PICTURE this folks, you are sitting at home minding your own business, probably reading a book over a glass of wine or a cuppa.
Suddenly, you get a request on your phone via an encrypted app such as “Whatsapp” or “Signal” that you would be added to a private conversation in an hour.
You accept the invite and an hour later, you find yourself listening to your country’s Minister of Defence, head of intelligence, the Vice President etc., having a spine chilling national security conversation.
Bombs are about to start dropping somewhere against some “bad guys” and some people are actually going to die – real people.
You cringe, you try to check out while you are ahead but because you are a journalist for starters, and you hang on to this mouth-watering blood curling conversation to hear more.
Wake up now folks, the conversation ends and you have everything on “auto-record.”
It was not a dream it was a real conversation, except you were accidentally roped in by the initiator of the conversation, in this case, Michael Waltz, the National Security Advisor of the United States, the most powerful country on earth militarily and financially.
A few hours later, the Houthi’s are bombed in Yemen and other things happen, confirming what you have “auto-recorded” you realise this is as real as a heart attack.
The “uninvited guest” to this classified conversation over an encrypted app called SIGNAL in this case is decorated Editor in Chief of a US magazine, The Atlantic named Jeffrey Goldberg.
Out of courtesy and a sense of national duty, Goldberg reaches out to the government of Uncle Sam and tells them he is about to publish a redacted story and warns them to be more careful in future when discussing national security issues, including whom they add onto convo links.
What has happened after that is a barrage of name calling, shaming and adhominen piled on Goldberg and not discussing the security breach that goes down in US history as the worst ever of its kind, even after Hilary Clinton’s emails.
Little blame has been apportioned to the Waltz, Pete Hegseth and the JD Vance crew that added Goldberg to the “secret chat” that discussed secret military plans of the US.
Normally, such a high level discussion in the US should have been discussed in a “sterile” place or ground zero called SCIF or “Sensitive or Compartmented Information Facility” aka Skiff.
Interesting stuff happening in the land of the free and the brave which I follow a lot as a documentlist and international relations buff. It’s the first country I ever travelled to when I was just about 21 years old as a rookie journalist onto a programme designed for “future leaders” by the State Department.
I have always loved America and remain bemused by it since I landed at JFK about 31 years ago, visiting the country later as a diplomat and author.
I could go on about this serious security breach in the US that is burning audience numbers on cable network TV news through the roof since it occurred but we have issues of our own here in Zambia.
THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ELEPHANT IN ZAMBIA
While American news is scorching under the fire of the SIGNAL breach, Zambia is sizzling at fever pitch regarding the Bull in the China shop – the constitutional amendment impasse.
The issue has divided the politics of Zambians from all walks of life right in the middle with the ruling UPND of President Hakainde Hichilema on the right, civil society, opposition and ordinary citizens like you and I stand on the left.
UPND wants to amend the constitution, an exercise that could come at huge cost to the already broke government of Zambia to include fair representation of women, youth and disabled people in the constitution to mention but a few.
Civil society led by the church and opposition, however, say, “what the UPND seeks to do through an expensive cumbersome exercise can be done by the Don H without constitution changes.”
After all, in Zambia like in many democracies, the President is like an elected King who parts seas when he gives the word.
Therefore he can appoint half women and or youth in his cabinet as ministers, ambassadors and permanent secretaries without a new law.
They have a point there according to analysts but the President is adamant, he actually believes the time is “ripe now” to amend the constitution regardless of dissenting views.
This is despite the fact that there’s only a year and two months to go before the 2026 elections next year to usher in a new administration or renew the existing one.
Civil society opine that the government must hold its fire and only bring aboard constitutional amendment plans after next year’s polls to allow for the law and process to be properly followed.
“There’s no need to rush the process of amending the constitution…this constitution is the best we have had since independence,” says Musa Mwenye, the exuberant former Attorney General. At the time of penning my here missive, the constitutional issue in Zambia was still raging like the California fires or the war in Gaza with no end in sight.
I am personally not a sucker for conflicts that remain protracted.
That’s why I’m hoping Zambians finally agree, to disagree that given the fact that 14 NGOs, churches and the opposition rejection of constitutional amendment plans, freeze the process until next year.
It won’t be the first time neither will it be the last because pre 2021 elections, the current government in Zambia while in opposition did actually stop amendments from being made to the constitution for the same reasons being advanced today by the backbench and civil society.
It’s not the end of the world, it’s just the constitution and Zambia is only 60, ridden with the worst poverty levels post-independence of more that 60 percent, double digit inflation and a shrinking single digit economic growth.
In my view, the economy and removing ordinary Zambians out of abject poverty is what President Hichilema should worry about more especially ahead of a crucial poll ahead, not expensive constitutional amendments.
IS THE ZAMBIA CYBER BILL BACK ON TRACK?
In the same breath, I beseech the government to withdraw from parliament, the cyber-crimes bill that was widely rejected when it was tabled in the same parley last year. I understand it is back.
The Don H himself in 2020 spoke against this bill fearing that it had potential to be abused by authorities, there’s sufficient laws existing to keep Zambia safe.
Despite high poverty levels, the sixth poorest nation in the world and Africa’s second largest copper producer is officially a peaceful nation.
It has never been to war since independence in 60 years, it’s that peace we must guard jealously.
THE RISE OF CHINA IN AFRICA A ZAMBIA CASE
China is the biggest “threat” to the United States as a global giant leader with a population of about 1.4 billion people compared to America’s 300 million.
China is also the second wealthiest nation on earth after the US again but according to studies, the red dragon will beat America in less than a decade.
As the two nations fight for might, small countries are expected to catch a cold, among them, resource rich countries such as yours truly, Zambia.
My latest book that clocks two years on the shelves locally and abroad in a few days’ time, examines the rise of China in Africa with a Zambian twist.
Find time tomorrow to come and snatch yourself an autographed copy of my latest book “China in Africa the Zambia story” and my other publications at East Park Bookworld outlet at 10 hours to learn more about this interesting evolving global issue.
God bless ya!
.Anthony Mukwita is a published author and International Relations Analyst whose books are available in Bookworld, Grey Matter and Amazon.