From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:ZAMBIA: MIXED REACTIONS MARK CHILUBA'S FIRST ANNIVERSARY
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 03:52:38 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: ZAMBIA: MIXED REACTIONS MARK CHILUBA'S FIRST ANNIVERSARY


an inter press service feature

by jowie mwiinga

lusaka, oct 28 (ips) -- a mixture of fulfilment and dashed
expectations thursday marks the first anniversary of president
frederick chiluba's victory against former president kenneth
kaunda and his united national independence party (unip).

the former chair of the powerful zambia congress of trade
unions (zctu) oct. 29, 1991 led his movement for multiparty
democracy (mmd) to defeat kaunda in zambia's first multiparty
elections in 17 years.

named by chiluba as ''father of the nation'', 68-year-old
kaunda led his country to independence from britain oct 24,
1964, and remained at the helm of power until his defeat at the
polls.

while far-reaching constitutional reforms under chiluba's mmd
have enhanced the popular perception of democracy, the shock of
an overnight liberalisation of the economy, compounded by the
effects of a crippling drought, has brought about widespread
disillusionment.

economic observers, including the donor community, applaud
chiluba's courage in taking tough but necessary economic
reforms. but the same reforms are building a political time bomb
for the ruling party.

with price decontrols and the withdrawal of most subsidies,
including the maize meal coupon system for the poor, and the
lowering living standards, public morale is generally low in
this country of about eight million people.

coupled with periodic currency devaluations and the
retrenchment of tens of thousands of workers in the public
service and the private sector, the ruling party finds itself
increasingly alienated from the electorate.

''we thought things would be better under the mmd, but they
are actually worse'', a market woman at lusaka's city centre
told ips wednesday.

chiluba, who rode to power on a wave of popular support,
concedes the economic crisis presents the biggest threat to
the country's fragile democracy.

he also admits his government's economic performance has
not been as impressive as it should have been.

''the biggest enemy of an emerging democracy is a run-down
economy'', chiluba told journalists here wednesday. (more/ips)


zambia: mixed (2)

the government's economic performance, he said, has been
adversely affected by the drought which afflicts the whole
southern african region. ''consequently, our main failure has
been the economy'', he added.

but economic issues are not the only headaches chiluba and
his one-year-old government are suffering from.

the mmd government has come under intense public and
opposition pressure in recent months following revelations
of large-scale corruption in the system.

in august chiluba fired his works and supply minister
ephraim chibwe following reports that he had misappropriated
millions of kwacha (the national currency) shortly after the
change of government.

a few weeks earlier, two other ministers resigned, citing
corruption in the government machinery as grounds for their
decision.

local government and housing minister michael sata is
currently under investigation by the anti-corruption commission
for alleged misconduct.

the mmd government has also come under attack for its human
rights record. last week, the independent 'weekly post'
disclosed in an investigative article that 30 people had died at
police hands in nine months of mmd rule.

''the chiluba government must do something about its human
rights record'', chair of the human rights committee in the law
association of zambia, bonaventure mutale, told ips wednesday.

but while the chiluba government has come under heavy
criticism over its performance so far, this in itself is proof
things have changed for the better since the kaunda days.

''the very fact that you can criticise the mmd government
without fear of reprisals, which you could not do under unip, is
proof there is democracy in zambia today'', says wilfred zulu, a
staunch mmd supporter.

''the mmd government is trying its best. you cannot change a
political culture spanning three decades overnight'', said one
observer who refused to be named. (end/ips/jm/apc/ar/92)