Maravi

Levy's wish on succession

Levy's wish on succession
By Editor
Sunday August 31, 2008 [04:00]

IN life, it is always better to be clear about things, about issues. The issue of who should succeed President Levy Mwanawasa should not be decided through lies, deceit, subterfuge or manipulation. It is unfortunate that the wicked elements that have always wanted to control MMD and the government for personal gain are at it again. They want the nation to make an important decision without giving them full information.

One key aspect of democracy is the right to choose but this right is undermined when information is withheld or distorted. We are very grateful, as should every well-meaning Zambian, to our first lady, Maureen Mwanawasa, for finding the courage and fortitude during this very difficult time to tell the nation the truth.

It is very clear that there are politicians in MMD today who are not prepared for the truth that Maureen is speaking. These are people who pretended to be very close and loyal to Levy when he was alive but are ready to abandon him and his principles, his ideas, his wishes, his desires even before he is buried. It is clear that they have no consideration for anything Levy stood for.

All they seem to be interested in is personal benefit. They will try to capitalise on Levy’s legacy, without even being able to explain what constitutes this legacy. Anybody with eyes to see and ears to hear can discern that they have no interest in the legacy - it is their pockets that really matter to them.

We have all come to agree that whatever his deficiencies might have been - which were many - Levy stood for honesty, he stood for integrity and cared very much about the welfare of the common man.

When Dipak Patel and Jonas Shakafuswa told the nation that Rupiah Banda is far from what Levy considered suitable material to succeed him, Rupiah’s surrogates and cronies in the form of Benny Tetamashimba and Mbita Chitala were quick to dismiss those declarations from Dipak and Jonas as being untrue.

In fact, their friend Mike Mulongoti, the chief government spokesman and Minister of Information, went on record to tell the nation that the things that were being said by the likes of Dipak and Jonas were untrue.

He went so far as to insinuate that his Cabinet colleague, Bradford Machila, was wrong when he said that the President made it very clear in Cabinet that he did not want somebody of Rupiah’s type to succeed him.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, comrades and friends, the cat is out of the bag. The closest companion and confidante of the President, no less than his wife herself, Mrs Maureen Mwanawasa, has told the nation that her husband had expressed his preference for Ng’andu Magande.

Unlike Rupiah’s sycophants who are parroting meaningless justifications saying Rupiah stands for continuity, Maureen has clearly articulated the qualities that justify Levy’s choice. If those that are calling for Rupiah’s endorsement are saying there will be continuity, why are they not able to tell us what will be continued?

What is it that Rupiah has been doing in the last two years that he has been in government that better qualifies him to take over than Magande who must rank as one of our country’s longest serving Ministers of Finance?

Magande together with Levy have presided over one of the longest periods of sustained growth in the history of our country. They have also presided over one of our longest fight against corruption.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that it was Magande who was mobilising funds for the fight against corruption when some of his colleagues in government were complaining that too much money was being spent in fighting corruption - a non-profitable undertaking. As if fighting crime should be a profit-making business.

This probably explains why the plunderers are today campaigning against Magande in favour of Rupiah.

We are concerned by the type of people that are coming out in support of Rupiah and what they represent. We are also concerned by the methods that they are using. It is not difficult to discern Vernon Mwaanga’s third-term tactics at work in the campaign for Rupiah.

There is a clear attempt to subvert democracy by going to provinces and asking them to issue meaningless statements devoid of substance endorsing Rupiah because he represents continuity. What continuity?

We saw these tactics when Frederick Chiluba wanted to impose his third term upon our country; when Mwaanga together with other shameless charlatans were singing Chiluba’s praises and supporting his third term fully knowing that it was immoral, it was a cheat, a deception, a manipulation of our people.

It is also clear that those championing Rupiah’s succession bid are people who in one way or another did not get what they wanted from Levy.

Some of them, like Mwaanga and Chitala, were people Levy had dismissed from his government. We all know what Arthur Yoyo stands for! We also all know what Mwaanga stands for and why Levy had sacked him from his government. Wasn’t it because of lies and dishonesty?

Are these people one can expect to be truly representing or championing the cause of Levy’s legacy? The presence of Mwaanga, Chitala and other charlatans like them in Rupiah’s campaign team speaks volumes about what Rupiah stands for and where they want to take the country. It’s really not in the direction of Levy and his legacy but in the direction they are all known for.

