Levy Posthumously Scoops “Africa’s President of the Year Award” for 2008 from Zambian Chronicle …

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Well, ladies and gentlemen; the numbers are in and our team has been working hard to be as accurate as possible. The verdict is clear, Levy P Mwanawasa, SC. has posthumously clearly won the Zambian Chronicle “Africa’s President of the Year Award” for 2008.

 

Most people in our audience know that Zambian Chronicle was started last year as an alternative multi-media private enterprise committed to raising the standard, while increasing awareness not only in Africa but around the world and last year’s award went to Zine El Abidine Ben Ali president of Tunisia.

 

You can read more about last year’s award and conditions as well as modalities used to reach that consideration by clicking on this link; Zambian Chronicle’s African President of the Year (2007) Award Goes To President Ben Ali of Tunisia …

 

Last year Levy P Mwanawasa, SC. ended up in the top 7 presidents on the continent in critical areas but had a favorable rating ranking him in the overall top 5% percentile. We expanded this year’s recital parameters because we wanted rankings to include among other things performance based criterion during a president’s tenure apart from national indices only.

 

GDP per capita growth

Levy scored highest in the criteria because nominal GDP per capita growth is an important aspect of how well the general populace perform in a given economy. It has a direct bearing on how well the citizenry are benefiting from local economic growth.

 

Nominal GDP figures include less estimation and more accurately reflect the participation of the inhabitants of a country in the global economy as well. These figures are so important that each year three different organizations (IMF, World Bank and CIA) each come up with different ones.

 

In our analyses we used a grossing method that gave us weighted averages. So from the time he took over office to his death in 2008, LPM presided over a nominal GDP per capita growth that grew a staggering 300% from as low as $360 to $1,400.00. Of course the world best is over $44,000.00 but $1,400.00 was a great start for us.

 

This did not come by sheer luck, LPM and his team worked so hard that they negotiated outstanding public liabilities with donor nations and other ultra-vires creditors that they managed to wipe out our national debt from a staggering $7 billion to as low as $500 million.

 

Our own national reserves increased from zero at the time he took over to $1.4 billion. In fact as we report today, Zambia has FX reserves to protect against any outflows, says Central Bank Governor Dr. Caleb Fundanga …  In terms of percentage growth, the number is actually infinity because nothing can be divided into zero.

 

Gross official reserves include Bank of Zambia’s (BoZ) holdings of foreign cash, foreign exchange and foreign securities, Zambia’s reserve position at the IMF, and SDR holdings. Gross reserves data is compiled on daily basis by adding/subtracting transactions for the day to/from the previous day’s position.

 

These transactions cover all purchases and sales of foreign exchange, donor inflows, debt service disbursements, government and BoZ uses of foreign exchange, interest receipts and payments, valuation gains and losses and any other inflows and outflows.

 

There simply is no comparison as to another president’s achievement on the continent of Africa either in terms of tenure or simply duration that even came close to that of LPM in this area at all.

 

Transparency Index

This was the hardest of all parameter for us because data complied by Transparency International from 2000 to 2008 was different in many aspects. This is because the organization changed their reporting structure and added more variables in their indices that make up what they call Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).

 

While in 2000 they only reported on 90 nations, for instance; they increased that to almost 180 for 2008. In 2000 Zambia shared the 57^th position with Latvia but in 2008 despite being low, some of the variables were due to lack of enough raw data.

 

So, in certain areas if we used the same string of data from 2000 to 2008 as complied by Transparent International, a lot of flaws would have been discovered because in some instances we would have been comparing apples to oranges and the resultant would not have been either logical or asymmetrical.

 

So for us at the Zambian Chronicle we looked more at how general business practices improved on the ground within the Zambian Enterprise. We looked at the unprecedented bold decisions LPM took on the continent to an extend of striping of his predecessor immunity due to alleged past corrupt practices.

 

Never before had this ever happened on the continent of Africa but it showed his commitment to building a different nation that did not do business as usual. This earned him a lot of sway among western nations and increased his capital as a steward of good governance.

