A GLANCE AT ZAMBIA'S POLITICAL HISTORY
By Maidstone Mulenga

Zambia is a landlocked country in south central Africa. It is bordered by Botswana and Zimbabwe to the south; Angola and Namibia to the west; Zaire and Tanzania to the north; Malawi and Mozambique to the east. Mostly a plateau, the country rises to 2,400 meters (8,000 feet).

Home to several indigenous chiefdoms, the country was ``sold'' to empire builder Cecil Rhodes in 1889 by Chief Lewanika of the Barotse. Rhodes established the British South African Company to govern the land known as Northern Rhodesia until the British government took over the administration of the country in 1924.

For eleven years, the country was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, with Zimbabwe (then known as Southern Rhodesia) and Malawi (then known as Nyasaland) being the other countries in the federations which lasted from 1953 until 1964.

It was that year that Zambia gained independence from Great Britain. The official independence date was set for October 24, 1964. Kenneth Kaunda, a then vibrant former teacher was elected first prime minister. The title was later changed to president.

Under Kaunda's reign, Zambia was sorely dependent on copper exports. Zambia had a wealth foreign reserve at independence and the income from copper made it one of the wealthiest black nations in the world.

To keep his promises, Kaunda nationalized the major industries and spent the money as it came in, building schools, roads, hospitals and other social facilities in the urban area. This forced people from rural areas to flock to the cities for the bright life and jobs. Kaunda also drained the reserves by offering huge subsidies on mealie-meal, the nation's staple-food. He also fought to keep food prices low by subsidizing consumption rather than production.

The bottom started falling out and by 1985, the country was swimming in foreign debts. Kaunda tried several economic programs including putting the national currency, Kwacha on weekly auction. This lead to a severe depreciation of the Kwacha and rocketing inflation. Kaunda also attempted to remove subsidies on foodstuff but fiery riots on the Copperbelt forced him to backtrack. He later blamed the riots on the mealie-meal companies, claiming they were hiking the prices of food unjustifiably.

With copper prices falling, and the International Monetary Fund demanding reforms, Kaunda was forced in 1990 to cut subsidies on foodstuff and introduce fees in hospitals, schools and colleges. This sparked food riots and widespread protests from Zambians who were used to inexpensive food, and free medical and educational services.

The protests later ballooned into calls for multiparty elections and demands for Kaunda to step down. In a gesture he termed, a call for reconciliation, Kaunda pardoned all political prisoners including eight men who had been convicted of plotting to overthrown him in 1980; four Army officers who were on trial for treason and an Army officer who had attempted a one-man coup.

Kaunda also conceded to multiparty elections and in 1991, the first multiparty elections were held in Zambia after nearly 20 years. Kaunda, the man who had ruled since 1964 was defeated by Frederick Chiluba, an eloquent trade unionist and former socialist he had once imprisoned for organizing wildcat strikes.

Five years later in 1996, Kaunda made a futile attempt to win back his former post. But a new constitution and a new generation of Zambians said no to the man, once called the father of the nation.

Chiluba who has put the country on a stringent economic diet easily won re-election despite allegations by Kaunda and the other opposition leaders that the elections were fraught with fraud. Chiluba's party, the Movement for Multiparty Democracy also won the majority of seats in the 150-seat National Assembly in the election held Nov. 18, 1996.