What Maureen has done is unprecedented and yet very helpful. This is so because it helps us to pull back and analyse what is happening. At the end of the day, democracy must prevail, but the Zambian people will only have themselves to blame if they make the wrong choices.

Democracy does not guarantee us anything. It only gives us an opportunity to succeed or fail - the choice is ours. And that choice will depend on our judgements.

We are free to take the route of Mwaanga and head for Calvary or to take the wishes of Levy and embrace Magande and see some continuity. Again, the choice is ours.

What Maureen has done allows us to put Rupiah and Magande on the scale and weigh them and ensure that we are not short-changed as a nation, that we pay for the right weight.

We are still concerned that the people that are pushing Rupiah have not come up with any strength that they are prepared to push in public.

We are anxiously waiting for them to tell us that Rupiah is a man of integrity, a capable manager with a distinguished clean career, a man of vision, someone who contributed to Zambia’s Vision 2030 and preserving resources from abuse.

We also want to hear from them that Rupiah is the man of moral integrity, who can be entrusted with the full oversight over our resources - financial and otherwise.

We have nothing against Rupiah Banda but there is nothing personal here. This is about patriotism and service to the nation; it is not about who can win the adoption but who can deliver all these things that our people want.

What Maureen has done also raises other important questions: what kind of people did Levy have around him, who are prepared to betray everything he had fought for and ultimately sacrificed his life for the moment his eyes are shut, before he is even buried?

Do these people have any feelings for Levy, or even the Zambian people? Do they have any moral sensitivity whatsoever? We say this because it is surprising that the entire Cabinet has to wait for the grieving widow of the President to tell the nation what the President’s wishes were about succession. Why?

It is clear that now that the cat is away, the mice want to play. We challenge Rupiah to directly - not through his charlatans, Mwaanga, Chitala or Tetamashimba - tell the nation the truth.

Did his boss, Levy Mwanawasa, not say in the last Cabinet meeting that he presided over that he did not want somebody of Rupiah’s age to succeed him because we needed to move to new politics? Cabinet is a big group.

We challenge the other Cabinet ministers as well to tell the truth and challenge the first lady if what she has told the nation today is not true. They would help the country by being truthful.

Anyway, whatever they say, the one who shared the most intimate relationship with the President has told us that the President wanted Magande to succeed him and has given reasons.

More importantly, she has also told us in a humbling expression of candor that she herself had her own aspirations and that if she was a liar, she would have said Levy had preferred her to succeed him. But she has not.

Those supporting Rupiah might think that he is the best man for the job. It is their democratic right. But let them campaign with the truth and not lies. Let them not trample on Levy’s legacy whilst pretending to be preserving it. If they respect Levy’s legacy, why are they scared of his thoughts and his wishes, preferences? They can override Levy’s wishes.

That is their democratic right. But what the Zambian people want to know is why Rupiah and not Magande who Levy preferred because of his integrity, honesty, ability and proven track record as an effective servant of the people.

It seems their only methods are those anchored on lies, and sometimes regionalism, tribalism and job-seeking. They are pushing Magande to start a tribal campaign which Rupiah’s campaign team has started through Tetamashimba by claiming that if Rupiah was not adopted, the Eastern Province will not vote for MMD.

Such pathetic politics belong to the Stone Age - Eastern Province does not belong to Rupiah, it is an integral part of Zambia. Rupiah may hold a bit of land in Eastern Province but he does not own a single soul in that beautiful region of our country.

We are one nation and one people with one aspiration - to better the lives of everyone of our citizens and create a more just, fair and humane society in this territory God has assigned to us.

And given what Maureen has said about Levy’s wishes and preferences over succession, how is the MMD going to campaign on Levy’s legacy if they ignore his wishes, his preferences over succession and adopt someone else other than Magande?

The Zambian people should know what Rupiah’s campaign is about because Tetamashimba has told us that they need Rupiah so that they can have “constitutional advantage” - meaning that with Rupiah as their candidate, they can abuse public resources for their campaign. Is this the type of politics we want?

Is this the type of leadership we want for this country? Levy has given us the guide. The choice is ours!

Labels: MAGANDE, MWANAWASA

posted by MrK @ 9:40 AM