The Mwanawasa Years

Reginald Ntomba

Description

A brilliant student, an accomplished lawyer, a reluctant politician, a surprise presidential candidate who was controversially elected and incessantly criticised; Levy Mwanawasa posthumously enjoys high approval ratings. As if he were a prophet, he told some of his confidants that Zambians would only appreciate him when he was gone. Who was he? What did he stand for? What did he set out to achieve in his presidency? Howdy the people he worked wit judge him? Where did he succeed? Where did he fail? What could he have done differently or better? What sort of legacy did he bequeath Zambia?

Introduction Chapter One: The Eras of Transition Chapter Two: Chiwala's 'Export' to Zambia Chapter Three: Climbing the Greasy Pole Chapter Four: Old Ship, New Captain Chapter Five: The Circle and the Show Chapter Six: Battles Across the Divide Chapter Seven: Trying and Testing the Law Chapter Eight: Fighting the Cancer Chapter Nine: Governance of Laws and Lows Chapter Ten: Struggle for the Document Chapter Eleven: Searching for the Good Life Chapter Twelve: The Sinking Titanic Chapter Thirteen: One More Duty to Perform Chapter Fourteen: Reflections

Sujets

• Political Process
• Political Science
• African
• Postcolonialism
• African people
• Politics of Zambia
• World
• Leadership

Informations

• Publié par: Gadsden Publishers
• Date de parution: 13 septembre 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789982241342
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 38 Mo

Extrait

The Mwanawasa Years An Analysis of His Presidency

Reginald Ntomba

Gadsden Publishers

P O Box 32581, Lusaka, Zambia

Copyright © Reginald Ntomba, 2016

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by an means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

All photographs, including front cover, courtesy of Zambia News and Information Service (ZANIS).

ISBN 978 9982 24 1014

CONTENTS

Introduction

CHapter One:

CHapter Two:

CHapter hree:

Chapter Four:

CHapter Five:

CHapter Six:

Chapter Seven:

Chapter Eight:

Chapter Nine:

Chapter Ten:

Chapter Eleven:

Chapter Twelve:

Chapter Thirteen:

......................................................................................................................

he Eras of Transition ..................................................................

CHiwala’s ‘Export’ to Zambia ...................................................

Climbing tHe Greasy Pole ..........................................................

Old Ship, New Captain .........................................................

he Circle and tHe SHow .............................................................

Battles Across tHe Divide ............................................................

Trying and Testing the Law ................................................

Fighting the Cancer .................................................................

1

7

15

21

31

49

67

83

89

Governance of Laws and Lows .........................................  111

Struggle for the Document ..................................................  125

Searching for the Good Life ...............................................  145

The Sinking Titanic ................................................................  163

One More Duty to Perform .................................................  171

Chapter Fourteen: Reections ................................................................................... 181

Appendices:

............................................................................................................  187

INTRODUCTION

My îrst attempt at writing a book a few years ago went without success. In this business, as some may attest, you are not always lucky îrst time. I resolved to give it another try. This book is a result of that resolve. I have read many books on presidencies, some of which inspired me to write this one. As a student of politics, it goes without saying that I love politics and power and their interface – but so far only as an observer and commentator. Politics is one of those subjects where everyone has an opinion. Author Robert Harris once said, “Politics is the supreme human drama”. When William Gumede, author ofThabo Mbeki and the Battle for the Soul of the ANC, was asked why he wrote a book on Mbeki, part of his response was that, “As Africans we need to tell our own stories.” Gumede was right. It seems Africa is the only continent where anyone from anywhere can be an expert on it. This tendency has many times resulted in Africa being misrepresented by those who claim to know it better than its inhabitants. Since we, as a people, elect leaders charged with the responsibility of charting our nation’s destiny and managing its affairs, we should also be able to examine what exactly those leaders are doing with that stewardship. There are so many things leaders claim to do in the name of the people. While some can be given a beneît of the doubt, it’s also true that others are only there to serve their own interests, never those of the people. It is for this reason that their record must be brought to light, examined and stored so as to afford future generations a chance to know where the country has come from, what type of leaders presided over it, what decisions they made and how such decisions affected the political, social and economic life of the country. What better way of storing such information than in books? There is a serious lack of debate on books written in Zambia, particularly those on politics. There has not been sufîcient debate and/or even challenge to some of the accounts presented, except for one-off reviews. In fact, much of the everyday political ‘debate’is very shallow, ill-informed and sentimental, rather than rational.

