Leader focus: Micheal Sata
Zambia has been blessed to have had 7 presidents wit four political parties having shared stewardship.
Micheal Sata was the 5th president and his party, the Patriotic front was the thirdy political party to save Zambia. We have deliberately used the word “save” as we believe that Sata ascended to the presidency to save, not to rule.
Micheal Sata will always have a special place in Zambia’s history. He helped to strengthen our democracy by defeating the MMD, the once feared political party.
Unlike other presidents, other than Kaunda, Sata’s background could not place him to become a president. He had the simplest background of any modern democratic leader in the world. Most democratical leaders today have a well streamlined background which gives them advantage. In Britain as an example, all its leaders have had to have gone to either Oxford or Cambridge university. Zambia is also following the same path that only persons who have been to two of the top universities can become a president. Both Mr. Hakainde Hichilema and his predecessor are UNZA graduates. one of the major reasons that top universities are likely to dominate the presidency is due to the upper class political circles who only feels comfortable to be led by one of theirs.
In writing about Micheal Sata, we believe that no one really knew the mind of the PF late leader other than his spokesperson, George Chellah. What we are writing is mere perception of the person we saw, heard speak and read what others wrote about him.
Sata was born before Zambia existed, when native people in the land today called Zambia were second class citizens in their own land. The man took up every opportunity that came his way that he found himself working as a police officer. As the job entails, policemen works under strict instruction. There are suggestions that Sata may have actually worked against his own people. But this is history now and history is full of wrongs. In history, they even killed Jesus who came to save them. They celebrated king Solomon whose behaviour did not conform to good leadership ethics.
It’s impossible to write about Sata on Facebook in a readable and acceptable article. It will be difficulty to describe his deep voice, his work ethics and how he improved the health sector in the 90s in one article. So, we turn to one of his achievement.
Sata’a major achievement was the establishment of the Micheal Chilufya Sata Copperbelt university school of medicine. Despite the country gaining independence in 1964, it only had one medical school which used to produce less than 100 doctors a year. The CBU medical school has changed the game that today, Zambia has a surplus trainee medical doctors. Sata also gave licences to several private sectors to set up universities that today, Zambia has more than four medical schools in the country.
There are several achievements Sata recorded. There is a debate currently as to who should be credited for the Lusaka flyover bridges. Some say that the flyover bridges was Sata’s signature project whilst others credit Mr. Edgar Lungu.
Sata also had weaknesses that he set the country on a path to fail. Economically, his government made basic errors including over contracting debts, changing the currency and the introduction of poorly researched SI units. This is a topic of another day though.
In conclusion, Sata helped to grow our democracy. The man had a heart for the people. He hated corruption that when his son was accused of corruption, he symbolically asked the ACC to investigate him. When RB needed Sata’s help, Sata rendered the help unconditionally. He was a liked figure both locally and internationally. When Richard Sakala defamed him, Sata sued Richard Sakala in his personal capacity than closing down his newspaper. He was full of wisdom and knew Zambia’s history better than any politician. He had a good vision for the country though his vision was poorly implemented. The country will always remember its leaders, good or bad, they will always be remembered.