 

We looked at how he let the law take its course without interfering in any way possible despite all kinds of pressure from all avenues and forums … I am proud to report even pressure from us at the Zambian Chronicle at times, for instance.

 

We looked at how level-headed he was about graft and its other derivatives and found no comparison as to another president’s achievement on the continent of Africa either in terms of tenure or simply duration that even came close to that of LPM in this area as well.

 

National GDP growth

This is not supposed to be confused with the nominal GDP per capita above. While the earlier has to do with individual(s) income and subsequent participation in a national economy the later has to do with the overall national economic growth.

 

GDP real growth has to do with the total goods and services produced and or consumed in a given year and it is the best measure of national wealth and a nation’s capacity to compete in terms of movement of goods and services.

 

Even more what we were interested in was not just GDP real growth but GDP (real) growth rate which shows the increase in value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year. It does not take into account purchasing power parity neither does it account for inflation. It is a measure of economic development.

 

That real growth rate is extremely important because it is the one that eventually gives a nation the ability to surpass another or be replaced by another in terms of economic development and or ranking. For example, 100 years ago the economy of the United State of America and that of Mexico were the same size numerically.

 

However, the US economy grew by one more percentage point rate higher than that of Mexico each year for those 100 years and today America has the world’s largest economy while Mexico ranks as the 52^nd.

 

Furthermore, China had been lagging behind most economies all the way through the 90’s until it turned its economic engines to supercharged status. Within 10 years, it surpassed the Italian, French, British and German economies because of having a reasonable real GDP real growth rate. Today it is the world third largest economy.

 

On the African continent, Angola has enjoyed the status of one of the fastest growing economies not only in Africa but in the world. For instance its growth rate in 2005 was over 19% making it the world’s second fastest growing economy. In 2007 its rate was over 16.30% making it the world’s third fastest growing economy.

 

But what makes the Zambian Chronicle vouch for Levy (LPM) was the fact that when he inherited the economy of the Zambian Enterprise we were actually experiencing negative growth rates more like Zimbabwe (-6%) this year.

 

What LPM did was to reverse the trend from such negatives to the extend of almost -7% in the late 90’s to a positive 8% last year. This means that LPM tenure presided over a turn around of almost 15% into positive territory. It is so much easier to keep an economy in positive territory as opposed to moving it from a negative to a positive one but Levy did it.

 

Somehow he turned non performing assets such as mines, some that were almost flooded because they had been inoperable for a long time into profit making enterprises for the benefit of all within the Zambian Enterprise.

 

He commissioned new ones such as Lumwana that spurred new economic activities even in forgotten places like North Western Province turning the area in a new Copperbelt with new discoveries ranging from Oil and Gas to Gold and new Uranium deposits.

 

We began to be a premier tourist attraction again like there was something wrong with us in the first place. He created a conducive environment for commerce to thrive by and for all and all of a sudden commercial flights were being diverted to Lusaka instead of Gaborone, Lubito and Harare.

 

All of a sudden Lusaka was were it was all at, as we saw Bill Clinton Jets Into Zambia while the Best Ever US Ambassador To Zambia – Carmen M Martinez was busy cozying our relations and Mrs Bush With Zambian Kids – PlayPump™ having fun.

 

We looked, compared and contrasted with any other president on the continent who turned economic activities around within such a short period and we found none. There simply were no comparisons as to another president’s achievement on the continent of Africa either in terms of tenure or simply duration that even came close to that of LPM in this area as well.

 

Food security

With Levy at the helm, the Zambian Enterprise moved from being a donor recipient to a donor. Our enterprise moved from food shortages to Zambia to export 150,000 T white maize … as late as December 15, 2007 but today we will need to import a million tones.

 

Using government subsidies and proper farm produce marking strategies, Levy working in concert with his Minister of Agriculture then Mundia Sikatana created incentives within the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) that spurred agricultural production to unprecedented level on the continent of Africa.

 

Within his first term we had attained food security as well as sufficiency, were looking at donations and export for white maize a thing that had never happened in Zambian history. There simply were no comparisons as to another president’s achievement on the continent of Africa either in terms of tenure or simply duration that even came close to that of LPM in this area as well.

