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Mwanawasa family, friends to launch Levy Mwanawasa Foundation

Mwanawasa family, friends to launch Levy Mwanawasa Foundation
By Mwala Kalaluka
Mon 16 Aug. 2010, 12:10 CAT

LATE president Levy Mwanawasa’s daughter, Chipo, has said the Mwanawasa family will next week launch the Levy Mwanawasa Foundation as way of portraying the ideals the late leader stood for. And Ndola’s Chiwala High School administration and the Parents Teachers’ Association (PTA) have decided to rename the school hall after president Mwanawasa’s name.

Featuring on Frank Mutubila’s Mid-Morning Show on ZNBC yesterday, Chipo said the Levy Mwanawasa Foundation was being launched by the family and people who were interested in his works.

“We are doing many things. We always talk about him and we have pictures of him all over the house and so that is one and we have re-opened the law firm, Levy Mwanawasa and Company and my mother is practising,” Chipo said.

“I will be practising soon as a lawyer. But on a national level, we will be having a foundation launch next Friday August 20 at Pamodzi Hotel. We as a family and other people who are interested in his work have come together to put up a foundation; the Levy Mwanawasa Foundation, which will basically portray what he stood for and his ideals and his mission when he came in to lead this nation. His mission was looking at the rule of law, good governance and also he wanted to empower young people.”

Chipo said another book about president Mwanawasa, this time authored by Martin Kalungu-Banda would be launched during the launch of the Levy Mwanawasa Foundation. The book is a narration of the author’s experiences with president Mwanawasa and leadership lessons from those experiences.

“We will be remembering him through the books as well,” Chipo said. “I think as a family man he achieved a lot in the sense that he had such a busy schedule, he was supposedly one of the busiest persons in the country, if not the busiest, but he still made time for us as a family. He knew my mobile number at school by heart. He also knew my brother’s mobile number by heart. I think even as he was busy with national issues, he had time for the family.”

Chipo said she missed her father’s voice.

“We used to talk about different issues and debate a lot about all sort of things, family matters or political issues. There are so many memories, the laughs, the jokes, everything,” Chipo said. “To many people they just saw him as the head of state but to me he was my dad. We spoke about schools, we spoke about boys and how that should not be something he would have liked us to engage in as his daughters. We spoke also about family issues. We spoke about farming what he was really into, so there are many things.”

Chipo said she misses talking to her father especially when she had something hard to deal with at school.

“I miss picking up the phone from school calling him and saying what should I do? Or what can you advise me to do in things like that?” said Chipo.

And featuring on the same programme, president Mwanawasa’s biographer Amos Malupenga said the late president would always be remembered as one of the greatest lawyers Zambia had ever produced. Malupenga was asked to say how he remembered president Mwanawasa professionally.

“He was very forthright, very sincere and very courageous too. I think he would go down in history as one of the greatest lawyers this country has ever produced,” Malupenga said. “I can also say that even if he was not a ‘true politician’, so to say, I think he managed to bring something to politics that will always be remembered. In my view, he brought decency to politics.”

And asked to comment on the mixed feelings expressed on president Mwanawasa’s fight against corruption Malupenga said: “I think those who have had some misgivings on Mwanawasa’s fight against corruption have just chosen to deliberately misunderstand him. In my view, I think he meant well. We all know the dangers of corruption, its results on the economy and country in general that is why president Mwanawasa decided to be courageous about it.”

Malupenga said president Mwanawasa clearly demonstrated that his anti-corruption crusade was not personal as could be seen from the will that he left the country. Without the knowledge of everyone apart from his lawyer and two personal secretaries, president Mwanawasa in 2005 prepared the will for the nation in which he said the fight against corruption was not personal although some people within the ruling MMD and outside thought so. He hoped that the fight could continue even in his absence because it was good for the nation.

