KABIMBA AND LOYALTY TO SATA (EDITORIAL COMMENT FOR SUNDAY 31ST AUGUST 2014) Chishimba Kambwili says the dropping of Wynter Kabimba is a lesson to other party members to always be loyal to the President. Is Kambwili telling us that Wynter was dropped for not being loyal to Michael Sata? Unless loyalty has another meaning, it is difficult to understand how anyone can accuse Wynter of not being loyal to Michael. But we know where all this is coming from. There was a long and sustained campaign to try and make Wynter appear not to be loyal to Michael. And they did everything possible to make Michael see Wynter in that light. Emails and documents were being manufactured to try and implicate Wynter into schemes that would make him appear to be working against Michael and having political ambitions that were in conflict with his presidency. All sorts of stories were being told to try and implicate Wynter in acts of disloyalty. For a long time, Michael refused to believe such lies, concoctions and malice. But these elements are like cockroaches; no matter how many times Michael reproached them, they never gave up. We challenge anyone in this world to bring out a single act - not the concocted emails and documents they were circulating - that would clearly show Wynter being disloyal to Michael. The two have come a long way. They have done many things together. They have been there for each other in so many ways, including at family level. When Levy Mwanawasa was president, he had asked Wynter to work with him. Wynter refused and said he would stay with Michael even if it meant staying in the opposition forever. And the witnesses to all this are still alive. Wynter was in the Patriotic Front and its government due to his faith in Michael. And not very long ago in Chipata, Wynter made it clear that if Michael left, he would also leave. If this is the reason why Michael has dropped Wynter, then it will be interesting to know what acts of disloyalty Wynter had engaged in. If this is so, there are many common friends of Michael and Wynter who would like to know what type of betrayal, disloyalty took place. And if Wynter was not loyal to Michael, who was, who is? Can it be the people who just a few weeks ago were going round, saying Michael is not coming back alive from Israel and were politically repositioning themselves to take over? They were very worried that Michael was going to die in Israel, leaving Wynter, whom he had left as acting President, to be seen as an anointed successor. They did a lot of things to discredit, undermine Wynter. They even went as far as waging a campaign to question Wynter’s acting appointment as president. So many things were concocted to create a wage between Michael and Wynter. As we have stated before, they took advantage of certain challenges, weaknesses, lapses. There are many things we can say on this score. But for the sake of Michael, we will keep quiet, we will leave things here. Kambwili is also saying the dropping of Wynter will foster unity. This is true because for now, the corrupt and tribalistic clique that was fighting Wynter and fomenting all sorts of divisions within the Patriotic Front will have no one to fight. They were united against Wynter because he was not part of their corruption and tribal politics. Their unity was one brought about by their desire to defend their corruption. That will to defend corrupt practices and tribal hegemony is the one thing they held in common. But with the passage of time, that will prove an insubstantial glue. Soon, they will start fighting each other over the sharing of contracts and power itself. The signs of division may today be no bigger than a small crab in a jar, but they will grow. And moreover, the wheel of fortune turns and that which appeared fresh, with the passing of time, goes to seed. And they shouldn’t trouble themselves so much trying to fight a man who has left. Wynter is a principled person who knows what loyalty means. They will not see a fight between Wynter and Michael. Yes, the way Michael dropped Wynter may not be pleasing. Surely, that’s not the way to deal with comrades, friends when you part company. Michael could have dropped Wynter in a more friendly and humane way and not the way he did it. Probably he was convinced Wynter had become an enemy because such treatment is only reserved for enemies and not friends. They have come a long way, they have shared a lot. A better way to part was possible. And this is not in any way to say that Michael had no right to dismiss Wynter from his government and his party because they are friends who have come a long way. Michael has every right to do what he did. It is his party. It is his government. He can do what he wants and he is not answerable to any of us for what he chooses to do or whom he wants to work with or drop. We are simply saying he could have done all this in a relatively humane manner. He could have done it with more compassion. But still, we don’t think this is an issue with Wynter. He is a loyal person, a patriot who will always wish to see his country move forward, with or without him. And you will not see him gloat over personal positions nor attack Michael as a result of that. It will also not be right for Wynter to do so. And there is no good reason for him to behave in that way. As for Kambwili and his friends, things look very good today, very strong and confident. But problems lie ahead. They don’t know where they are headed, and that is dangerous. As we stated in our editorial comment of yesterday, it is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities. There is need to be careful with what one says, even under excitement. The human tongue is only a few inches from the brain, but when you listen to some people talk, mouth and mind seem miles apart. What we say is important. Don’t jump into trouble mouth-first. Remember: your words have the power to start fires or quench passion. There is no need to concoct lies about others, no matter how much you detest them. Truthful words do not cost much. They never blister the tongue or lips. Mental trouble was never known to arise from such quarters. Though they don’t cost much, yet they accomplish much. They bring out a good nature in others. They also produce their own image of a man’s soul. Sometimes our biggest enemies and most trustworthy friends are the words we say to ourselves. As Proverbs 18:21 says, “Life and death are in the power of the tongue.” Johann Lavater advised, “Never tell evil of a man if you do not know it for certain, and if you know it for certain, then ask yourself, ‘Why should I tell it?’”
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 11:25:12 +0000
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