Maravi

Levy

Levy
Written by Editor

It’s a year today since the passing of Levy Mwanawasa. Many wonderful things have been said about Levy over the past one year; his name has been exalted by many. But the Levy we are remembering today was an ordinary person, one who made serious mistakes, and had some serious weaknesses. He was not a messiah but an ordinary man who became the president of our country because of extraordinary circumstances. But today, no one can deny that this ordinary man, this man who made serious mistakes and had some serious weaknesses is a hero of our people.

Why? Simply because he chose to bring happiness into the hearts of people. And those who bring happiness into the hearts of people are the real heroes. Levy’s life had meaning only because, dimly and perhaps incoherently, it sought to achieve the supreme objective of ensuring that our country and its resources be managed in the best interest of the masses of our people, especially the poor.

And remembering Levy and his life is a way of looking back at where we are coming from, at the history of our country. The past is a rich resource on which we can draw in order to make decisions for the future. We look back at the past, at where we are coming from not to deride human action, nor to weep over it or hate it, but to understand it – and then to learn from it as we contemplate our future. It is said that it is a dictate of history to bring to the fore the kind of leaders who seize the moment, who cohere the wishes and the aspirations of the broad masses of our people. And more often than not, an epoch creates and nurtures the individuals that are associates with its twists and turns.

As we have already stated, Levy became a leader because of extraordinary circumstances; he was woken up by people with an agenda that was very different from his to become president. They made him president for a purpose – to serve their selfish and criminal interests. But things didn’t go that way. Levy has shown us that it is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another. We realised then the extent of the choices he had to make. We realised he could have had a very easy presidency, enjoying himself and making money with his friends who had mastered the art of stealing public funds and, as we have just seen this week, get away with it.

And then, we understood the connections between opportunity, choice and commitment. We say this because having got his opportunity and become president, Levy could have had a very easy life and could have amassed wealth. But he had a hatred for corruption which led to a choice, and a commitment. Given an opportunity, most of us can achieve what we want. But of importance is what you do with that opportunity, that is, the type of choices you make and the commitment to the transformation of society – not just yourself. Levy’s life teaches us about opportunity, choices and commitment to transforming society for the benefit of the broad masses of our people, especially the poor.

Levy’s choices were not easy ones. He had to choose between his friends, the ones who had made him president and the people. But for Levy, it would appear there was only one choice: obligations to the people take precedence over loyalty to an individual. For this reason, he became an enemy of the same people who had made him president. To us, in this, Levy displayed heroism, an incredible sense of discipline and a capacity for selflessness, as well as a quiet determination not to bend the knee to the dictates of thieves, crooks, corrupt elements. This was not a small thing for those who understand politics, especially the manipulative politics and intrigues of that regime that made him president. This willingness, on the part of Levy, to make sacrifices for a loftier purpose deserves recognition and respect. Levy could have had a lot of ‘peace’ if he had stayed with his friends, his sponsors. But he realised that peace and prosperity, tranquility and security are only possible if these are enjoyed by all in the nation and not just a band or tandem of corrupt powerful politicians and their minions. Levy never allowed indifference or selfishness to make him fail to live up to the ideals of honest governance. Truly, if one’s attitude is to do things which are going to please the community and human beings, then of course he is likely to live long in the hearts of our people, to be remembered for a very long time.

Levy’s life, especially its ending, is a reminder to all of us that the highest level of political thought was reached when some people became aware that no people and no human being had the right to rob others, to abuse others and that the fruits of the efforts and intelligence of each human being should reach all others; that a human being really had no need to be a wolf, but could be a brother or a sister to another. It is also a reminder that consistently practiced, political honesty is a road that leads our minds and will to a more just, fair and humane society.

It will be a lie to say that all was well with Levy’s presidency and government. There were many problems – some of them resolved, others remained unresolved at the time of Levy’s death. Levy was very sensitive to criticism and he reacted to it but rather in a constrained or restricted manner. Despite this, in Levy there seemed to be awareness that the exercise of power was not limitless, it was something that must be the constant practice of self-limitation and modesty. There was also serious rigidity on the part of Levy when he thought he was right or he was made to believe other people had another agenda, a hidden agenda. It was not easy for Levy to mull over things and consider the feelings and concerns of others; it took him time to do so. The Constitution Review Process is one good example of this.

But one strange thing with Levy is that unlike most people who get drunk with and deformed by power, he was improving himself, his attitude and approach. And the Levy who passed on a year ago was far much a better human being than the Levy who became president of our country at the beginning of 2002.

There is need to deeply meditate over the issues that arose during Levy’s presidency in the light of what is happening in our country today. We should ask ourselves if the path we are taking is the right one and if we are clear of where we are headed as a nation, as a people.

Levy believed in human beings. And this came out very clearly in his farewell message that was broadcast to the nation before his burial. And if we don’t believe in human beings, if we think that they are incorrigible little animals, only capable of advancing if you feed them grass or tempt them with a carrot or whip them with a stick – anybody who believes this, anybody convinced of this will never be a good human being, a good leader. We are remembering Levy not for his own sake – he doesn’t need it; we are remembering him and honouring his memory for our own sake, for the future of our country and our people. So as we remember Levy, there is need to realise that our aspirations and the demands of our people clash with the lack of understanding; selfishness; colossal interests. The existence of corruption and injustice and the poverty to which they give rise is something that should move us, like it had moved Levy, to do something about it. The existence of large numbers of hungry and undernourished people in our country constitutes an affront to all of us. A stable, permanent solution must be found to this serious problem.

And the unity of all our people is absolutely necessary. We should rise above cheap politics that sometimes unnecessarily turn us into enemies because of the intrigues, machinations and manipulations of corrupt politicians like the ones we are seeing in our country today. We must not allow anybody or anything to divide us. There are politicians in our country who today think they are everything and Zambia revolves around them when they are nothing but evil, corrupt and sinful little ogres. We must use political formulas and negotiations to solve those problems which make us occasionally oppose each other.

We have never been characterised by resigned submission or defeatism in the face of difficulties. We have confronted complex, difficult situations in our past with unity, firmness and determination. Together we have striven and struggled and together we have scored victories. In this same spirit and with this same determination, we must be ready to wage the most colossal, legitimate, worthy and necessary battle for our people’s lives and future. If we do this and Levy was to look down and see what we are doing, he would be very proud of us and would smile broadly. This is the best way to remember Levy and honour his memory.

We say that no one is indispensable. But we only had one Levy. We won’t have another.

Labels: MWANAWASA

posted by MrK @ 5:26 PM