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

VEEP has instruments of power

From the ZNBC website (23/07/08)

Chief government spokesperson, Mike Mulongoti has dismissed rumours that before his departure for Egypt, President Levy Mwanawasa left the instruments of power with defence minister George Mpombo.
Mr. Mulongoti, who is also Information Minister, says Vice President Rupiah Banda is fully in charge of all government functions.
He says Mr. Banda is receiving support from all line ministries in implementing various government programmes.
Mr. Mulongoti was speaking during a live National watch programme on ZNBC TV Monday night.
He assured the nation that cabinet will continue implementing various government programmes despite the Zambian leader's absence.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mulongoti has reiterated that President Mwanawasa is recovering well in Paris, France.
Mr. Mulongoti said people should trust governemnt updates on the condition of the President.
He said government is grateful to the local and international community for the goodwill they have extended to the first family and government.
President Mwanawasa is admitted to Percy military hospital in Paris, France.


I hope this will put to bed rumours that have been circulating on the a number of blogs that there is a power struggle between the Vice President and Minister of Defence over the control of GRZ. As I pointed out in one of my earlier postings on the illness of the President, it is very important for govt to provide as much information as possible on the prevailing situation to stop unfounded rumours gaining momentum. I know they can not comb every blog and website to gauge what people are saying but it is important that the general public have accurate and up to date information on the situation.

