By Field Ruwe EdD
Where is the Commander-in-Chief?
Zambia is no longer the same heart of a country that was. It has taken the ineptitude of an accidental commander-in-chief to expose one of the most peaceful countries on earth to gas, the most inhumane weapon of mass destruction synonymous with Syria, and to the most gruesome and barbaric South African necklacing, the extrajudicial summary execution and torture carried out by forcing a tyre doused in gasoline around a victim’s chest and setting him on fire.
Let me, the writer, observe a moment of silence for those who have perished in the most horrific attacks unprecedented in Zambian history. In taciturnity, I hear the voices of outraged, horrified, and dumbfounded Zambians asking: How have we allowed this to happen on Zambian soil? What has become of Zambians? What’s going on? Who’s behind this? Are we safe? Where is President Edgar Lungu? No one is more responsible for the gassing and necklacing than Lungu, who is the commander-in-chief. He is the reason the attacks of the past weeks have claimed fifty lives.
Article 91(1) of the Zambian constitution states that “There shall be a President of the Republic who shall be the Head of the State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Force.” This constitutional clause, perhaps the most substantial of the presidential duties, has morphed into the very vital responsibility of the president as first responder and chief protector in a national crisis. For President Lungu to let gassing and necklacing, both crimes against humanity, to rear their ugly heads in Zambia is to abdicate the duties of a commander-in-chief.
Screams of agony beyond compare
Gassing and necklacing are the worst acts of terrorism to find their way to Zambia. It is difficult to fathom President Lungu, cabinet ministers, members of parliament, members of the PF party, Hichilema Hakainde, members of his political party, leaders and members of other political parties, and indeed all Zambians, standing around a fellow Zambian, watching him scream in agony, some filming him, taking pictures, cheering, while the boiling tar of a tyre around his neck melts and sears his skin, roasts his flesh, pops his eyes, cooks his brain and heart, and chars his body beyond recognition. Shame on us!
In the same vein, imagine for a moment gassed victims, their spouses, children, your own relatives, sprawled on the floor twitching, convulsing, and foaming from the mouth, their respiratory muscles paralyzed, their lungs producing pulmonary edema, all dying a slow death. That’s what is happening to gassing victims. That’s what gas, the silent fatal killer does. In the hands of ignorant political cadres, gas can cause destruction on a larger scale than conventional weapons. Diffused even in smallest amounts, toxic fumes not only kill in large numbers, but leave tangible long-term impacts upon not only the target, but also those in the vicinity. Consequently, innocent people suffer life-lasting health problems, and babies are born with birth defects.
Not surprising, the recent gassing and necklacing attacks have instilled a foreboding sense of fright and paranoia in Zambians of all ages. The catastrophe has pushed many to the limits of their psychological stress and tolerance. With politics at the core, and an election in sight, the commander-in-chief has failed to recognize the health and psychological impact, gassing and necklacing is having on Zambians, young and old. He can’t see how instant mob justice and toxic gasses have struck a blow to the people’s sense of security, and traumatized a good number. He is the paranoid inglorious commander-in-chief who treats a horrific crisis as a threat to his presidency, succumbs to innuendos, and fails to make the preservation of life as a paramount concern. In the process, he has failed to manage the crisis, and to pay homage to lives that have been lost in the past weeks.
Kenneth Kaunda Master of Crisis Management
Let me, at this juncture evoke the name of Kenneth Kaunda because in my view, he remains the best commander-in-chief and most assertive crisis manager. At his best, KK handled crises, some exceedingly dangerous, as if he was genetically designed to preside over armistice. When Zambia lost 89 miners in the 1970 Mufulira disaster, within hours of the news, Kaunda flew to the scene and watched as rescue teams worked to reach the trapped miners 3,000 feet underground. In all the tragedies and crises, including the Kanyama disaster, KK dashed to the scene waving his white handkerchief and consoling the bereaved and shedding a genuine tear. That’s a commander-in-chief at his best. The difference between KK and Lungu, is what makes the latter a maladroit leader, poor crisis manager, and a pathetic commander-in-chief.
