11/12/2023
New 'Umodzi Kumawa' unpacked
It is a significant development that there has emerged a group of politicians, prominent or not, who have revived and grouped themselves under the banner 'Umodzi Kumawa'.
We say revived because it has a historical parallel with that which shook First Republican President Kenneth Kaunda's government when the slogan was employed effectively to defeat Simon Kapwepwe and hand the Vice Presidency of the United National Independence Party (UNIP) to Reuben Kamanga.
The key questions today are, what really is this group about? Why has this slogan 'Umodzi Kumawa' arisen once more? Can this group be as effective in achieving its goals, as the parent movement was in installing Kamanga as Vice President, a position that many at that time believed was a shoo in for Simon Kapwepwe?
Though not cogently expressed in the social media post on which the newspaper story has been based, there is a clear thread suggesting some discontent among people in Eastern Province regarding the paltry rewards shared by the United Party for National Development (UPND) government, for what the Easterners perceive as having delivered the vote that helped put Hakainde Hichilema in office.
According to the thinking of this group, in the two years the UPND government has been in office, the sharing of development spoils, government policies and programmes, has leaned heavily in favour of Southern, Western, and North- Western provinces, and they have risen as a group to help address the development deficit in Eastern, built up by the neglect of successive governments
The group can, thus find easy justification for its emergence. Even in terms of infrastructure, Great East Road up to Luangwa, and Chipata - Lundazi roads have remained a symbol this apparent disfavour. It will not have been forgotten that Infrastructure and Housing Minister Charles Milupi had actually let out that Great East Road was, in relative terms, not an economically viable road.
Add to this what seems to be the dismissive handling of complaints by hundreds of rural communities whose livelihoods have been disrupted for four consecutive years, first by the COVID 19 pandemic, and later by what members of parliament Davison Mung'andu and Munir Zulu termed scandalous management of the safari hunting sector by the Ministry of Tourism and Arts. Although this mismanagement has impacted other provinces where safari hunting takes place, Eastern Province hosts the majority of Community Resource Boards (CRBs) who have cried out for government attention over the past two years.
In short, it appears many people in Eastern Province feel the prospects for economic development in their area have grown increasingly bleak owing to neglect by successive governments. They had finally put their hopes in the new government in August 2021, but now perceive that the province is suffering marginalisation.
Feelings and perceptions of marginalisation should not be dismissed in an offhand manner. There are lessons about consequences of cursory attitude by authorities which we can learn from biblical times. The Kingdom of popular King David split into two parts, Israel and Judah because the former felt marginalised (Read IISamuel 19: 41 - 43, and IISamuel 20: 1).
Well, that may be their case. But does this banner of 'Umodzi Kumawa' still have potency? Although one member of the group, who volunteered a comment, has denied that this is a political formation, the prominence of politicians among the names circulated suggests it could easily be converted into one. If that is so, there is no shame in admitting this fact at the very outset.
Which leaves only the question of how effective the 'New Umodzi Kumawa' movement and slogan will be in achieving the group's goals, which we hope they will come out and articulate. Only then will we be able to say whether it is a credible movement or not.
On the side of the government, however, if we see Graphel Musamba's police blocking the group from holding their first meeting, it will be clear 'Umodzi Kumawa' has been designated a political formation, will be viewed as a political threat, and dealt with as such.
ends