The PANEL

Levy's illness and succession

Editorial in the POST 11/07/2008

THESE are very difficult times we are in. The stroke that hit President Levy Mwanawasa in Egypt last week has landed a big blow on our country, its government and its ruling party, the MMD.Wherever one goes, whatever household one visits what is being discussed is President Mwanawasa's illness and its consequences on the political leadership and economic management of our country. Everyone is discussing this. It appears to be a question no one seems to be able to avoid.The reaction towards Benny Tetamashimba's statement is understandable and it may be legitimately justified. But Tetamashimba is simply saying publicly what all of us seem to be saying privately. The problem is not what he has said but probably the mode he has chosen to say it - publicly.But that's Tetamashimba. Sometimes his courage to say what needs to be said saves the nation but at other times, it has led to serious misunderstanding and probably confusion. However we feel about what Tetamashimba has said - and justifiably so - let us not ignore what he is saying. He may have been insensitive, his motive questionable but he has raised an issue publicly which we can ill-afford to ignore, and which no honest person can say they are ignoring.The rumour that our President had died caught the nation off-guard. Although we all knew that President Mwanawasa had suffered a potentially life-threatening stroke, it seems none of us was ready for that news and its consequences. We would dare say that even those who wished him ill were not ready.This explains the mood that gripped the nation last Thursday. The great majority of our people seemed genuinely concerned about their President. Our financial and capital markets were thrown into immediate turmoil. A huge cloud of uncertainty immediately gripped the nation. Something tragic had happened and we as a nation were not ready for it.Those few, but long, hours of uncertainty caused a lot of reflection on Levy's presidency. With the exception of a few scoundrels, hyenas and jackals, most of our people were heard saying “we need Levy”. There was a general mood of denial. People were receiving the news but refusing to accept it. This caused a lot of tension. We were not spared by this tension. Some people accused us of suppressing information when the government clarified the position.It is one week, one day since that scare - we need to reflect. With all the sensitivity and compassion towards a fellow human being in a difficult situation such as Levy's, we need to draw vital lessons from what happened last week. This can only help us. The government keeps giving us helpful briefs about our President's condition but we are not out of the woods yet - far from it.The danger and risk that caused panic and worry last week is still very much with us. The President is still in a very unpredictable condition. It would not be right or helpful for us to pretend otherwise. It is the job of leaders to find sensitive and very humane ways to prepare the country for the worst whilst hoping for the best.Tetamashimba's style, or lack of it, is difficult to defend. But this is not about Tetamashimba. You might think him foolish, unwise, uncouth and uncultured, but you cannot totally disagree with what he is saying. Those that are in leadership positions with him must find ways of managing him. And that is not our concern for now. There are more important and urgent things deserving every honest Zambian's attention.We have been fortunate as a country to have enjoyed 44 years of virtually unbroken peace and stability. We have enjoyed peaceful transition of power and learnt to settle our differences peacefully and within the dictates of the rule of law. Most of our people are wallowing in abject poverty but we have peace which is something we should never take for granted. President Mwanawasa in his awkward and sometimes clumsy way seems to have laid a reasonable foundation for Zambia to make progress in all areas of human endeavour.He has been determined to fight some very dangerous vices and practices at great personal and political peril. No one can accuse Levy of being a populist, a demagogue. He has had no problem giving the nation bad news if that is what he believed they needed to hear. Levy is a politician who seems uncomfortable with politics.Levy can be unpredictable but it is not easy to accuse him of dishonesty. It is clear that these are some of the things that Zambians were starting to appreciate and love about him. The other day, we heard someone refer to him as an acquired taste difficult to love on first taste but irresistible once you get used to it. One can say he is like an olive - it has a poor taste at first but irresistible when you get used to it.What are we saying?We have to admit that the uncertainty that descended on our nation last week Thursday clearly demonstrated that Levy in his own awkward way had eventually managed to connect with the people. There was a bonding between a leader and his people which was difficult to appreciate before that day. All this is very good but it still does not answer the questions: where do we go now? What is to be done? - to borrow Lenin's words.It is very easy at a time such as this to be lost in sentimentality, feelings of sympathy and goodwill towards our President. But these feelings will not address the potential dangers and pitfalls that we face as a nation. Katele Kalumba's character is a difficult one. It does not give us much confidence. His contribution to our national politics could have been very good but we have to say his impact on our politics has been disastrous.An intelligent man, capable of being well-mannered seems addicted to wrong-doings, wrong methods, and unbridled schemings, political engineering acquired from Chiluba's school of political machinations. Knowing Katele as we do, when he gives us advice, we have to stop and think. When did Katele become a charitable politician capable of subordinating his petty political and sectional ambitions to the greater good of the nation? His advice may sound well-founded but it is sugar-coated poison.Katele is saying there is no reason to start discussing President Mwanawasa's succession because it is insensitive to do so but is that really the reason why Katele is not prepared to talk about President Mwanawasa's succession? He says something that has aroused our interest. He is saying in one cheek that we should not discuss President Mwanawasa's succession and on the other side of his mouth he is saying with his twisted tongue that a party convention should decide the successor. Here is a man who is not prepared to discuss succession!Tetamashimba's words may be offensive, but Katele's are no different. It's a question of a pot calling the kettle black. Katele knows that as party secretary he had great influence over the conduct of party elections at the lower organs. And he will rely on this in organising the MMD convention to produce a result he desires. There is a big lesson to be learnt from all this. Dishonest people don't like transparency.They want everything done in secret so that they can manipulate weak souls and determine the results. The likes of Katele are telling people not to discuss the current political leadership situation in the country and in the ruling party so that they can continue to mobilise and organise unhindered under the cover of darkness while other more descent politicians feel inhibited to do so.The illness of President Mwanawasa must teach us to discuss difficult national issues openly with candour and due regard to the feelings of other people. It will not help us to be secretive about a problem that is so much in the public domain and causing so much anxiety. Only the likes of Katele will benefit from suppressing discussion.

I must say I was one of the many Zambians that panicked when the rumour swept the news wires last week. My friends and I started searching through the pages of the constitution (http://www.parliament.gov.zm) to find out what the provisions are. As the POST pointed out in another hard hitting Editorial last week, the nation has to hope for the best but also prepare for the worst. I think there are only three possible outcomes (a) The President recovers and resumes office (b) The President does not fully recover but somehow remains in power (c)The president is incapacitated and can not continue as president.

You may be asking why I have included option (b). The answer is the Ben Kapita scandal.
As a nation we should prepare for any of these scenarios and have plans in place to move forward. People should be free to openly discuss these issues otherwise we shall just provide a perfect breeding ground for unfounded rumours.

