Sun, 29 Oct 2017 11:20:31 +0000
By Mukosela Kasalwe
Hakainde Hichilema’s much touted award has been rubbished as a mockery of African freedom from colonial imperialists.
Both former UPND vice president for administration, Canisius Banda and former aide to Mr Hichilema, took shots at the award perceived to be a reward from colonial masters whose motive was to once again control African governments.
“That Hakainde Hichilema accepted such an award from imperialists raises suspicion and shows his clear ignorance of Africans and their painful past,” former UPND vice president for politics Canisius Banda has charged.
Dr Banda questioned the wisdom of former colonial masters judging and awarding Africans an African award when their history was murky as perpetrators of injustice against Africans.
Mr Hichilema confirmed on his official Facebook page that he was awarded for the extra-ordinary contribution to peace in Africa award by the foundation, owned by South Africa’s Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane.
But Dr Banda reiterated that accepting awards from imperialists as UPND leader had done raised suspicion.
He said that it would have been better if such an award was given to Mr Hichilema by Black Consciousness institutions, as whenever a white man gave a black man an award, it appeared disrespectful.
Dr Banda pointed out that Mr Hichilema had shown his clear ignorance of Africans and their gory past by accepting an award from imperialists.
He warned that the UPND leader that praise could fool as awards usually reflected the desires and satisfaction of the giving entity more than they did the merit of the recipient.
Dr Banda said that flatterers had never been known to be selfless persons and that their actions were always self-serving to the detriment of the flattered.
“When the award is given by imperialists as the Hichilema case is, such an eventuality has nefarious connotations.
“Just how did we get to this that Europeans are now giving gullible Africans awards of African Freedom?” he questioned.
Dr Banda quoted the second republican president, Dr Frederick Chiluba who said that “when they praise you, then you are doing what they want. But when they don’t give you an award just know that it means that you are doing the right thing, what your people want”.
And Mr Mumbi said conferring of the extra ordinary contribution to peace in Africa award on the UPND leader is a completely misplaced foreign ploy from people who want to destabilise the dialogue process and later come back to Zambia to claim mineral rights.
Mr Mumbi said the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, was insensitive to the Zambian populace for giving such an award to Mr Hichilema and wondered what the opposition leader had done to be bestowed with the accolade after having adamantly refused to recognise President Edgar Lungu as Head of State.
He said the award would hurt dialogue efforts between Mr Hichilema himself and President Lungu.
Mr Mumbi said Mr Hichilema had the worst political record in Zambia and that he was not at peace with past presidents of Zambia and political opponents and wondered how the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, would award such an individual.