 

Peace Index Analysis

For this analysis we used a qualitative assessment of the level of distrust in other citizens, ranked from 1-5 (very low to very high) by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Country Analysis team.

 

The lowest score (1) records that the majority of other people can be trusted and that there is an overall positive climate of trust in the country. The highest score (5) indicates that people are extremely cautious in dealing with others.

 

We found this unit of measure to be the most accurate and espoused it in totality and we were impressed to find that Zambia actually beat a lot of major western nations even when it comes to being a peaceful nation.

 

For instance, when Levy noticed injustices and what impact they had on peace in neighboring Zimbabwe, he was first to condemn Robert Mugabe calling the situation a “Sinking Titanic”. Never before had this ever happened in Africa where a sitting president openly rebuked another for the sake of world peace.

 

While Levy may not personally claim that big prize nationally as it had been passed on to him from his two predecessors, the very fact that he kept Zambia even more safe and improved on earlier released figures combined with other factors such as above is reason to give him first place on our continent by Zambian Chronicle.

 

We looked, compared and contrasted with any other president on the continent who turned economic activities around within such a short period and we found none. There simply were no comparisons as to another president’s achievement on the continent of Africa either in terms of tenure or simply duration that even came close to that of LPM in this area as well.

 

Other World Social, Economic & Political Indicators

While different social, economic and political contexts were used in comparing crime data from societies that are fundamentally different and may ignore key issues present within the Zambian Enterprise that impact upon levels of reporting some similarities were drawn.

 

For example, different social norms in some countries may make it difficult for women to report cases of rape or sexual abuse, while in others; women are encouraged to come forward. The level of insurance coverage in a community is also a key indicator of the likelihood of citizens approaching the police as their claim for compensation may require such notification.

 

In addition, in societies where the police are or have been mistrusted by the population, most specifically during periods of authoritarian rule, reporting levels are likely to be lower than in cases where the police are regarded as important members of the community.

 

The International Crime Victim Survey (ICVS) is perhaps a more sensitive and accurate measure of crime – and arguably offers a picture of how the public views the criminal justice system – but is currently limited to a few, mainly industrialized, countries so these data are not included.

 

But what we found was rather shocking for a developing nation that the Zambian Enterprise actually ranked above average on the continent during Levy’s tenure. There simply were no comparisons as to another president’s achievement on the continent of Africa either in terms of tenure or simply duration that even came close to that of LPM in this area as well.

 

Overall, for us it was not just a question of bias, it was more of logic, data analysis and factual that we were able to crown levy P Mwanawasa, SC with the honorable title of “Africa’s President of the Year Award” for 2008 posthumously.

 

Long Live Levism, Long Live Levism, May Your Soul Rest In God’s Eternal Peace and congratulations for scooping this year’s Zambian Chronicle “Africa’s President of the Year Award” for 2008.

 

Compliments of the Season, Live Long & Prosper; that’s this week’s memo from us at the Zambian Chronicle … thanks a trillion.

 

Brainwave R Mumba, Sr.

CEO  & President – Zambian Chronicle 

 

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Practice makes perfect; Zambian democracy gets even better by the day …

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The old adage “practice makes perfect” holds true to every locale in the human enterprise  and or in everyone’s life. The upcoming presidential by-election will usher in a 4^th president for the Zambian Enterprise, democratically elected in a peaceful transfer of power.

 

While others may want to just take this for granted, we at the Zambian Chronicle realize its importance and significance that we just had to write home about it. On a continent filled with rage and at best incumbents’ desire for lifelong presidencies, the Zambian Enterprise leads the pack in many ways.

 

In fact, other than ours in the Sub-Saharan region, Botswana is the only country that boosts of holding the longest record in peaceful transfer of power with democratically elected presidents and its economic stability speaks volumes of its own.

 

All things being equal, democracies have the ability to bring out the best among the collective; the people and not the system(s) become the means through which society chooses for itself what its desired posterity should be.