The PANEL

Zambia leader's 'death' retracted

South Africa's leader has retracted comments in which he said that Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, 59, had died.
President Thabo Mbeki asked for a minute's silence on Thursday but his office later said reports of Mr Mwanawasa's death were "not true".
Zambia's Vice-President Rupiah Banda said Mr Mwanawasa had had a "satisfactory night" in Paris.
He was flown there from Egypt, where he had suffered a stroke on Sunday ahead of an African Union summit.
South African radio earlier quoted a spokesman who said he was from Zambia's High Commission as saying Mr Mwanawasa had died.
Mr Mbeki called for the minute's silence at a ceremony for those killed in a recent wave of attacks on foreigners in South Africa.
"The executive secretary of Sadc [the Southern African Development Community] called me to say the president of Zambia, Levy Mwanawasa, had passed away this morning," he said, reports Reuters news agency.
But the foreign affairs department later issued a "clarification".
"The South African Government has been informed that President Mwanawasa has not passed on," it said.
"President Mbeki regrets the misunderstanding; and on behalf of the government and on his own behalf, wishes President Mwanawasa a speedy recovery."

Yesterday just proved how powerful the internet is as a medium for spreading news. A careless comment on a radio station in South Africa soon sent all the news wires spinning. Even Wikipedia updated the entries for the President and his deputy.

The Editorial in today's POST sums up the situation very well, "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst".

The PANEL

Get well soon Mr. President

According to the Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/fc8bdf4a6e084cf66ade424cb5c20604.htm)

Mwanawasa suffered a stroke on the eve of the African Union (AU) summit in Egypt and was admitted to a private hospital on 29 June. He was flown to a clinic in Paris, the French capital, on 2 July in a semi-comatose state. Zambia's vice-president, Rupiah Banda, the acting president, described Mwanawasa's condition as stable.


This development is very sad indeed. It came at a time when Africa needed Mwanawasa's input into the ongoing saga in Zimbabwe.

I join the nation in wishing him a quick and full recovery.
The PANEL

Mandela on Zimbabwe

No need to recount the appalling and shameful events in Zimbabwe but I want to specifically comment on Mr. Mandela's intervention.

A lot of people have been calling on Mandela to come out and condemn his former friend and colleague, Robert Gabriel Mugabe. Yesterday, with the whole world watching, an opportunity presented itself and Madiba commented as follows

"We watch with sadness the continuing tragedy in Darfur. Nearer to home we have seen the outbreak of violence against fellow Africans in our own country and the tragic failure of leadership in our neighbouring Zimbabwe."

I have total respect for Mandela for what he stands for and how he handled the end of white rule in South Africa. He showed great selflessness by handing over power to Mr. Mbeki just after serving a single term as president of the rainbow nation. Very few African politicians would have done that. The great man has spent his retirement fighting the adverse effects of HIV/AIDS and poverty in the Developing world. However, on this occasion I think he missed an opportunity to help Zimbabweans and the world at large generate a head of steam to kick out Mugabe. Instead of using "lawyerly" words he should have put his feelings in black and white. A statement directly condemning Mr. Mugabe and urging him to give up power would have sent a very strong message and perhaps pushed Mr. Mbeki to abandon the soft diplomacy he has been pushing in dealing with the situation.
What is happening in Zimbabwe is a great embarrassment to every African and we need our elder statesmen such as Mr. Mandela to come out in the open and condemn the tyrannical rule of Mugabe.