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The Mwanawasa Years: An Analysis of his Presidency

We must certainly increase our rate of reading and depth of analysis of issues concerning our country. We must not be frightened to criticise and praise as appropriate. Debate and divergence are the heart and soul of democracy. There is currently not much analytical literature on Mwanawasa’s presidency. This book seeks to contribute to the body of literature and public discourse on the matter. It discusses what I consider to have been the key events of that presidency. I have included information which is not speciîc to the Mwanawasa era to provide historical context to the subject. In Chapter One I give a general background of the political phases Zambia has been through. This is intended to give the reader a glimpse of where the country is coming from. Chapter Two provides a brief background of Mwanawasa. Chapter Three discusses the events that preceded his rise to power. Chapter Four looks at the MMD as Mwanawasa found it in 2001 and how he led it after overcoming a bitter power struggle. Chapter Five focuses on the people who made up Mwanawasa’s circle and what they did. Chapter Six discusses Mwanawasa’s relationship with his political opponents. Chapter Seven delves into the failed attempt by the opposition to impeach him. Chapter Eight is about the subject that was the hallmark of Mwanawasa’s stay at the helm – the îght against corruption. Mwanawasa carved for himself a reputation of a man who believed in good governance and the rule of law. Thus Chapter Nine looks at how he carried himself in that respect. Each of Zambia’s presidents has had to deal with constitutional reforms. Chapter Ten details Mwanawasa’s approach. Chapter Eleven examines what he did on the economic front; where he succeeded and failed. Chapter Twelve explores one prominent foreign policy issue Mwanawasa dealt with and how his position on it differed from that of other leaders. Chapter Thirteen ventures into the problems of leadership succession in general, but also with particular reference to the race to succeed Mwanawasa. Chapter Fourteen ends the book with some reections on leadership and a summary of Mwanawasa’s legacy.

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NOTE: All the Kwacha îgures used are in rebased form.

Reginald Ntomba Lusaka, Zambia March 2016

Introductiom

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In writing this book I may have sought information from other people in a bid to enrich it. However, all the interpretations and conclusions are mine alone. It’s my considered view that I have attempted as much as possible to present the issues honestly and reasonably. But errors may indeed have been made. I carry the cross for those sins. While I remain solely responsible for the contents, I inevitably accrued many debts in the process. My thanks go to Mrs Fay Gadsden and her team at Gadsden Publishers for being receptive to the idea and tolerating, îrstly, my frequent reminders to approve the draft manuscript and, secondly, my request for a deadline extension as I pursued the various sources of information. Despite the long time it took to get the book completed, they stayed the course and supported me. Special gratitude to my editor, Jenny Dodgson, for doing a wonderful job of it, for being both strict and generous, and for reminding me of some information that made the narrative richer. My thanks also to Nikki Ashley for proof reading the text. There are several people I interviewed and others who gave me leads and provided me with information, some of whom chose to remain anonymous. I thank you all. My friend Wilcliff Sakala read the entire manuscript and provided very useful insights, comments and suggestions that improved the text in many respects. Thanks dear brother for offering your time and intellectual capital to this product. It’s yours too. The long nights I spent writing would have been lonelier without my lovely wife Muzuwa popping in to encourage me and ask about progress despite her lack of interest in political subjects. Thanks sweetheart for being my only aîcionado and for tolerating my numerous pieces of paper in the house.

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