Measure for Measure: Levi’s ‘Legacy’ on Trial

One of the hot political topics during the just ended period of national mourning was Levy's legacy. A number of statements have been made painting the late president as a champion of democracy and someone who upheld the rule of law.

Malama Katulwende, in a very controversial article, offers an alternative view. Here is the opening salvo...

The untimely death of the Third Zambian Republican President, Dr. Levi Patrick Mwanawasa has not only brought profound sadness, grief, guilt, shock and confusion to the first family and the people of this country but also inspired a deluge of hypocrisy and irrationalism over his supposed legacy and estimate.Gripped by the tragic loss of a man who presided over the affairs of our nation since 2002 some sections of the media, civil society, political leadership and citizenry have suddenly started lavishing the late president with preposterous titles and praises which were never pronounced by them in his life. They have, for example, given him such accolades as ‘a great leader,’, ‘a great hero,’ ‘a champion of democracy,’ ‘a visionary’, ‘our beloved president’, ‘a great son of Africa’, ‘an economic emancipator,’ ‘a fighter for the poor,’ ‘a just man,’ and a dozen other ‘tributes’ that sum up Mwanawasa’s achievements and successes. No one has alluded to Mwanawasa’s arrogance, unpopularity and lack of leadership qualities.The purpose of this column, however, is to demonstrate the hypocrisy, falsehoods and lack of sincerity of some Zambian press and people. In terms of history as an every day affair which people create and perform, the author therefore questions and puts the supposed ‘legacy’ of Levi Mwanawasa on trial. To what extent does the late president measure up to his ‘legacy’? Are the titles and estimates that the late president is currently receiving truly justified? What extraordinary things did this man do as president of Zambia? What constitutes ‘greatness’?In an editorial comment titled, “Our Lessons from Levy’s Life, Death” the Post newspaper of August 21st 2008 depicted Levi Mwanawasa as a standing sacrifice who fought corruption and lived an honest life. “Millions of people, touched by the humanity, honesty and kindness of Levy, will forever cherish him in their hearts…Levy was a true human being for our country. A challenge to be human. With him one cherished to be human…The greatest tribute we could pay to Levy is to live, as he did, with warmth and kindness, with great integrity, with courage, with a simple unaffected humility.”The Post believes Levi set the standards of incorruptibility, honesty, integrity and commitment. The paper advised Zambians to protect Levi’s legacy by endorsing Ngandu Magande, current finance minister preferred by Levi Mwanawasa to succeed him, as their next republican president.

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Has the POST lost direction?

As the country ends the period of mourning for the late president, it is probably time to take stock of the events and learn from what transpired. Most commentators have observed that GRZ handled the funeral arrangements very well and they are to be commended for that.

One organisation that has lost some of its shine during this period is the POST Newspaper. Many of us have come to regard the POST as a national treasure and perhaps one of the few pillars of our young democracy. In a country where the state controls the mass media, the POST has sought to always present independent news and analysis. We all recall the courage displayed by the POST and its staff in the past when they have faced intimidation from the state and powerful political figures. A number of its senior members of staff have actually been prosecuted on a number of occasions for a myriad of falsified charges. Given this background, it is very difficult for me to comprehend why the POST decided to influence the selection of the MMD presidential candidate on the pretext of “continuing Levy’s legacy”. This was even backed up by an ill-advised interview by Mrs. Mwanawasa in which she confirmed Magande as the late president’s chosen one. We can only speculate on how Levy would have handled the succession issue had he lived beyond 2011. BUT if the man was a champion of democracy, he would have made a recommendation and then left the MMD membership to choose the party leader as stipulated by the constitution. In the situation we faced, the MMD constitution seems to empower the NEC to choose a presidential candidate in the absence of a national convention. It was therefore proper that the MMD allowed members who felt competent to file their applications. This is what Levy would have wanted and this is called democracy. It was therefore wrong for the POST to try and force Magande on the MMD. I am not saying RB is a better candidate or that the meeting that selected him had no flaws but at least that process was better than what the POST was proposing.
Many people were at a loss as to why the POST took this irrational stance. It emerged last week that Zambian Airways was in serious financial trouble. The company owed National Airports Corporation approximately $2Million! Dora Siliya (Minister of Communication) had asked the company to pay up but Peter Magande offered them a lifeline by agreeing to defer the payment by 2 yrs. Another story came out that the POST actually owned 30% of Zambian Airways. The POST came out fighting with a hard hitting editorial justifying their investment in Zambian Airways and why GRZ should save the company. In a country where ‘kachepa’ still thrives, many people are beginning to link the two issues.

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