 

No one single person becomes more powerful than the sum of the all and by so doing it (a democratic system) creates checks and balances for the mutual benefit(s) of both the system and its peoples. Of all other latent issues, democracy tends to create a system of correcting wrongs with the greatest of ease.

 

Take the emergence of multiple party politics in 1991, for instance. The Kaunda era though vibrant at first could not stand the test of time. This is because it was built on flawed communistic policies and no amount of humanism preaching by KK or even Archangel Gabriel could improve anything otherwise at all.

 

The fact is simply that communism does not work, however perfectly envisioned even in a perfect world. Man is impenitently self-interested and when there is nothing for him/her but for the collective he/she tends to be ineffective at best.

 

It is no wonder every body during the latter Kaunda era developed a “Niva Boma” attitude. One was not obligated to anything and “Waco ni waco” (nepotism) swelled and huge misappropriation of all resources led to corruption and other graft devices.

 

When FTJ came on the scene, he really did not have any message at all but the smart people of the Zambian Enterprise gave him a chance all because they were ready for change. They were promised privatization, and without asking for accountability they went along because they had hope the time for “Niva Boma and Waco in Waco” had come to an end.When they matched through the streets chanting “The Hour, The Hour, The Hour Has Come”, to many others it did not matter whether or not that hour had come for them to be unemployed, that hour had come for them to be without medical coverage, free hospitals and free education; it mattered dimly squat what that “hour that had come” meant.

 

Most smarts even mistook democracy for privatization I often remark … but the system worked. This is not to say, there was no corruption, this is not to say peoples’ perception about “Niva Boma and Waco ni Waco” changed, in most cases these were actually amplified.

 

The Chiluba regime proved that too much power bestowed in the presidency was erroneous and corrective measures were taken, it also proved that zeal without knowledge is murderously dangerous for any enterprise and we started replacing rhetoric with execution starting with Levy P Mwanawasa, SC.

 

We learnt that government works better when it is accountable to the electorate and not the other way round. We learnt that there is still a lot of international goodwill out there as long as a nation is willing to do the right things, by taking the right steps, every time, all the time …

 

And overall, as every one adhered to good governance, bad apples were being identified and exposed, culprits brought to book including FTJ himself and the system got perfected day by day, thanks a trillion in great part to Levism (MHSRIP).

 

Levy had his share of mistakes too but we will leave those for others to comment at the present moment. But we know that he did his best to turn the economy, the work culture and posterity around; at each and every stage, he had the best interest of our Enterprise at heart …

 

After next week, the smart people of the Zambian Enterprise are heading to the polls again, in part to prove the system works but overall, to perfect it even further.

 

Oh yes, practice makes perfect and we encourage all the eligible smart people of the Zambian Enterprise to go the polls en masse, it’s our God given right, make use of it …

 

We once said here that not much would be expected out of this by-election because it is more of a care-taker presidency until the Tripartite General Election in 2011.

 

But we encourage even losers to understand that there is a lot of winning in losing and moving the nation forward after conceding – there can only be one president at a time.

 

Whoever becomes the next CEO of our Enterprise, we at the Zambian Chronicle will render our full moral support just like we did for Levy.

 

We will criticize him when we see mistakes made not because we want to be vocal for nothing by using our bully pulpit but because Zambia is greater than any single one of us.

 

Whatever the outcome, the real winner will be Levy P Mwanawasa, SC. who proved the system works and practice makes perfect, Long Live Levism!!!

 

Live Long & Prosper; that’s this week’s memo from us at the Zambian Chronicle … thanks a trillion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Southern African leaders pay their last respect as Levy is put to rest …

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LUSAKA (Reuters) – Southern African leaders gathered in Zambia on Wednesday at the funeral of President Levy Mwanawasa, who turned Africa’s biggest copper producer into a rare African success story.

Thousands of Zambians attended the funeral and were seated in tents erected at the parliamentary complex in the capital Lusaka. National flags flew at half-mast.

Mwanawasa, 59, died in a French military hospital last month after suffering a stroke in June. He had led Zambia since 2001 and was re-elected in 2006.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, Botswana’s leader Seretse Khama Ian Khama and the presidents of Namibia, Mozambique and Malawi also attended the funeral.

