Maravi

Kwacha with KK's portrait

Kwacha with KK's portrait
By The Post
Mon 06 Feb. 2012, 13:00 CAT

THERE are increasing calls for Dr Kenneth Kaunda's portrait to be put on the kwacha. Comrade KK accounts for a great part of what is best in our country's modern history. He is the founder of our nation as we know it today. Of course, he did not do it alone; he did it with many of his comrades, some of whom are no longer with us today.

Whilst comrade KK contributed to the history of our country, the history of our country also shaped him and offered him amazing opportunities which he never took for granted.

There is one special gift which comrade KK has passed on to all of us as Zambians - and that is self-confidence - a sense of strength and identity. He has taught us the importance of incorruptibility as part of the essence of self-respect.

He refused to use his position to get himself anything that wasn't his due. Comrade KK left government without any money, kwachaless. That didn't bother him. Many young people who were not even close to him when he was in power but appreciated what he meant to our country often came in to help him. When he had nowhere to stay, someone came forward and offered his house.

Comrade KK is part of a generation now reaching the end of a long and heroic struggle. They fought a noble battle for the independence of our country and the liberation of our region. They have lived their lives in pursuit of a better life for all who follow.

The Zambia in which we live today is the sweet fruit of their lives of struggle and sacrifice. And we are glad that Michael Sata, the President of our Republic, looks back positively at the great contribution of comrade KK and his comrades.

Michael has, without discrimination or bias, honoured them in a way no one has done since independence. He has renamed our international airports in their honour. Of course all of us are equal as citizens of this country.

And comrade KK and his comrades were all equal as citizens of this country and as freedom fighters for the independence of our homeland. But none of them, none of us can equal comrade KK's dedication to our homeland or indeed his humility. Comrade KK can be said to have been the first one among equals.

He has demonstrated boundless love for this country. Probably that's why wherever one goes, his name is synonymous with Zambia - KK is Zambia and Zambia is KK. This is what our friends in other countries make us feel.

Of course, Zambia is bigger than KK. And comrade KK is a product of Zambia.

Clearly, comrade KK contributed to the history of this country, but there also needs to be recognition - and he will be the first one to bear witness to this - of how much this country contributed to the making of comrade KK. He was shaped by the history of this country, by the people of this country. Probably comrade KK was born at a most opportune time.

We are not trying to write an obituary of our comrade, of our very dear friend and most beloved leader, we are merely trying to say we endorse and join the calls for KK's portrait to be put on the kwacha.

This is in honour of what he means to our country. This is also in honour of all those who struggled alongside him and all those who, together with him, have served our people with sufficient honour and integrity.

And indeed, Michael is one of such people. Whatever people may say today, whatever pretensions or denials there may be, Michael is a product of comrade KK's leadership. And Michael has never been ashamed to acknowledge that.

In fact, he has been very critical of people who have tried to play that down. Michael is truly part of that leadership, an extension of that patriotic, honest and dedicated leadership. We see traits of this every day in Michael's leadership. It is not by accident that Michael is every day honouring, is every day paying respect and tribute to that leadership.

In asking the current leadership of our country to put KK's portrait on the kwacha, we are merely trying to pay tribute to comrade KK and his comrades. Of course, putting his portrait on the kwacha is not something that would bother comrade KK - it is such a small thing to him. KK and his comrades never fought for personal glory, for honours, for such things.

The greatest tribute we could pay him and his comrades is to live and selflessly struggle for the betterment of our people as he and his comrades did, with warmth and kindness, with great integrity, with courage, with a simple unaffected humility. We hope, together with Michael and under his leadership, we will be able as a nation to live up to this legacy.

After all, Michael's political party - the Patriotic Front - while in opposition constructed a beautiful statue in Chilenje in his honour. Already those were signs of Michael's patriotism and a sense of gratitude. It was a lesson to our people to be grateful and honour those who serve them, those who sacrificed themselves in their service.

We actually feel embarrassed to ask Michael and his government to put comrade KK's portrait on the kwacha because already a lot has been done by them. And we recognise and appreciate the respect Michael is giving to KK and his comrades, of course, some posthumously.

It's like pushing an already open door. But there is nothing wrong in making suggestions to each other, in reminding each other of our obligations, of our debts. Michael has shown great patriotism and a very high spirit of nationalism. A nation that does not respect or recognise its history is said to be no nation.

Putting KK on the kwacha will be a deserved honour to this young man. We say young man because comrade KK doesn't seem to be getting tired, he is ever working for the nation. Wherever and whenever his services are needed, comrade KK is always there working tirelessly like a young man. He has never really had a life of retirement.

He is the easiest man to give orders to, to give assignments to. Whatever you want comrade KK to do, if it is in the interest of the nation or indeed humanity in general, KK will take it up without hesitation.

If Michael orders him to go to Angola or China, comrade KK picks up his bags without hesitation to fulfil the President's order. He is truly a servant of Zambia and always at the command of Zambia. This is the man we are asking to be honoured in this way.

Of course, some will oppose this and say no one is indispensable. But we have only one KK. We won't have another. We may not be the best, but we should be proud to have a leader of KK's standing and stature.

And we should let him know that all the time we feel he is there for us, and we want to thank him for his struggles, for his dedication, for his love and indeed for his life. Again, we are not saying an obituary to our dearest comrade. No, we are simply saying thank you, we love you comrade KK.

Labels: KENNETH KAUNDA, KWACHA

posted by MrK @ 4:03 PM