Ex-Zambian leader recounts Boston experience

Former Zambia’s President Rupiah Banda has returned to his native country after his three-months lecturing mission at Boston University in the United States with a call on authorities to embrace tertiary education in facilitating economic growth in one of Southern Africa’s poorest nation. Banda, who was the eighth African leader to accept a residency at the University’s African Presidential Center, where he shared his experiences as a figure in “the ongoing trend towards democratic and economic reform in Africa,” says his mission in the United States was a great revelation and also gave him time to rest after his embarrassing defeat in last September polls to the incumbent, Michael Sata. The 75-year-old, who arrived in the capital Lusaka, on Tuesday, is concerned with the low levels of Zambian students based in American Universities saying the country needs to find means of increasing numbers of its students in tertiary institutions abroad. He also indicated plans to share his Boston experience with Zambian universities. Banda could not rule out prospects of establishing his own university in the near future. And giving his reflections on the recent Lesotho polls, the former Head of State says the elections were conducted within the legal framework of that country. Banda, who led the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) election observer mission, congratulated the basotho for exhibiting political maturity in democracy. Meanwhile, Banda has come to the defence of the heavily criticized country’s judiciary saying it is a good institution, whose work should not be overshadowed by political interests. The Zambian judiciary has been under spotlight in the recent days following the decision by the country’s leader, Michael Sata to suspend three judges and subsequently establish a tribunal led by a foreign judge from the neighbouring, Malawi to probe the conduct of three judges. The tribunal is yet to commence its proceedings following the decision by the affected judges to seek legal redress. Banda, whose close associates have been a target of the enhanced fight against corruption by the new regime, feels the attacks on the judiciary are uncalled-for and unnecessary.