Mwanawasa’s copper-plated coffin was placed about five metres (yards) from the dais where leaders and officials were sitting.

Mwanawasa set himself apart from other regional leaders by speaking out about the political and economic crisis in neighbouring Zimbabwe, and was one of the fiercest critics of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe — who attended the funeral.

His tough stance against corruption in Zambia endeared him to donor countries and he was credited with turning the southern nation into one of Africa’s economic success stories.

Mwanawasa’s economic policies helped produce strong growth averaging 5 percent annually over the last six years, though many Zambians still live in poverty.

Vice President Rupiah Banda is acting president, and a presidential election is expected in November.

The ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) will choose its presidential candidate on Friday.

Mwanawasa’s widow Maureen told mourners at the funeral that she felt sorry most of all for the orphans Mwanawasa took care of through his local Baptist church.

“He was the father of all. It is the orphans he took care of that bring pain to my throat, they are orphaned again”.

© Reuters 2008. All Rights Reserved.

 

Why The Next President Needs To Understand The True Value of Zambian Brainpower …

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We are at cross-roads and as much as there are a lot of other issues to discuss, we are trussed by commonalities that fate has brought us. We have to come up with the next CEO of the Zambian Enterprise in less than 90 days following the premature death of Levy – MHSRIP.

 

Democracy is like free enterprise, as social Darwinism is to society so is democracy to political morality. It is important that the next president be connected with the best Zambian brains, not only from within but also from without.

 

One of the beauties and the tenets of democracy lies in its ability to bring out the best within a collective. All things being equal, the best within a system tend to rise up. Zambia’s greatest asset does not lie in the mineral wealth that lay beneath our land.

 

That asset is not endowed in any other form of congeniality Zambians are well-known for either, rather it lies in the kind of posterity we envision for ourselves using the best brains available now. Some of the world’s greatest leaders and savvy entrepreneurs have achieved great success by simply hiring the best of the best from the best.

 

Think tank organizations around the world, within countries and communities have been known to be great sources of objective information necessary to govern and help create problem solving modules that are scientific in nature thereby producing the optimal good.

 

We at the Zambian Chronicle have long identified the need for the next President to tap into these brains and will soon be creating a new “Think Tank” called brainstorm. Out of our current 500 contacts in our free subscription files, about 150 of you hold Master’s degree and or PhDs.

 

In fact, if you recently received an email from us entitled “Yours is one of the best brains Zambia has ever produced”; it is because you are one of the 150 we have identified as such so far. Our “brainstorm” think tank is a precursor to more reliable and credible sources of information so direfully needed to bring ourselves up from down under.

 

We will advocate and promulgate for ways and or means so Zambians can control factors of production thereby generating real wealth in this 21^st century global economy. We will weigh in on serious government decisions prior to enactment and or undertaking in similar mode other think tanks such as the Brookings Institution, Tellus Institute, Heritage Foundation, Strategic Foresight Group, Cato Institute, Centre for Policy Research, and Observer Research Foundation do outlining both merits and demerits to the said policy.

 

It is crucial that we get started now and while we realize the next president will really be in a care-taker position until the next general elections, we also realize that now is our time. Brilliant Zambian brains have been ignored at our own peril. They keep enhancing GNPs for foreign nations immensely while our only benefit is from remittances when more can be achieved.

 

We believe that part of our job is highlighting Zambian potential as we have done in past in articles such as Zambians Abroad – A Strategic Economic Engine For The Zambian Enterprise …, Easy Steps For Zambians Abroad To Buy & Sell Stock @ LuSE, 5 Things The Zambian Enterprise Ought To Achieve In 2008 …, Zambians are smart, Cambridge University pyschologists once proved that …, National Development Corner: Barj Dubai – World’s Tallest Building Is Now In Dubai …

 

Because Zambia is greater than any single one of us, we believe that enough is enough when it comes to depravity and now is our time to take back the enterprise using Zambian bred ideas that have already been proven and are actually currently working in the global market place …

 

We therefore believe that “brainstorm” is the best way forward and we will be in consultation with some selected few on how best this will be implemented.

