Levy Mwanawasa RIP

Very sincere condolences to the Government, Mrs. Mwanawasa and the entire Mwanawasa family. I personally did not approve of a number of Levy's initiatives but he was truly a courageous leader and somebody who tried his best to improve the welfare of our people.

Now is not the time to start picking holes in his presidency but to celebrate his life and contribution.

MHSRIP.

The Panel

To fail to plan is to plan to fail

Fr. Peter Henriot has written a very good article in Todays POST (05/08/08). I want to concentrate on the last two paragraphs of the piece...

My last point is obviously very serious and must be approached with due respect and caution. Prayers for recovery are a clear response to the sad condition of President Mwanawasa. But they are not sufficient, since no country can move forward without plans to take possible actions to secure clear constitutional action for presidential succession should that be necessary. Rejection of publicly addressing these plans on the grounds that it would be culturally offensive is certainly questionable. The issue here is not a person but a presidency, not an individual but an institution.

There is need for open, sensitive and sensible planning for the contingency that President Mwanawasa may not fully take up his office duties in the near future. Plans may need to be made for a major national election within a very short time frame. Plans for a peaceful political transition should be in place if this step is necessary.If, in fact, there has been a serious and consistent fault of poor planning, should someone – high or low – be asked to resign?Planning in any of these four areas, or any other key area, must go forward intelligently and courageously. Remember, “To fail to plan is to plan to fail!”

Fr. Henriot seems to be voicing what most sober minds have been saying for the past few weeks concerning the prevailing situation. While there is need to continue praying for a quick and full recovery of the President, it is equally important to plan and prepare for the different scenarios. One of the issues Fr. Henriot mentions which I have not considered before is the need to put in place a plan to hold a general election at short notice! The ECZ struggles to execute the regular elections every five years and there is considerable doubt whether the body is geared up to arrange and execute elections within 90 days. However, we all hope that the President recovers sufficiently to resume his duties.

The PANEL