THE “HH ROAD”: HICHILEMA’S AWKWARD OBSESSION WITH HIMSELF
THE “HH ROAD”: HICHILEMA’S AWKWARD OBSESSION WITH HIMSELF
Mr Hakainde Hichilema was last Saturday at Mkaika, in Katete district of Eastern province attending the Kulamba traditional ceremony. And speaking at the ceremony, Mr Hichilema, who claimed to have silenced the people that doubted his capacity to deliver, promised to prioritize the construction of the Chadiza-Chipata road, which he has now named the “HH Road”.
Every country name infrastructure, spaces or places after its finest sons and daughters. And these are usually eminent individuals that are worthy of recognition because of their heroic acts, values, ideas or politics deserve remembrance, promotion and preservation for future generations not to forget their names.
The naming of public spaces is never a single leader’s private matter or decision. It is an act of gratitude for the individual’s service to their country. And it is society that decides in collaboration with its leaders to appreciate these individuals for what they have done to humanity. This is the dominant logic behind the naming of public spaces after celebrated individuals. And public spaces, buildings, roads or places are named after leaders when they are out of office, not when they are still serving.
Haven’t you wondered why, for all his great contributions to this country’s infrastructural changes and development, none of the public roads, buildings or infrastructure was named after Mr Michael Chilufya Sata whilst he was still in office? We are reliably informed that it was Mr Sata’s wish that no single infrastructure project be named after him whilst he was still president. Numerous suggestions to name public spaces, roads and buildings were made at the time, but the man flatly refused: “Are you normal? How do you name something when I am still here (in office)? Who do you want to impress?”. We are told this was Mr Sata’s common response to his lieutenants every time the issue of naming things before him came up.
In fact, on September 30, 2011, Mr Sata named the then newly constructed 40,100-seater stadium in Ndola as Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, in honour of Zambia’s third republican president, who clinched the deal with the Chinese government five years before the stadium opened its doors to the public. Mr. Mwanawasa never named the stadium after himself upon sealing the deal with Beijing for its construction. It took Mr Sata to come and bestow the honor on his departed colleague five years later. Naming places, roads and buildings is supposed to be an honor bestowed on an individual by other people; as opposed to doing it yourself. That is wide of the mark and too despotic!
Therefore, it is very awkward that Mr Hichilema, in his current capacity and for his own interest, can be going round naming government projects after himself, when he is using public money for these projects. Public office is for serving the people and not a personal branding voyage. If Mr Hichilema loves his name so much, why hasn’t he named his cattle ranches after it? Mr Hichilema knows that he is losing power hence this desperation. He knows that history will not be so kind on him, it won’t flatter him, as all his terrible deeds would be remembered well. That is why he is now urgently attempting to leave some traces of himself before 2026, but it’s too late.
Fred M’membe
President of Socialist Party