The PANEL

Sata is a good fellow to have around - Levy

President Levy Mwanawsa yesterday said he had realised that opposition Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata was a good fellow to have around.President Mwanawasa also revealed that he so detested Sata that he did not even want to hear his voice because he was making his job very difficult.And Sata pledged not to openly criticise President Mwanawasa but talk to him in person.Meanwhile, PF spokesperson Given Lubinda said the party’s central committee would sit to review Sata’s new relationship with President Mwanawasa.Addressing journalists at State House after reconciliatory discussions with Sata, President Mwanawasa said when he received the news that Sata had suffered a heart attack, he was gripped with sadness and realised just how much he needed him.“Today is one of the important days in Zambia in my administration of six years. I have always wanted the opposition to work with me to develop this country. I am always of the view that it is not right that we should be campaigning for five years and do nothing else to develop the country,” President Mwanawasa said.“It is unfortunate that it must take serious illness for all of us to realise just how much we need each other. When the young man Ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr Simon Miti came to inform me that Mr Sata had developed a heart attack, I was at the gym in Chamba Valley.I was so gripped with sadness at the news. If you asked me before, I would have told you that nshimfwaya nokumumfwa ishiwi lyakwe iyo. That is how much I detested this man because he was maliciously making my job difficult to govern this country.”“I told Simon Miti that ‘where is Michael Sata?’ He told me that he was in some private hospital. Then I said ‘is he in a position to move? I want government to help for Mr Sata to be taken to South Africa for treatment’.He told me that the doctors had said they are still stabilising him, that as soon as he was fit enough…again that would depend on the willingness of his relatives because Mr Sata is not in the position to make any decision,” President Mwanawasa said. “I agreed and I said ‘okay, let us wait’. I said ‘keep me informed and as soon as he is fit enough find out from Mrs Sata if he can be taken to hospital’.”President Mwanawasa said around 22:00 hours or 23:00 hours, he received the news from Dr Miti that the doctors had advised that Sata could be flown and the government had since chartered a plane to take him to South Africa.“I had also spoken to Mrs Sata and she feels very grateful that the government is able to assist in this way,” he said.“I want you Sata to convey my thanks and those of government to Mrs Sata for having given us the opportunity to help despite the perception which was there that there is nothing in blood between you and myself.”President Mwanawasa said at the same time, Sata had a problem of a passport, which had been confiscated by the government.“I was unable to get in touch with the minister who was dealing with the matter, Hon Shikapwasha. So how could he arrive in South Africa without any form of travel documents?I gave instructions for the system to make arrangements for Mr Sata to be received even though he had no passport or any other travel documents. That could be looked into later,” President Mwanawasa explained. “Fortunately, this was agreed; around past 01:00 hours in the morning Mr Sata, his wife and I think his niece were flown to South Africa for treatment.”President Mwanawasa said he kept being worried until he received information that everything had gone on well and that Sata was out of danger. He said he was glad that his discussions with Sata yesterday had marked a new beginning in Zambia’s political history.“I will be glad to convene a meeting of some senior party and government officials when you say you want to meet us. We have agreed that you will give us a paper to indicate the subjects you want us to discuss,” President Mwanawasa said.“This is what I have always wanted. I consider Zambia as mine but Zambia is not mine alone, it is yours as well, it’s for everybody. Each of us, we are too small; we are smaller than Zambia so we must advance the interests of the many.”President Mwanawasa said it would be good for his and Sata’s children saying, in future, that their fathers had contributed something to Zambia’s development.“I want my children to be proud that we had a father, a grandfather, a great grandfather who ruled this country and he contributed. Do you still have children Mr Sata?” PresidentMwanawasa asked as Sata responded: ‘I even have grandchildren.”President Mwanawasa offered his condolences to Sata over the death of his son, Chilufya.“But I want these children to be proud of the fact that our parents were there and they led this country to higher heights,” he said.“Insults do not build the country, criticism especially if it is misdirected, does not build. My wife told me of a story that there was funeral which you and her attended Dean Mung’omba’s funeral and you were joking and you said ba Maureen tell Levy he is working very well but we are fighting for the presidency.I said ‘that was a joke, I wish Michael Sata could do such jokes with me’.“But the only thing we do when we meet is to come almost to blows, you remember when we met at the Electoral office…(Sata chips in: ‘that was when we were fighting for the chair.)”President Mwanawasa said Sata was welcome to go to State House to see him personally or phone him.