 

We are in this thing together …

 

Live Long & Prosper; that’s this week’s memo from us at the Zambian Chronicle … thanks a trillion.

 

 

Mwanawasa wanted Magande (Finance Minister) as Zambia president: widow

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LUSAKA (Reuters) – Zambia’s first lady has expressed concern over possible divisions in the ruling party and said her late husband wanted Finance Minister Ng’andu Magande to succeed him, a local newspaper reported on Sunday.

Sixteen candidates are jostling to succeed President Levy Mwanawasa, who died in Paris on August19, ahead of a presidential vote in November.

 

Analysts have said the high number of presidential hopefuls may be a sign of deep divisions in the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD).

The Post newspaper quoted Mwanawasa’s widow as saying that the late leader had told her shortly before he died that he preferred Magande to succeed him after his second and final five-year term in 2011, and that the cabinet was aware of his wishes.

“He (Mwanawasa) knew that he (Magande) had strengths and weaknesses, but the strengths outweighed the weaknesses,” she told the Post in an interview.

Magande and Vice president Rupiah Banda, who is now acting president, have emerged as the strongest contenders.

The MMD will select a candidate on September 5, two days after Mwanawasa’s funeral.

Mwanawasa had led Zambia since 2001 and was re-elected in 2006. His tough stance against corruption endeared him to donor countries and he was credited for turning the southern African nation into one of Africa’s economic success stories.

The MMD has been in power since 1991 when trade unionist Frederick Chiluba ousted Liberation hero Kenneth Kaunda. The party remains popular and has majority seats in parliament.

Main opposition Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata, and Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development, the third biggest party in parliament, will also contest the presidential vote.

© Reuters 2008. All Rights Reserved.

 

Nevers throws his name in the MMD hat for the presidency …

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By Times Reporter

HOME Affairs Minister, Ronnie Shikapwasha and former Republican vice-president, Nevers Mumba have joined the race to become the MMD candidate in the forthcoming presidential by-elections.

Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha confirmed the development from Kabwe where he was awaiting the arrival of the body of Dr Mwanawasa while Dr Mumba confirmed his application in Lusaka yesterday.

The duo joined other contenders, who include acting President Rupiah Banda, former vice-president, Enoch Kavindele, former Works and Supply minister, Ludwig Sondashi, businessman, Sebastian Kopulande and former Constitution Review Commission (CRC) chairman, Willa Mung’omba.

Gen Shikapwasha, who is Keembe member of Parliament (MP), said he decided to join the race after wide consultations with party members.

“I can confirm that I am going for the position because this has been done after wide consultation. I cannot say much but I hope I will be given a chance to serve the nation,” he said.

He said the fight against corruption had to continue following the death of President Mwanawasa, and that was the only way of honouring him.

In an interview, Dr Mumba confirmed that he had presented his application to the MMD secretariat but refused to comment further.

Asked when he rejoined the MMD after having been Reform Party (RP) president, Dr Mumba said the MMD secretariat had all those details.

“I have applied but for further details you can contact the secretariat,” Dr Mumba said.

Dr Mumba, 48, was a presidential candidate in 2001 and he lost to the late President Mwanawasa, who in May 2003 appointed him vice-president, the position he held until October 2004 when he was dropped.

He holds an honourary doctorate from Flint and an associate degree from Christ for the Nations Institute in the United States of America.

The MMD presidential candidate would be chosen by the party’s national executive committee currently comprising 55 members on September 5.

 

First lady chases Sata from funeral …

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By Shapi Shacinda

LUSAKA (Reuters) – The widow of late Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa chased chief opposition leader Michael Sata away from a funeral gathering on Monday following what the government described as Sata’s provocative behaviour.

Sata and Information Minister Mike Mulongoti both confirmed the incident in Chipata, 580 km (360 miles) east of the capital Lusaka, where Mwanawasa’s body was taken for review ahead of burial on September 3.

“I have been chased from the funeral,” the privately owned Radio Phoenix quoted Sata as saying via telephone.

