Bowman authored his own downfall
Reflecting on Bowman Lusambo’s conduct as a member of parliament and provincial minister in Edgar Lungu’s PF, one would first wonder how he managed to rise that far in this country’s politics.
In a normal and civilised society, Bowman should not even have been a councillor in the first place. This, of course, is not meant to question the morality and integrity of Kabushi residents who saw a leader in Bowman and sent him to represent them in the National Assembly. We are simply stating our view based on Bowman’s conduct as diehard MMD cadre those days. Even when he was in parliament, there was nothing honourable about Bowman. Truth be told. Each time he stood up to debate, it was always about him and what he has acquired ever since he joined politics.
It was only last year when Bowman mocked Colonel Panji Kaunda and other children of our founding president Dr Kenneth Kaunda for not being rich when their father ruled this country for 27 years. The being rich Bowman was talking about of course meant dipping their hands in public coffers. There is no other logical explanation for his mockery.
We also remember how Bowman abused innocent residents of Lusaka at the height of the pandemic. The young man became a law unto himself. He became the police, prosecutor and judge against residents who defied pandemic rules. But he himself never followed those rules! Bowman was simply an epitome of a bully – if not hoodlum – drunk with political power.
Added to this, we remember how he mocked officers from the Anti-Corruption Commission who arrested him for corruption early this year. Bowman demeaned their income, shoes and general dress code. He simply loathed them for doing their job as public officers. His is a life catalogued by violence and boasting. Above all, his general reasoning raises questions about his mental faculties. For, which public officer would describe K2 million as pocket money, therefore citizens should not question any leader who spends such an amount on beer and other pleasantries.
To crown it all, the nation will remember how Bowman has constantly demeaned President Hakainde Hichilema, mocking him over his livestock and his ascendancy to the presidency. When most of his colleagues in PF feared for their lives after losing power, Bowman showed the courage of a cockroach and dared Bally at every platform he found. Little did he know that Hakainde did not take himself to State House; that the man was in fact unanimously elected by 2.8 million Zambians against Edgar’s 1.8 million. This conduct has not only offended Hakainde himself but Zambians as well who voted him into office.
This is certainly not the way to conduct opposition politics. We are not asking Bowman and others to coil up and be praise singers for the UPND, NO! We are simply asking them, especially those in PF, to admit that they offended Zambians with their corruption, violence and lawlessness. Hence their unceremonious exit. Let this sink in Bowman and all PF members who are still failing to reset – adjust to the new way of doing things. Be civil!
Zambians rejected them together with their leader Edgar.
We therefore agree with Luxon Kazabu who says Bowman authored his own downfall through his arrogant and violent conduct in public.
Commenting on the Constitutional Court’s upholding of the High Court nullification of Lusambo’s election as Kabushi PF member of parliament, Kazabu mocked the now former parliamentarian that he is now a “front-end loader and not a bulldozer”.
“The law has prevailed. Whatever Bowman Lusambo is going through, he authored it himself. He literally authored his own downfall. When people say time will tell that is what they exactly mean. Time is the best judge,” said Kazabu. “He, for quite some time, thought he was the greatest. But out of his own wrong doings, that is it, he has lost the seat. It was actually expected. I would have been surprised if the Constitutional Court ruling was going to be otherwise.”
We hope that Bowman’s loss of the little political power he remained with will pump some sense into his head and begin to look at other human beings as equals. Let him also realise that whatever little wealth he has acquired, lawfully or otherwise, is nothing but dew which can quickly dry up. His own violence has cost him his parliamentary seat. There is more in thinking than being physical all the time. We are in an era of using brains rather than muscles. Let’s see how far Bowman’s ‘nato’ forces mentality will take him from now on.