ONE of the most significant transfers of power in the country’s history happened in 1963. It is signifcant because it was the first and openly managed transfer of power from the old to the new. When the freedom fighters had won the battle for independence and the British understood the inevitable, they agreed a one-year transition period, 1963-64 culminating into independence. In other countries, former colonisers simply left like in Angola for example.The result there was a civil war that ravaged the country and cost untold misery to countless lives for nearly 30 years. Other countries have failed to progressively manage transition even under self-rule. If transition is mishandled, the resulting mistrust can cause chaos for any country. For Zambia, that first transition showed us two things: Firstly, the outgoing have institutional memory that serves as a good foundation for those in the ascendancy.Secondly, institutions always outlive people. Even when the outgoing is unwilling to […]
THE BUREAUCRACY AND THE VOTER – A CASE FOR TRANSITION
