HH must use the visit by Kamala Harris & the Democracy Summit to politically score on President Lungu: he wins more hearts that way
By Dr. Chris ZUMANI Zimba
1. President HH is faced with two key political opportunities this week to score on the former president he recently told: “Kutumpa Uku” by merely ensuring that ECL is included and recognized somehow.
2. The idea of treating Lungu like unwanted senior citizen in a country he at some point governed does not score anything positive for our leader, HH. Every time he treats Lungu like a rotten & toxic meat for dustbin, he, himself as sitting president loses out.
3. If US Vice President, Kamala Harris does not pay courtesy call on the only living former president, then our President HH would have missed an opportunity to score on Lungu. When Lungu was in power, he always guided Cabinet to ensure that key political leaders who visited Zambia paid courtesy calls on KK and RB. That’s how you score as a sitting president.
4. If this 2023 Democracy Summit in Lusaka does not invite ECL as a key delegate who willingly conceded defeat and peacefully handed over power in 2021, then Americans are also practicing true political witchcraft of double standards. Witches smile at you during the day but ”ukufulamila usiku”.
5. If President HH does not recognize the importance of smooth transition of power, his so called democracy allies, the Americans should guide him to do so by helping him to use these two events to recognize Lungu somehow.
6. By the way, Lungu is one key democracy champions today both in Zambia and Africa simply by what he did in 2021. We should not hate people in such a way that we rubbish and insult everything they did including good things. We believe Americans don’t practice Political witchcraft & will do the right thing.
7. If this democracy summit is truly what the hosts claim it is, hosting it here in Zambia must not just be attributed to President HH, but also to Lungu who made sure HH participated in that election, won and power was peacefully given to him. Failing to recognize that gesture is just another true political witchcraft.
8. If this democracy summit does not bring more political unity, reconciliation and true stakeholders engagements and partnership in Zambia, then the whole exercise of hosting it is both politically futile and wasteful venture.
9. And our President, HH must be reminded that he is not the first nor the last president of Zambia. These elective political offices are surely temporary and will live beyond all of us.
10. As such, a person in power like him must learn from his predecessors and become focused on building a good legacy for everyone than being preoccupied with political vengeance and vindictiveness.
NB: Dr Chris ZUMANI Zimba is a Political Scientist, Researcher, Lecturer & Consultant specialized in Comparative Global Governance and Democratic Theories. He holds a PhD, MA, BA and Cert in Political Science; he has authored many books and articles in politics and academics.