“I have not come here for campaigns, but to mourn my closest friend,” Sata told journalists from state media in Chipata.

Mulongoti told journalists in Lusaka: “I have been told by officials on the ground that Mr Sata said provocative words to the first lady.”

“I would like to appeal to all politicians to behave in a manner that is dignified. No one should use this funeral to be provocative. People should not start to use this funeral to campaign (for the presidential) elections,” he added.

Maureen Mwanawasa and Sata have had a longstanding rivalry, stemming from statements made by the opposition leader a few years ago. Sata was quoted in local media as saying she lacked respect and required the advice of marriage counsellors.

Sata and the late Mwanawasa, who also had a bitter rivalry for many years, reconciled in May.

Secretary to the cabinet Joshua Kanganja separately said Mwanawasa’s burial would now take place in Lusaka and not his Palabana farm near the capital as announced earlier.

“The late (Mwanawasa) will be put to rest at the Embassy Park … it has been resolved to change the venue where he shall be put to rest,” Kanganja said in a statement.

Mwanawasa died in Paris last Tuesday, after suffering his a stroke in late June.

Vice President Rupiah Banda is acting as president until new elections are called. Under Zambia’s constitution an election must be called within 90 days of the presidential office becoming vacant.

The presidential term is five years, but the next president will complete the remainder of Mwanawasa’s term before seeking re-election for another five years in 2011.

© Reuters 2008. All Rights Reserved.

 

Zambians are smart, Cambridge University pyschologists once proved that …

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Cambridge University psychologist once took a survey. They wanted to collect data for nations under the British Commonwealth around the world on each continent and see which nationals had the highest IQ per region.

 

They took samples of test results they had prepared using “Special Papers” from 1963 to 1983.  Anyone who went through the Cambridge examination system knows that for one to qualify from Grade 7 to Form 1 or Grade 8 needed to seat for Special Paper 1 and Special Paper 2 exams apart from regular subjects.

 

The Special Papers were not part of the regular syllabus but one had to pass both to qualify and these papers were designed to test the IQ of students and they also helped secondary school registrars in knowing which classes new entrants would be best suited for based on their passing criteria.

 

I read the results of that survey at the British Council in Lusaka in 1984 – I liked going to their library during school holidays. I was not shocked to discover that, Zambians did not only score high but they actually were on top for Africa, India was top for Middle and Far East Asia and Bahamas was top for the Caribbean’s and so on.

 

The smart people of the Zambian Enterprise had such a high IQ per capita of any nation in Africa based on those findings and it is no wonder we refer to them here at the Zambian Chronicle as “Smart” all the time. It is no conjecture that people who try to fool us can not succeed all the time; they may some time but not all the time.

 

It is no marvel that the smart people of the Zambian Enterprise have been trailblazers when it comes to being the first on many fronts not just at home but around the world. I have never seen a Zambian at the bottom of their class even as foreign students around the world.

 

When they are hired in foreign lands, they rise faster to managerial positions compared to others of African decent. They make better employees overall and they tend to hold their positions longer than average in most cases.

 

At home and abroad the smart people of the Zambian Enterprise have always shown leadership in times of crisis because they don’t usually sugar play issues, they call a spade what it is. They are usually loyal and can easily be counted on …

 

The smart people of the Zambian Enterprise are so peaceful, their peacefulness is sometimes mistaken for docility, and they are so hospitable their kindness is usually taken for granted; they are so meek their meekness is misunderstood for weakness.

 

They are so innovative and it is amazing what they usually come up with. Their analytical skills are out of this world – sometimes leading to paralysis of analysis, while their problem solving skills are more than phenominal.

 

Now that the vetting process for the next CEO of the Zambian Enterprise has began, we are confident the smarts will come up with the best choice to carry on the duties of the Enterprise for many are they that remain. 

 

For this reason we have opened up a new page Zambia Votes’ 08 where just debates about the next elections will be conducted. It will be a forum for all who wish to air their views on who the next president ought to be and why their choice makes sense.  

