KENNETH Kaunda (third from left) with colleagues negotiating Independence at Lancaster House, London in 1965.
BY NAMAKAU HANTEMBE –
ZAMBIA will be celebrating its 50 years of independence on October 24, this year and alot of preparations are going on countrywide to mark this memorable Golden Jubilee event.
The question most citizens of this country are asking is that ‘is it worthy to celebrate this special event?’
Well, in the early years of the country’s independence, Zambia’s economy flourished. The mineral rights of the British South African Company (BSA) then accrued to the State as copper prices rose dramatically.
However, the country’s economy took a serious downturn during the 1970s when there was a major collapse in the price of copper in 1975, while the cost of imported oil soared.
Even more significant was the damage caused by Zambia’s proximity to Southern Rhodesia.
With the declaration of UDI by Ian Smith, in 1965, Zambia became the frontline State in Africa’s struggle against this act of white supremacy.
First Republican president Kenneth Kaunda took the leading role in opposing the Smith regime – a stance which included offering safe havens to guerrilla forces that operated across the borders against Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), but which also invited armed retaliation by Rhodesian forces.
Again, there was an economic consequence of being a land-locked neighbour of a nation which the international community tried to isolate after the imposition of UN sanctions on Rhodesia in 1968.
Rhodesia had in the past been Zambia’s main trading partner.
It had also been the route by which Zambia’s copper travelled to the sea at Beira.
This resulted to an expensive railway link that had to be constructed, with a massive Chinese loan to the distant port of Dar-es-Salaam.
These difficulties caused Kaunda to impose a State of Emergency. With regular renewals by Parliament, this evolved gradually into a State of normality.
Kaunda’s rule became increasingly authoritarian. Political opponents were harassed and in 1973 a new Constitution turned Zambia into a One-party State.
By the late 1980s, the economy was in such a decrepit state that there were food riots in several towns.
Finally, in 1991, the national assembly withdrew the ban on political parties other than United National Independence Party (UNIP). Multiparty elections were held in October of that year.
Their startling result gave Kaunda and Zambia undeniable credit, rare in Africa at that time, for high electoral standards.
In the 1991 elections Kaunda’s party, UNIP was left with less than one sixth of the seats in the National Assembly.
A massive majority (125 out of the 150 seats) were won by the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD). The MMD candidate, a trade unionist Frederick Chiluba, easily defeated Kaunda in the race for the presidency.
The 1990s remained a time of great difficulties for Zambia.
Copper suffered a further decline in value. Efforts to reform the bloated civil service inherited from Kaunda were painful and not entirely successful.
And the MMD began to lose its early reputation for a serious commitment to democracy and human rights.
A Livingstone resident, Elias Chiyobe shared his personal thoughts over the subject matter. Mr Chiyobe said Zambia is one of the developing countries in the southern region of Africa, making its way to being developed and with a real potential to develop to greater standards.
“As it is now, Zambia’s Independence Day is not important to me because I feel that most countries that achieved independence after Zambia are doing much better. When Zambia was getting independence, people celebrated ignoring the fact that the country lacked capability in handling national and economic issues,” Chiyobe lamented.
He charged that this incompetence means that Zambia is still far behind in terms of achieving its social and economic development than it should have been, thereby allowing countries like South Africa to overtake it.
“What is the point then of celebrating the country’s 50 years of independence when the majority of citizens are still living in abject poverty and cannot enjoy the benefits of development?” he asked.
But Dorothy Makayi of Livingstone said she was happy the country will this year celebrate its 50 years of freedom and liberation.
Ms Makayi says Zambia has recorded massive achievements in the transport, education, health and tourism sectors 50 years down the lane after the struggle for independence. She said after the country’s independence, more schools, hospitals and Police posts among other things, have been built.
“I have every right to celebrate these achievements as a citizen of this country. Our forefathers suffered a lot before independence because they were regarded as slaves by their colonial masters and could not own anything,” Ms Makayi said. She said today, people have freedom of movement and worship, the right to do businesses in a conducive environment without fear and also have the freedom to own property of any kind ranging from vehicles, houses and shops, among others.
Ms Makayi mentioned that Livingstone town in Southern Province, for example, has developed tremendously as a tourist capital.
“Today, I am proud to be a Livingstone resident because of what Government had done to improve it. We have a good road network around the city, improved hotel infrastructure and plenty of shops where people can go and buy whatever they want at their own time. All this entails that truly the country is independent because it never happened before independence,” Ms. Makayi said.
And Lameck Simataa of Kazungula District said the country has continued to enjoy the peace 50 years after its liberation struggle for independence.
“I can say that this is a major achievement for the country so far. Other neighbouring countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Angola for example have not enjoyed the peace that Zambia has continued to enjoy for many years now,” Simataa said.
Mr Simataa also mentioned that the country’s infrastructure has improved as compared to the past.
“A lot of infrastructure, however, still needs to be done, especially at college and university levels. It is sad that the country is celebrating its 50th Anniversary of its independence when students at institutions of higher learning are still sharing bed spaces to the maximum of 10 students per bed space,” Simataa complained.
He added that 50 years of independence, farmers are still struggling to find markets for their produce. Mr Simataa charged that Government has also failed to maintain the storage facilities for farmers that Kaunda had left.
“Let Government consider removing duty on agricultural inputs and also reduce on the size of Government because it is too big. Once that is done, the resources can be channelled to other things to improve on the country’s economic welfare,” he said.
Mr Simataa complained that Government’s removal of fuel and maize subsidies has made the cost of living very high especially for the majority poor people in rural areas.
He further stressed that in the years to come, he would want to see a people-driven Constitution that would stand a test of time.
“The country has enjoyed this peace for a long time and people, therefore, should not be taken for granted by politicians in the habit of playing double standards. Let them deliver to people’s expectations to avoid trouble in the future,” Simataa said.
With all these views from the ordinary citizens, it is important that Government creates an enabling environment for wealth creation. Government should not allow a situation where the country’s resources are given out to foreigners, while the citizens remain labourers.
There is need, therefore, to put in place right policies, good laws as well as increasing on the empowerment funds for youths and women because they are the most vulnerable so that they can uplift their standards of living.
Most importantly, in many years to come, Government should work hard to improve on the country’s communication facilities which are still posing as a major challenge to the growth of the country’s economy 50 years after independence.
Amazingly, this is a reality for millions of people in Zambian today. Access to information is a fundamental human right but very few have the privilege to access the information they need.
Life without internet or any social media for instance can be a mess. But again, only a few have access to these facilities as everything appears to be expensive or they are simply unavailable.
There is need for every Zambian to have easy access to fast internet facility and have more local libraries to go to for research purpose in order to learn new things and gather information so that the nation can have a well informed citizens capable of contributing to the social and economic welfare of the country.
The Zambian Government should ensure that time comes when the country’s independence will surely be a reality. The time when people will have access to free education, allowing everyone an opportunity to develop regardless of their different backgrounds. — ZANIS.
