FRIDAY KASHIWA OF SHIWANG’ANDU WRITES
March 16,2024
THE OCIDA FILE; THE DARKEST AND SADDEST MOMENTS WHEN THE EMINENT PERSONS AND DISTINGUISHED RETIRED LEADERS WE LOOK UP TO HAVE STARTED TO PLAY POLITICS OF DIVIDE AND RULE.
OCIDA, the Our Civic Duty Association was launched at Kapingila House in Lusaka on Wednesday 24th June 2020 by Eminent and distinguished retired citizens.
The OCIDA was formed NOT as a political party but as a civic organization whose primary objective was centered on Advocacy, the Promotion and Enhancement of good governance.
Some media platforms affectionately and proudly referred to it’s formation as THE COMING OF THE THIRD – FORCE.
From the word go, some big and serious pronouncements were made as to the motivation and the causes that had led to the formation of OCIDA, prominent amongst them were, but not limited to the following: To fight
- The PF government corruption.
- The PF government dictatorship.
- The ever shrinking democratic space.
- The Anti Tonga – Lozi tribalism.
The Association in most instances worked, or even now work in camera, but occasionally would release some hard-hitting and explosive statements against the PF government corruption, dictatorship and the shrinking democratic space. And have decided to maintain the status quo, checks and balances for the New Dawn Administration.
These statements were by then collectively and even now ought to be crafted, drafted, finalized and then by consensus, would be passed over to the Chairman, the only mandated member, to release to the press and the public.
That was then.
Not now. No more any meaningful consensus amongst the OCIDA honorable membership
THINGS FALL APART.
Exactly after 11 months of it’s formation, our country, Zambia, successfully and peacefully witnessed change of Government and leadership from the Patriotic Front – PF to the UPND and from Edgar Chagwa Lungu to Hakainde Hichilema respectively.
This unfortunately seemed to have been the turning point of our hitherto respectable, cherished, honorable, promising and distinguished organization of our time.
The organization we wanted to show off to our new generation that we had men and women of integrity who came together to form
THE THIRD FORCE.
I have said unfortunately because immediately after the New Dawn Administration started settling down to start carrying out their serious governance business, the OCIDA started developing some huge and ugly cracks within their leadership and membership structures.
Two camps visibly and shamelessly emerged. Nothing good to show and to tell our next generation about.
One camp wanted to and still want to continue with and drive the original agenda, vision and objective upon which the organization was formed.
But for this camp to achieve that goal and for this camp to make any meaningful legitimate respectable and acceptable decisions and pronouncements, locally and internationally, they need to at least be supported by about 75% of the existing membership.
That’s the same good corporate governance these old distinguished but now retired senior citizens have been preaching and advocating to us up to their now distinguished and graciously advanced ages.
With due respect, I don’t know whether Mr Brebner Changala and His Grace the Archbishop Emeritus Telesphode Mpundu managed to get the required OCIDA membership acceptable, mandate to issue and release that UPND leadership and other governance deficiencies index that has huge implications and damaging repercussion effects both locally and internationally.
The other camp is even more difficult to understand and to describe because it’s like they detached themselves from the main officially established, registered and regulated OCIDA official hierarchy that they were part of.
Maybe people can now comfortably confirm that this other camp has now finally achieved what they wanted and have now migrated and reached to where they really wanted to get to from the inception of OCIDA, where the rules are that You Don’t Talk With Food In Your Mouth.
This is the camp that has decided, after change of Government, to remain mute and shamelessly detach themselves from the main OCIDA structure and start employing their own confrontational tactics, mainly reactive ones to the other main OCIDA camp.
Is it because they have achieved what they wanted, but still riding on the platform and objectives they pretended they were part of at formation.
With due respect Mr Lesley Mbula and your other colleagues I can’t identify, what will we tell our next generation that we had the most accomplished and honorable top civil servant of our generation who is now showing some signs and leadership of Divide and Rule.
You read the other version of the OCIDA group statement but did you sign it. And you expect Zambians and the American Embassy to take you and your group seriously.
Mr Mbula you and your colleagues were champions of good corporate governance but now you seem to have decided to do the opposite by parading yourself with one or likely no other bonafide member of OCIDA, to discredit the other discredited group.
And am sure you all think and take, us ZAMBIANS we are FOOLS.
If you our most honorable, distinguished and accomplished leaders of many years can now start practicing the politics of Divide and Rule, then what legacy are you going to leave and for us to show and tell our children and grandchildren that you the two groups have left for us and for them.
Shame on you.