The Editor Zambia
Politics has a cruel way of humbling those who mistake temporary prominence for permanent importance.
Across Zambia’s history, many politicians have discovered that individual ambition, however loudly proclaimed, is no substitute for the power and structure provided by a political organisation. 
Akashambatwa Mbikusita Lewanika commanded considerable respect during his days in the MMD. Yet when he drifted to the National Party and later established Agenda for Zambia, the political influence he once enjoyed steadily diminished. The platform that had amplified his voice was gone, and with it much of his national relevance.
The story is hardly unique. Ahead of the 2011 elections, former Finance Minister Ng’andu Magande was projected by some sections of the media as the natural successor to the late President Levy Mwanawasa. Encouraged by such narratives, he formed the National Movement for Progress (NMP). The project never truly took off and ultimately remained little more than a party on paper.
Elsewhere, one newspaper editor became convinced that he was a kingmaker. Armed with that confidence, Fred M’membe ventured into partisan politics and formed his own political party. Years later, that venture is gradually finding its way into the archives of forgotten political experiments.
Perhaps the most instructive example remains Ben Mwila. He mounted one of the most organised and widespread campaigns Zambia has ever witnessed. His rallies attracted enormous crowds and generated excitement across the country. Yet the crowds did not translate into votes. Popular gatherings and electoral success are not always synonymous.
History, therefore, offers a simple lesson: political capital is often borrowed from institutions and movements larger than individuals themselves.
Even Garry Chilala Nkombo’s trajectory demonstrates this reality. He unsuccessfully contested the Mazabuka parliamentary seat under both the MMD and the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD). It was only after being adopted by the UPND that he acquired national prominence and emerged as one of the country’s better-known political figures.
Those who have occupied public office for two decades or more would do well to distinguish between service and self-interest.
There comes a point when prolonged occupancy breeds entitlement rather than renewal. Twenty years is simply too long for anyone to believe that political relevance belongs exclusively to them.
Politics is littered with examples of men and women who mistook visibility for indispensability, applause for loyalty, and personal ambition for popular demand.
The lesson has remained constant through every generation: institutions outlive individuals, and no political account is inexhaustible.
Those who spend their political capital recklessly eventually discover a harsh reality.
This too shall end in tears.