“He realised that he was misunderstood and he was trying to correct the record that even after he was no more, he still needed the public and the world at large to understand that his fight against corruption was not personal. It’s something that he felt strongly about and embarked on for the benefit of the country,” Malupenga said.

And asked what he missed most about president Mwanawasa, Malupenga said it was his voice.

“I am privileged to sit next to Chipo here because a few hours before president Mwanawasa left for Egypt, I received a phone call from Mr Mulimba at State House. He said, ‘the President wants to talk to you’. When the president came to the phone, he said: ‘Hello, just hold on’. After a short while, he came back to the phone and said: ‘Oh, I was talking to Chipo. Chipo was saying this Amos Malupenga is always talking to you, does he want you to adopt him as his son?’” Malupenga narrated.

He said he jokingly told president Mwanawasa that Chipo should prepare some documents so that when he returned from Egypt, he would officially adopt him as his son.

“About two weeks ago, I was reminding Chipo about that conversation. I told her that the president strangely spoke to me in a very special way on that day. That conversation was so special… he did not sound to me like the person I always spoke to,” Malupenga said. “Chipo said, ‘actually when you were speaking to him, I was tying his shoe laces. And after that conversation he left… I opened the door for him, he walked out of the house and never to return’. So you can imagine how my last conversation with president Mwanawasa keeps coming back. That is why I said I miss most his voice.”

And in an interview later, Malupenga said a special day dubbed Inspiration Day, to reflect on the life and achievements of president Mwanawasa would be held at Chiwala High School in Ndola sometime next month. He said some ex-Chiwala boys of Mwanawasa’s time and after would be invited to inspire the current pupils to aim high in life.

“We want them to realise that the saying that ‘today’s youths are the leaders of tomorrow’ is correct only if the youths apply themselves as most ex-Chiwala boys did,” Malupenga said. “As you know, president Mwanawasa did his secondary education at Chiwala. There are so many other prominent Zambians who have been through there. But in memory of president Mwanawasa, the school hall at Chiwala would be named after him.”

Malupenga said he was taking advantage of the desire by prominent Lusaka lawyer Eric Silwamba, who used to be a prefect at Chiwala, and Joseph Mwewa of Raubex to bring together all former Chiwala Boys pupils.

“Initially, we are proposing to hold a fundraising braii to raise funds for some rehabilitation works at Chiwala High School,” Malupenga said. “For a long time now, Eric and Joseph have been desirous to find a way of paying back to Chiwala, which set their foundation for their university education. So I mentioned my idea to Eric and Joseph who have embraced it.”

Malupenga said the collaboration came through a proposal he made to the Chiwala School administration and PTA through the school headmaster Mutambo to find a way of remembering late president Mwanawasa by renaming the hostel where he used to sleep. He said subsequently Mutambo informed him that the school administration together with the PTA had approved the proposal with a suggestion that they instead name the school hall, which was being used by all the pupils, after the late president.

“Now, those who have been to Chiwala would know that the school hall requires a lot of attention. So with this in mind, I approached Eric and Joseph for financial support because I was aware that they have been thinking of a way in which to contribute to the welfare of Chiwala,” he said.

Malupenga said the duo wholeheartedly embraced the idea and were looking forward to develop a relationship with Chiwala High School that would go beyond next month’s planned event.

“Our aim is to raise K25 million to look at the immediate needs in terms of rehabilitating the school hall. After that, the committee of the ex-Chiwala Boys that will be put in place will then continue collaborating with the school administration and the PTA in looking at other needs or requirements for the school,” said Malupenga. “We are calling upon all the ex-Chiwala Boys to come together and do something for the school that has produced a lot of national leaders in different social, political and economic categories. For now, Eric Silwamba and Joseph Mwewa would coordinate with the other Chiwala old boys until the committee is in place.”

Labels: CHIPO MWANAWASA, LEVY MWANAWASA, LEVY MWANAWASA FOUNDATION

posted by MrK @ 6:53 AM