A LEGACY OF BITTERNESS
Reflections on Edgar Lungu’s Presidency and Beyond
By Dr. Martin Mushumba
I have known the former late President Edgar Chagwa Lungu since the early 1990s in our Chawama neighbourhood. I was in school with his children, nephews and niecies many of who I am still very close to up to date.
But here is my take on the former late President. We all remember that the late former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu ( ECL) threatened to arrest President Hakainde Hichilema (HH) if the Patriotic Front ( PF) had won the 2021 general election.
Clearly, ECL didn’t care whether HH was right or wrong. He just wanted him arrested. When election results went the other way, ECL was openly bitter. He was at pains—the defeat deflated him and his bitterness soured. Besides, he couldn’t stand the fact that he had pointed out that a Tonga could rule Zambia some time but surely not HH. This was his drive to divide the country, all for the hatred he haboured against HH. In unprecedented election mischief, he also made sure that HH stood no chance of winning the 2021 election by blocking him from campaigns.
Remember that even without campaigns, ECL failed to prevent HH from becoming Zambia’s 7th Republican President. President HH was basically under “house arrest” for the whole of 2021 campaigns. He could not be allowed to even attend the funeral of the late former President Kenneth Kaunda as he was barred by ECL.
It is impossible to stop destiny. Even without campaigns, HH resoundingly defeated ECL who lost by over 1 million votes. It was a decisive landslide victory for President HH. All this did not settle well with ECL given his sworn hatred for HH. He got confused: resigned from politics for for a moment but still returned with a futile “alebwelelapo” campaign. He was confused, he was no longer his normal self.
His handing over of power after that election defeat was a very challenging moment that had to be achieved through a diplomatic engagement presided upon by former Nigerian President Olusegan Obasanjo, former Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete, and the former late Zambian President Rupiah Banda who all met up with him to convince him to hand over power to President HH.
For a moment, ECL resigned from politics after the 2021 election defeat. But because of anger and long term bitterness, ECL returned to politics despite knowing too well that his health had deteriorated post his presidency. Driven by bitterness he felt he could fight on to unseat President HH through conventional or non-conventional means ( Plan . You don’t fight a political giant of President HH’s stature whilst on cancer treatment—it is suicidal. You must be in perfect health otherwise the results would be catastrophic.
Alas, the weight of fighting a popular and performing government coupled by the impossible mission upon his head to restore order in his divided Patriotic Front (PF) proved too much for ECL on his fragile health leading to his premature death. He behaved like a snake that killed itself out of anger.
Sadly for the nation, ECL died a bitter man as confirmed by his family and his PF party who communicated to the world his vivid bitterness as they mentioned that ECL had instructed that President HH must never be allowed near his remains.
Today, ECL is gone, (May His Soul Rest in Eternal Peace) but his bitterness reigns. It is up to those of us living to realize tht ECL’s bitterness shouldn’t be allowed to further divide further Zambia through his family and friends. We have a duty to bury this bitterness and rise above politics of hatred. We are called to unite Zambia into acceptable social order built on love, patriotism, and common purpose. Hatred existed, but now is the moment to let love lead.
Without a doubt or mincing words. ECL hated HH. But today we have ignored this fact—ECL was a bitter man in life. He remains a bitter man even in death. He was not near perfect. In fact his inequities outweighed his good side. But for our culture, we chose to celebrate him in death focusing on his good side. We chose to paint that “black man” white out of love for our culture that teaches us to respect the dead.
Thanks to President HH, we cannot mourn forever, especially so for the Head of State whose remains remain a mysterious object of no sight for Zambia. We must move on and provide leadership for our people.
Call us names or rather, insult us as you may wish: but we stand with President Hichilema for his exemplary leadership and the respect he accorded to ECL and his family during this mourning period. But as it always the case for the PF, President Hichilema will never be appreciated—he is that man accused of choking the crowd with dust even when he is dancing in a swimming pool.
The intention of the PF in this funeral has been to embarrass President Hichilema and his government and twist the narrative that ECL died a neglected man. That is a fraud narrative. President Hichilema is a kind leader—you close your eyes for a moment and swap the two ( ECL and HH) by putting ECL in HH’s role today. You honestly wouldn’t stand the sight of chaos that you would see. We haven’t forgotten that ECL reigned with terror and his cold whip at the opposition knew no sympathy at all.
We thank God, for He is so loving and gives you the leaders capable of handling situations of the moment. President Hichilema, our leader of the moment has been equal to the task in this funeral moment. He has managed to unite the nation once again in a difficult moment where the former Head of State’s family gangs up with desperate politicians to divide the country and sabotage its peace. May God Continue to Bless Zambia.
Happy Sabbath Day Zambia!
I think this SDA member is biased for clear reasons.
DO NOT ALLOW HAKAINDE ANYWHERE NEAR ECL’S BODY. LET HAKAINDE’S TRIP TO RSA BE IN VAIN. BURY OR CREMATE ECL RIGHT NOW IN RSA. DO NOT TRUST HAKAINDE AND HIS SANGOMAS.
VOTE FOR CHANGE IN 2026.
Idiots and tribalists like you will never get it. HH forward 20 sate 1.Keep on dreaming and making noise.We don’t ve any pressure. By 2027 you will be tired ba Kangwalungwalu.We love it when you are bitter,Tseki
@Indigo Tyrol, you are an agent of malevolence, and your remarks are replete with absurdities that disparage the President. Your incessant verbal outpourings will lead you into difficulties. Your animosity and resentment towards the President and the UPND government are causing you to lose your sanity.
Well written, it’s true that Lungu didn’t care about whether HH was right or wrong. Besides those threats he made to arrest him after handing over power to himself, he openly made similar threats just before the 2016 elections. He publicly said that nga na wina akakane mukampna efyo nkamuchita. And for sure we saw what he did, he turned a traffic offense into a treason case which saw his friend into Mukobeko. Indeed Lungu died a bitter man and hated HH to the core. He also failed to swallow the bitter pill of being the one who lost to HH, he always felt that he owed PF the loss of power. So without giving much attention to his own, he agreed to come back to active politics with a view of paying back, I.e. by grabbing power from HH in 2026 and hand it back to PF or Tonse. At least if that had happened, he could have died a happy man. Unfortunately, God has not allowed him, even with a well calculated plan B, things couldn’t just work out. I agree with the writer that; without a doubt or mincing words, ECL hated HH. But today we have ignored this fact—ECL was a bitter man in life. He remains a bitter man even in death. He was not near perfect. In fact his inequities outweighed his good side. We haven’t forgotten that ECL reigned with terror and his cold whip at the opposition knew no sympathy at all. This is the man who called himself a tone of bricks which HH reduced to a kg, no wonder that endless bitterness and hatred for him.