affairs suggests that Zambia will never be democratized as long as the powers of the president are not reduced.
The army, the police, the judiciary, the Auditor General, the Electoral Commission, and the Anti-Corruption Commission should be independent from political manipulation—which is not the case. We need to realize that electing Alias Chipimo, Hakainde Hichilema, Nevers Mumba, Ng’andu Magande or even Madam Edith Nawakwi into office under the current configurations is crafting another vicious dictator—who will rule with an iron fist. Unless we curtail or curb presidential powers, elections will come, and new governments will be born, but our experiences will be the same—raised hopes, shattered dreams.
But the de-politicization of these agencies depends on how far we are willing to go in reducing the powers of the presidency. We should not expect our politicians to resolve this mess; we, the citizens ought to do it. We must remember that Zambian politicians cry foul when they are in the opposition, but once in power, they revert to the same systems they once faulted. Kaunda, Chiluba, Banda and now Sata opposed the victimization of political opponents until they tasted power.
Sata blamed the MMD for oppressing the masses, abuse of powers, and in some cases, the arresting of political opponents. Today, however, he has turned out much worse than the very system he fought. The same can be said about Kaunda, Chiluba, Mwanawasa, and Banda.
I am concerned about this sad development. The Sata administration should not take Zambians for a ride. The slogan of Zambia being a peace-loving nation should not blind the PF administration from the events in Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, and Libya among many other African countries during 2010-11 uprisings. No people can be tamed forever without consequences. Intimidation of citizens through state sponsored violence, and the politicization of the law enforcement agencies can pacify people only for a while, but in the end, people will always rise and triumph. I pray that the president is listening.
Rev. Canon Dr. Kapya John Kaoma