 

Out of respect for the first family, we wanted to wait until the Late President had been put to rest but we have taken a paradigm from his own political party which will be announcing their pick for the presidency come September 5^th and we did so that equal time would to be accorded to others in the same vein.

 

The page is not restricted to one political party but all; the excogitations will also embrace all. I will post my comments there not in my capacity CEO & President of Zambian Chronicle but as a Zambian citizen free to air my personal views in my private capacity – because Zambia is greater than any single one of us. 

 

We have no doubts that the smart people of the Enterprise will come up with the best choice because they are smart to start with. We don’t even see it fit to make suggestions at this point, they are smart enough to float the names at Zambia Votes’ 08 of whomever they see fit. 

 

We trust their judgment and we have a track record to prove that with and as the days approach for all of us to do our civic duty in choosing the next president, we are happy Zambia Votes’ 08 will be a great place to discuss from …

 

Please join in as the smarts from around the world gather at this “Insaka” to meet, lock horns and discuss the merits of who they think would be the best for the best of the best …  

 

Live Long & Prosper; that’s this week’s memo from us at the Zambian Chronicle … thanks a trillion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Levy’s body arrives home …

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Lusaka – The body of late Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa arrived back home from Paris Saturday in a gold coffin draped in a Zambian flag to a sombre ceremony at Lusaka International Airport. The plane touched down in overcast conditions at 9 am (0800 GMT) to a 21-gun salute and a fly-past by Zambia Air Force jets.The mood of sorrow that hung over his return contrasted with the joyful send-off he received when he left the country nearly two months ago for an African Union (AU) summit in Egypt.

Mwanawasa suffered a massive stroke on the eve of the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh that left him in a semi-vegetative state. He died on Tuesday at the age of 59 in a Paris military hospital.

Acting president Rupiah Banda led the retinue of mourners, including a number of government officials, who received the coffin on the airport tarmac.

A choir of singers wearing costumes bearing the image of Mwanawasa’s face sang haunting melodies.

Mwanawasa, who endeared himself to the West through his criticism of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, is Zambia’s third president since independence from Britain in 1964 and the first to die.

The coffin was taken in an open-top hearse 25 kilometres to Mulungushi International Conference Centre, where it will lie in state for a few days before being taken around the country.

Thousands of Zambians lined the airport road to pay respects as the cortege passed.

He will be buried on September 3, the day on which he would have turned 60, at his Palabana farm, some 12 kilometres north of Lusaka.

The passing of the popular Mwanawasa, who came to power in the 2001 presidential elections and was reelected in 2006 on the back of an anti-corruption drive and economic turn-around, has left a power vacuum in Zambia.

Western diplomats in Lusaka say there is no obvious successor to him within his ruling Movement for a Multi-Party Democracy, because the post of party vice-president is vacant. According to the constitution, elections must be held by November 17, within 90 days of his death.

Some MMD members have been pushing for the party to endorse Banda, who is from the United National Independence Party, for president to ensure Mwanawasa’s legacy is continued.
 
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Bush ‘saddened’ at Zambia president’s death ….

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CRAWFORD, Texas (AFP) — US President George W. Bush said Tuesday that he and First Lady Laura Bush were sad to hear of Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa’s death, praising him as “a champion of democracy” in Africa.

“On behalf of the United States, we extend our sincere condolences to President Mwanawasa’s wife, his family, and all Zambians during this difficult time,” Bush said in a statement released from his Texas ranch.

“President Mwanawasa was a champion of democracy in his own country and throughout Africa. As president of Zambia, President Mwanawasa launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign and dedicated himself to improving the welfare of all Zambians,” said Bush.

“As Chairman of the Southern African Development Community, President Mwanawasa worked tirelessly to uphold the values of good governance, speaking out against human rights abuses and threats to democracy when many others were silent,” said the US president.

Mwanawasa, a trenchant critic of Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe who won praise for his handling of Zambia’s inflation-prone economy, died Tuesday in hospital in France aged 59.

Mwanawasa, who had been receiving treatment at the Percy Military Hospital near Paris, never recovered after suffering his second stroke in a little over two years at the end of June.

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