Africa-Press – Zambia. In recalling the events that led to his political rebirth or comeback in 2001, Mwanawasa laid out the wider political context in which he was thrust. Firstly, his recollection centred on the formation of the United Party for National Development (UPND) in 1998. Mwanawasa was invited to attend a meeting at the late Anderson Mazoka’s residence in Lusaka. Present at that meeting were the late Edward Shamwana, Mazoka himself, Dr Guy Scott and the late Alfeyo Hambayi’s wife. The purpose of that meeting, Mwanawasa remembered, was to discuss the formation of the party, which would compete against the MMD.
After the discussions, Mwanawasa told the meeting: ‘As far as I am concerned, anything that I am going to do now is going to be profes- sional. You will pay my fees and I will be your lawyer and I am not going to provide free legal services like I did for the MMD. And for your information, I have no intentions of coming back to active politics.’
Mwanawasa narrated how Mazoka tried to persuade him to stay on and join the UPND, telling him that, in the event of Mazoka’s death, he would be a good replacement for him. Mwanawasa refused to budge.
Mwanawasa’s recollection of the events:
The next meeting we had was in my office at Mukuba Pension House. We discussed the need for the new party to merge with the National Party. Again, we discussed my position but I said I was not interested in joining political parties but I was able to offer legal advice and also my experience as a former politician. So we ended there.
Later on, Mr Simon Zukas made an appointment to come and see me. He told me that the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) had been formed but they had not yet selected a president. He said, ‘We would like you to join FDD and we would elect you overwhelmingly as president.’ I told Simon, who was FDD national chairman, that I was quite happy as a lawyer.
Then Mr Jeston Mulando, who was my private secretary when I was Vice-President and who was in the FDD at the time, was sent to my house in Kabulonga. He, too, tried to persuade me to join them as president. I refused vehemently. Then he came for the second time, this time with Vincent Malambo, a former minister and prominent lawyer. They tried to persuade me, but I refused. I even advised them, ‘If you want my free advice, this party has not been established but you are spoiling your careers. Why can’t you stop it while it is not too late?’
When I received information that the MMD wanted to have me as their presidential candidate, I went to see Dr Chiluba and said: ‘I hear that this is what is being contemplated, but I am not interested.’ I said, ‘If the party needs any opinion from me, I am able to offer that but I am not interested in party politics.’
Dr Chiluba said, ‘No, you can’t say that. You are the one who started this thing, therefore you must think twice about it for the interest of the party.’ We discussed for almost one hour. I told him, ‘I am going to South Africa. But when I come back, I will tell you about my decision.’
So I went to South Africa. But when I came back, I started receiving death threats from anonymous callers on the phone, saying, ‘If we can’t have you as our president, then nobody will.’ So I called a meeting of my relatives and my wife, my young brothers and my sisters. We discussed the issue. They all felt, ‘Under the circumstances, we don’t want you to return to politics but you accept the offer from MMD. At least, they can give you protection 24 hours a day, since they are in government.’
The next hurdle, Mwanawasa narrated, was how to convince his mother to accept his proposal. She believed that his accident in 1991 had been an assassination attempt. She thus did not want Mwanawasa to have anything to do with politics. As an attempt at softening her heart, Mwanawasa sent his young brother, Harry, to speak to her. She refused vehemently. She brought in his uncle, who also refused. They both asked to see Mwanawasa in person.
He went to see them. They discussed the issue for almost three days. Then he saw that his mother was softening and she gave him a condition. She told him: ‘You see, this house where I am living, you haven’t even finished painting and plastering it. So if you want my permission, you must finish it.’
Mwanawasa replied, ‘Okay, if that is the price which I must pay, I will do it.’ He realised it was only a small portion remaining, so he quickly finished it. Then his mother said, ‘I am not in support, but because most of you have said you must return to politics, so be it.’
So it was that Mwanawasa called Dr Chiluba to announce that he had finalised his consultation and he was prepared to be considered as a presidential candidate. At that time, Mwanawasa was given to understand that there were others who were being considered, like Emmanuel Kasonde, Vernon Mwaanga, Chitalu Sampa and Eric Silwamba.
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Dr Chiluba said: ‘I am very happy and you have made my day.’ A week later, on August 23, 2001, Mwanawasa’s security detail knocked on his window around 02:00. In Nyanja, they said: ‘Boss, there are police officers who have come to see you.’ He went out to see them. Mwanawasa suspected that the police officers must have come either with Richard Sakala [Dr Chiluba’s former press aide] or the Commissioner of Police at the time.
That is how he found himself being driven to State House and taken to Dr Chiluba’s office downstairs. He found him seated with Vernon Mwaanga and Eric Silwamba (the then Presidential Affairs Minister). According to Mwanawasa’s account, Dr Chiluba then said: ‘We have been sitting since yesterday and we have now decided that you are going to be our presidential candidate. I want us to go into Cabinet Room so that I can formally introduce you to the NEC team.’
That is how I was taken to the Cabinet Room and the announcement was made and they congratulated me. The statement which I made was very short. I said: ‘I will formally announce my acceptance at a press confer- ence to be held at my house later. But tomorrow the Chairman of Publicity, Mr Mwaanga, can announce to the nation and I will be there. But ladies and gentlemen, I feel humbled by this decision. I left government because I was not happy with the tenets that we were exhibiting. And as far as I am concerned, when I come back, it will be to continue with the crusade which I had left. So it’s not too late. You can change your decision and pick someone else, but as far as I am concerned, it will be ‘A luta continua’.
They accepted that I would be the man in the seat. The next day, Vernon Mwaanga introduced me to the nation. Later, I held a press briefing where I accepted my election but I was told not to start campaigning until after I was introduced to the nation. And a national rally was held in Kitwe on 29 September, 2001. It was there that I was introduced and we started the campaign.
But when the campaigns started, some political parties who had previously courted me to be their president called me all sorts of names, including that of cabbage. In this country, we lack integrity. I don’t know if it is forgetfulness, pride or stupidity that we have. These people were courting me to become their president, so were they asking a cabbage to be their president?…
An excerpt from the book: LEVY PATRICK MWANAWASA, An Incentive For Posterity; Pages 132 – 135. By Amos Malupenga (2009).
Picture caption: Mwanawasa and Chiluba during the early days of MMD. Picture by The Post.
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