And not as a political campaign strategy to deceive people into thinking that we are making head way as a nation when in actual sense we are not.
The president during a rally in Chipata, warned Dr Kaunda to stop participating in politics or risk having his pension terminated. Honestly people, can one ask a politician to the bone like KK to stop caring about Zambia, a nation he saw from birth up to maturity? Whether one likes it/not politics will still affect one’s life, even if one chooses not to participate.
Even for those people who choose not to bother about what political decisions are being made on their behalf are greatly affected by politics in that in the long run the minute they are subjected to poor health and sanitation, unemployment and other poverty indicators it can be said that politics is taking toll in their lives.
Hence the more reason why we should all participate in politics at a citizenry level for our entire well-being depends on it. Therefore, so long as one is alive, one is bound to be affected by politics. So then how do you expect a veteran politician and citizen like Dr Kaunda not to participate in grass-root politics when every day he walks the potholed roads and sees the weary, hungry and sickly faces of men, women and children of the land?
A land he helped to liberate? One thing president Mwanawasa seems to be forgetting is that he will not be president forever, an example is Dr Kaunda himself, who was president for 27 years but even that lengthy period still came to an end at some point. Hence as a matter of fact the presidents’ two or one term of office will surely come to an end at some predictable point.
Therefore if that’s the kind of precedence president Mwanawasa wants to set, then too bad for him because he will at one point/the other surely get a taste of his own medicine.
More over threatening people with sanctions is a very unconventional way of wooing support, instead politicians should learn to justify and defend their actions/reactions amicably through giving convincing and well reasoned arguments and not play the dictator by bulldozing everyone to support their polices even when these are policies that need serious considerations.
If politicians want their policies to be supported, then they should show the logic and feasibility, then definitely they would get the support.
Failure to do so politicians shouldn’t expect people to keep quiet when they have a right to speak out, more especially people with integrity, high moral standards and principles like Dr K.D. Kaunda.
Instead as free advice most of us would say it’s better for our politicians to keep this man close by taking heed to advice. After all advice is given freely to be taken/not to be taken by the recipient.
Taking on the former president on his right to express himself is a battled President Mwanawasa can never win.
Hence the earlier this is clearly understood the better for him and the rest of the politicians who want to tow this line once in power. Let us have freedom of expression for all citizens Dr Kaunda and other former presidents inclusive and avoid being the laughing stock of the rest of the world!
