By Isaac Mwanza
A lot has been said about appointments by Republican President Hakainde Hichilema and his administration. The latest being bold sentiments by Dr. Fred M’membe, certainly, one of my favourite politicians of our time, are beginning to silently being believed by average Zambians. But here is my take:
If President Hichilema replaced some head of an institution who hailed from Eastern Province with another one who hails from either Southern or Western Province, how is the firing negatively affecting the entire people of Eastern Province or how is the new appointment benefiting the people of Southern Province as a whole?
Was the replaced person with an Eastern surname sharing his emoluments or benefits or whatsoever with my fellow kinsmen in Eastern Province or will the new person with a Southern or Western surname now be sharing his proceeds with people from the Province he hails from?
Of course, we all must be resolved to never endorse regional or tribal appointments but we equally not pity the entire province against the one person who has been removed nor create a narrative that the newly appointed guy from the other province will now become a blessing to one entire Province. If that was the case, Luapula, Northern, Central and Eastern Provinces would have been the most developed provinces in Zambia?
I don’t see how, having a President who is Bemba or Easterner benefited the entire Bemba speaking province(s) or Eastern as a whole. If anything, Southern Province is one of the most developed provinces in Zambia aside of Lusaka and Copperbelt despite it not having had a President for over half a century after Independence.
All past Presidents in Zambia, including the saintly, Levy Mwanawasa had appointed his kinsmen (including sons, brothers and sisters) or had his lieutenants appointment them to positions of responsibility.
Hakainde Hichilema is not a god to do what others had not humanly done before him. The plain truth is this: things have remained the same as they were before, for our people in our provinces and for those in other provinces.
Many of our ordinary people had no easy ticket to enjoy privileged appointments. Individuals were appointed them and individuals are being appointed now. We must end the false narrative that individuals who were appointed by previous regimes were done on regional basis than they are being done now.
Everyone must know by now that President Hichilema has pressure to reward those who worked him – even those who come from his village and remained loyal to him. President Hichilema is not doing anything different from what all other President did before him. Hakainde Hichilema is into politics and not church.
At least, I have never worked in any government at a time when i was close to President Rupiah Banda or Edgar Lungu. I had a chance to ask for such a favour to join governments and am sure they would have created a position as the current regime has done to many political appointees in government. But Presidents have a country to run and they must choose whom they want to work with to make a difference.
However, the buck stops on President Hichilema personally and his administration to listen and not loosely discard views that may soon take root in the nation about his appointments. He must assess whether they are a break from what past regimes had done. If he thinks the pattern is okay or wrong, well he is the Republican President.