“I am humbled to hear that it’s not your intention to be openly criticising me. I want to say that it is also mutual, it’s not my intention to openly criticise you.I want us to discuss real issues that will build this country,” President Mwanawasa. “I am very happy to see you here at State House. And that goes to show where we are, this is State House, it’s not Mwanawasa House, it’s your house as well.”President Mwanawasa invited Sata to be attending national events at State House.“I want you to come and join us, come and laugh with us and come and reflect on what happened in the past year with us. Then our followers will say ‘yes, we are being led in the right direction’. Not as of now when they can say we are being led in the ditch,” said President Mwanawasa.And Sata said the main purpose of his visit to State House was to thank President Mwanawasa for having taken him to South Africa for specialist treatment.“I am entitled, everybody is entitled but somebody has to make a decision and make a decision at the right time. Your Excellency, I am very, very grateful,” said Sata and repeatedly praised President Mwanawasa. “Now having said thank you, Zambia provided leadership before and after independence and Zambia can still provide leadership.”He said that in a few years’ time, President Mwanawasa would not be in State House and there would be another president.“We as a nation, and most especially in the opposition, are sensitising the people and prepare for a smooth and honourable exit and assure that the new president will feel the comfort and appreciation for the people who were there,” Sata said.“I have never been a president and that is why I am not going to join the MMD because all the jobs of minister I have been minister, I have never been vice-president and I don’t want to be vice-president; so I will remain in PF.”Sata said yesterday was a new beginning for PF to dialogue with the government.“We are grateful to the President for according us this opportunity to see us.We will prepare a number of things which we want to discuss,” Sata said. “We were just the two of us, we haven’t told you everything we discussed. We have only selected what to tell you and we shall continue meeting the two of us.”Sata told President Mwanawasa and his aides to call him any time so that he could meet President Mwanawasa.“It will only be me who will know what we have discussed with President Mwanawasa, not even Guy Scott will know,” Sata said. “As colleagues, we must keep confidence of each other.”Sata, however, denied that he had ‘sold’ PF to the MMD and President Mwanawasa.And Given Lubinda said although PF appreciated Sata’s open position regarding his association with the MMD government for the benefit of the country, he was not running the party alone. He said Sata did not consult all members of the central committee about meeting President Mwanawasa at State House.“But I can confirm that only a few members were consulted and not the whole committee. I think whatever has been discussed between the two presidents, they have to present before their party organs.So, as PF, members of the central committee, we’ll have to sit and review the issue so that we can come up with a policy direction,” Lubinda said. “I think it will not be good to keep the members of the committee speculating since not everyone was consulted.”Lubinda said Sata’s political shift would be extensively discussed by the central committee soon. He refuted fears of a possible merger with MMD, saying a PF and MMD merger would compromise Zambia’s democracy.He said President Mwanawasa only remained with three years before he leaves office and a merger would be meaningless.“For what benefit would be a merger with MMD? If that is done, the losers will be the people of Zambia. I can tell you, a merger is out and cannot happen at all,” Lubinda said.Asked on how Sata could make peace with MMD when he had failed to do that in his own party, Lubinda said PF was a peaceful party and should continue to maintain peace with all parties as a way of promoting democracy in the country.Asked further if PF members were happy with Sata’s political shift since they were against MMD policies, Lubinda said the meeting at State House would not change PF’s position in dealing with issues of national interest.Lubinda said Sata’s meeting with President Mwanawasa was a fulfillment of his calls to end political tension in the country. He said on many occasions, Sata had wanted to meet President Mwanawasa and discuss national matters.“I hope you will recall when government invited PF to participate in the NCC. President Sata refused but said he is ready to meet President Mwanawasa and discuss the matter so that contentious issues that were raised by most stakeholders are resolved. So, as far as I am concerned, president Sata is just fulfilling his mission.He is not like others who meet President Mwanawasa in the cover of darkness,” Lubinda said.He said even PF members of parliament had been holding meetings with government ministers to discuss developmental issues.“I have held meetings with local government minister Sylvia Masebo, Minister of Lands and many others. So, as president of the party, president Sata has the right to meet President Mwanawasa to unite the country and bring development,” said Lubinda.