“Speech from the Grave” – A Growing Rumour

We have had a hectic schedule nationally: our president, who passed away on August 19, has finally been put to rest. To judge by the traffic in the city and the growing anxiety, this has been a very 'big' funeral.

But there is one worry. There are rumours doing the rounds that the late president intends to make his make a speech from his grave. We are being told the late president has a special message that all should hear what he has to say

But that's crazy: how do you summon a spirit (no matter how holy) and ask it to administer on our behalf? I have been asking my closest allies if it makes sense at all for a nation that considers itself sovereign to be running around asking a dead person to run the country from the grave. Does it mean all the people living have no brains?

This shows the level of anger and bitterness the Mwanawasas had: To them, the world simply began and ended with State House; and they would have gone to all lengths to defend their stay and that of their cronies in office until the coming of the Lord

Zambia is over 40 years old, that is, if you measure maturity by independence. We have produced engineers, technicians, technocrats, teachers, lawyers and, of course, lawyers and presidents. Dr. Kaunda presided over an illiterate nation but he had not trouble saying goodbye when it was time to do so. This was despite the fact that the country desperately needed his services: We had colonialists on our necks; we had thieves, opportunists, racists and all sorts of individuals trying to rob us of our resources. But Dr. Kaunda was gracious enough. He trusted us. Dr. Mwanawasas thinks when you are alive, your thinking capacity sinks. We think like opposition leaders, so they think of us.

If I had a way, I would ask God to hold Dr. Mwanawasa's body until he clears the disputes he is creating. It does not pay to be buried in such an expensive coffin, only to leave us earthly beings in such irrelevant trouble over succession.

Who said only economists are logical thinkers?

I will see you,

Mutimba