"The vision of one man lends not its wings to
another man.” - Kahlil
Gibran.
OCTOBER,
to
November this year has been a rather Byzantine time for Edgar Chagwa Lungu, and
God just had to be a national
agenda. Some rat somewhere must surely have been messing up our beloved leader’s acumen to solving problems. Well, that
is what my grandmother told me in defense of her good friend.
Seems the severity of socio-economic and political
governing fell on the man of the “An officer, gentleman, lawyer and politician“ acclaim, like a ton of bricks! Our beloved president’s recourse was to call for
national prayers, and later proudly telling us he is going to build us a very big cathedral!
Our beloved president did this, because he
knows life is now frighteningly scorching for the majority of us. Whenever, we go to the katemba to buy tupamela or a tot of cooking oil, we only just come back with the pamela or nothing. We prayed, but the katemba chap still increases his prices.
The first day the chap claims he increased the price, because of the dollar,
the next day the excuse was load shedding, then later, he said God did not
answer our prayers. The Halo sun was fake, the opposition put it up there.
Sorry, this is about Edgar Chagwa Lungu. In the run up to the
January 2015 presidential elections, we had a profile that sought to educate us
on Edgar. “An officer, gentleman, lawyer
and politician”, so it pronounced. This profile told us a lot about the man
we have for president, but in the end told us a hidden truth. He is wanting, is the conclusion those that
read would have derived.
“This profile attempts to unravel the mystery
and enigma that is Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the Minister of Defense, Minister of
Justice, until recently, Chief Executive Officer of the ruling Patriotic Front
(PF) and President of All Political Parties in Africa to mention but a few”,
the profile reads. (I wonder which political parties in Africa, Edgar was
president of).
The most discerning on how Edgar is wanting as
a president are the accolades in the profile.
“He
bagged his legal practicing certificate without trouble... Many lawyers have to
sit for the Law practice certificate exam, a dozen times before they can get
the legal practicing certificate because it is not the easiest exam to take… As
a former military officer, Lungu is sometimes likened to others such (as) Ariel Sharon of Israel
who served with the Israeli military from 1948, rising through the ranks until
retiring as a Major-General in 1973, became defence minister in 1981 and
elected prime minister in 1999 but was initially a Lawyer” (not forgetting we
are never told what rank Edgar attained, what prominent law firm he run or even what publicly cited
case or precedent he set in Court, since
he was so good at law).
Edgar should surely have not allowed such
unsubstantiated toadyish accolades. But he did, because he knew the majority of
our people easily believe.
Edgar is undoubtedly a good lesson in the fundamental failures of judgment we make in choosing our
leaders. In hindsight, we need to forgive ourselves for lack of foresight. Could be we look at
ourselves as humble individuals. And we know God more than God himself. But of
course! Poverty, misfortune is often the humble mask for some of us.
But, when suddenly political or economic power
befalls us, it is “Abracadabra!”
We become the kind of individual that takes to
heart Saville row suits, Stetson hats and ‘break-dancing’ at foreign
international airports, short of scribbling “Mbinji was here” in the loo of the
Emirates Airbus flight to New York. Not forgetting, we always assume a posture
that shows our shinning handmade Italian shoes. We also now glow in being the talk of township weekend binge and admiration. “Wachimumona, Mbinji? Mujoza boyi. (Did
you see Mbinji. He is the guy). Simplistic, in its purity.
Predictably, Edgar is today failing the nation
simply because the high acclaims and accolades were inane, unfounded, and most
of all toadyish.
If they were not toadyish, why else was one of
his first major proclamations admission of a lack of vision. An officer,
gentleman, good lawyer and insightful politician cannot, first,
tell us his vision is that of the dead, then seek asylum in prayer, a church, and now telling us ‘twalitumpa’.
Sic.
“Ba Edigar” (as we are told he is fondly
called) was never up to the challenge of leadership. His stay in office is
simply that of like me writing “Mbinji was here” in an Airbus loo. I do that because, being in the Airbus is a
black swan event. It may never happen again.
Edgar's glow in the talk of township weekend binge and
admiration has been checked. The verdict from a growing majority, teachers,
Unions is, “failure”.
Things are not looking good for him anymore. Our
socio-economic abnormalcy is self imposed, and he knows he has no solutions but
take popular asylum in God.
Edgar knows God on October 18, and the building
of a church is a façade. An attempt to hoodwink us that he is indeed a God
fearing humble individual, like us. Seems he forgets that, we know that
sometimes the run to God is libidinous when the dark closet in which we are
hiding our deficiencies is opened.
The unsung Edgar in the sycophantic acclaims in
the run up to the January elections has come to roost. Political grandeur is
now a very threatened illusion, and he won’t allow that to happen. He will seek
recourse in what he knows best. Threats, undignified and uncouth language. And of course, the mangy dog eared promises, we
believed before.
“I have not failed. I just came into office.
(Thought he is PF?). Anyone, who says the contrary, Kutumpa”. How godly!
In retrospect, the journey from prayer,
churches to ukutumpa of the unsung officer, gentleman, lawyer and politician and his eventual choice is simply a dialectic
of the unthinking.
We think. And, clearly, it is time we said,
“Sorry, your Excellence, chachine
twalitumpile, nomba ta twakatumpe nafuti” (we where stupid then, we won't
be stupid again)! We are not entrapped in a degenerate state of democratic
irresponsibility. A leadership should respect us, work towards sustainable
livelihoods, and not insult us.
