By STEVEN ZANDE
THE late founding President Kenneth Kaunda’s son Panji says his father was a democrat who allowed his children and Zambians to pursue their wishes without imposing his will on them.
“Our father never said do this, don’t do that…gave us a free lane to do anything we wanted to do in our lives. Whether you failed or succeeded that was up to you, but there was no rule that you must be a doctor, you must be a nurse, now we chose what was in our likeness so I chose the army (in 1966),” Col Kaunda (rtd) said.
He added: “He was a democrat. He allowed us to do what we wanted to do as he allowed Zambians to do what they wanted to do.”
He was speaking when he featured on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC’s) ‘The Sunday Interview’ programme which was recorded from the funeral house at State Lodge.
Col Kaunda said the late Dr Kaunda did not interfere with his children’s career decisions, but only wanted them to finish their education.
He said when he father became President on October 24, 1964, his character and that of his siblings did not change as Dr Kaunda did not allow any of his children to engage in delinquent behavior such as playing with State House vehicles and other State property.
“The same exercises that my friends did, I did, the same walls that my friends jumped, I jumped. There was no exemption,” Col Kaunda said of his military training.
He said from an early age, the late Dr Kaunda emphasized the need for honesty and love for others in his children: he abhorred corruption and deceit.
Col Kaunda said during his presidency, the late Dr Kaunda was open to advice, saying that as an adult he spoke to his father when things were wrong and even differed on measures such as exchange controls.
He said after his father’s popularity faltered due to the failing economy, a rise in essential commodities’ prices and food shortages, a situation which sparked protests and riots, those around continued to mislead him that he was popular.
Col Kaunda said Zambia’s economy, which plunged due to the late 1970s drop in copper prices and rising oil prices, damaged Dr Kaunda’s popularity and that the late former president could not believe his loss to the opposition Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD’s) late Frederick Chiluba.
“If I was him at that time, I would have stopped (stepped down) in the 1980s,” he said.
Col Kaunda said Independence Day was the late Dr Kaunda’s greatest moment followed by the construction of the University of Zambia (UNZA) because of his passion for education.
He said it took a long time for the late Dr Kaunda to accept the loss of the presidency to the late Dr Chiluba and that it took even longer for him to recover from the death of his son Wezi.
“They (Zambians) must remember him as a man of peace who preached unity and preached love, the love that he had as in that handkerchief of his. There was no time that he preached violence…enjoyed corruption…or deceit in his team,” Col Kaunda said.