A Tribute to one of my heroes Dr. Guy Scott:
A president for three months, Guy Scott was more than a vice president of Zambia. I pray we put our political differences aside on the day of burial and give him an honorable send-off deserving of a man who ruled our country for those few months.
Former three-month President Dr. Guy Scott deserves to be buried like the hero he is.
As I walked into his office when I was Vice Chancellor to inform him that he had been nominated to receive the Multi-Ethnic Commitment Award for that year, he quickly shifted the credit to his staff, saying he couldn’t have done it without them. A few days later, he arrived at the government complex to receive the award, and I was honored to present it to him.
Four key things stood out about this man:
1. He laid down his life for a people he could have been master over and served them as a servant. Dr. Scott never considered himself superior because of his color or ancestral heritage; instead, he served everyone, even under unconventional leadership like that of Mr. Sata.
2. He respected democracy and the will of the people. When Zambia could not accept his recommendations for the replacement of his friend as president, he bowed, accepted the people’s choice, and never manipulated the situation.
3. He upheld the law of the land. When Zambia’s selfish, individually driven parental birth law—which was created to bar Dr. Kaunda from running—affected him, he never once tried to change it to suit his own ambition, but respected it.
4. He treated everyone equally and never showed partiality. When my brother was adopted to run for Lubwa ward, it seemed almost impossible that he would be selected. But with Guy Scott’s backing, the impossible happened.
Prof Kaluba Kapapula