But again it should not come as a surprise. Lungu is generally a lackadaisical president. The truth is that he does not know how to handle a crisis of this magnitude. He is his own worst enemy in a crisis. By character, he crosses the bridge when he comes to it. In turbulent times he treats the first signs of smoke with complacency, and watches from the comfort of his office as it degenerates into an inferno. It is only after fire has consumed a better portion of the country that he raises alarm. It can be stated that since Lungu assumed power he has been caught in a crisis-after-crisis web. Cataclysms tell the story of Lungu’s country: struggling economy, corruption, divisiveness, load shedding, and now chemical spraying of killer gases on fellow humans, and mobs taking the law in their hands, and burning fellow humans with impunity.
Surrounded by wrong people
There have been several calls for the commander-in-chief to address public fear and concern directly on radio and television. The fact that he has not, reflects poorly on Lungu’s press aide Isaac Chipampe, who by now should have lost his job. He is the reason Inspector General of Police, Kakoma Kanganja has become the “commander-in-chief” of the crisis. Unfortunately, all Kanganja can do is to assure the public that his officers are doing their best to apprehend the perpetrators. He can’t, for instance, inform people about their personal vulnerabilities and guarantee them safety. That is the responsibility of the president. It is his duty to ensure assurances of a return to normalcy are relayed to the public in a timely and accurate manner.
The absence of the commander-in-chief on television and radio, has turned the ruling party into the engine escalating the crisis. PFs most dangerous and notorious cadres, Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo, PF Media Director Sunday Chanda, and State House Aide Kaizer Zulu are chiming in and turning crimes against humanity into propaganda for their selfish gain and the commander-in-chief is helping them. They are not only preaching hate, they are mobilizing it and in the process implicating their own party. Without evidence, heartless Chanda and Lusambo are shrouded in their usual nonsensical and venomous rhetoric, using the crisis for a much more dangerous purpose: to replace logic with paranoia. They are inciting mob justice by dangerously accusing political opponents without irrefutable substantiation. By doing so, they are accessories to crimes against humanity.
State House neurotic aide Kaizer Zulu, the chap who exudes contempt, is also weaponizing fake news that others can employ to harass and attack their opponents. The sycophant Zulu, who delights in the crisis, has resorted to making regular comments on some online media outlets that cheapen the office of the president. To imagine the president is surrounded by tawdry aides working at his behest is hard to understand. Again, this shows Lungu’s lack of vision and poor sense of priorities.
Crimes against humanity
This is no time to play political games. No one in the ruling party should come to the defense of President Lungu. He is wrong—very wrong. Similarly, UPND leader Hichilema Hakainde and other opposition leaders should not become architects, inciters, or support such senseless egregious acts of terrorism. The consequences are dire. The Rome Statute (1998) empowers the Internal Court to investigate, and, where warranted, prosecute and try individuals if the country concerned does not, cannot or is unwilling to do so. This might occur here in Zambia where proceedings are unduly delayed or are intended to shield individuals from their criminal responsibility. Under the Rome Statute, no one, including the president, is exempt from prosecution because of his or her position held at the time the crimes were committed.
The appalling gassing and necklacing attacks that have occurred in the past weeks have forever tarnished Lungu’s legacy and tossed him in the bottom rung of Zambian presidents. Edgar Lungu shall forever be remembered as the inglorious commander-in-chief who was crushed by events that proved too powerful for his own weak leadership and moved the country inexorably into one of the most dreadful and traumatic crises in history. The gassing attacks and necklacing taking place in Zambia are his waterloo.
In conclusion, let me also address all those who love this beautiful country. Politics aside, we must save ourselves and the country or perish. Gassing and necklacing are such serious acts of terrorism that must not find ground in Zambia. We are better than this.
Author is a US-based Zambian multicultural scholar practitioner and author. He holds a Doctor of Education degree from Northeastern University, Boston Massachusetts, U.S.