Meet the only man with a green plan in Zambia’s upcoming election

Charles Mafa: Why should Zambians vote for you?

Peter Sinkamba: I am the only candidate who has an economic solution for this country. Zambia’s major problem is the economy; it is poverty. We are talking about a country that is 52 years old yet with poverty still at 70% and rising. Our mainstay has always been copper, which we have been mining since 1902. In just one year, 40% of the jobs in the mining sector have been lost. So, what do you do for the country? I am the only one in this election who is offering to bring into the economy US$66 billion, which would grow the economy by about 80%. There will be a turnaround in the economic fortunes of the country. So if Zambians want to get out of poverty, if Zambians want to move forward, then I am the only candidate. Everyone is talking about the same recycled ideas – giving free fertilizer, giving free education, giving free this and that. They are not showing where the money is going to come from. The economy of this country is so small; it is a petty economy; a GDP of US$ 27 billion for a country of 15 million people is nothing. The economic plan that I have presented to the Zambian people is the only [viable] plan.

CM: How exactly do you intend to implement your plan?

PS: We are saying that we want to have 129 farms countrywide. These farms would be managed by the Zambia National Service (ZNS) in high-security zones, so that we do not have any abuse. We want the ZNS to guard these farms as jealously as they guard their guns and weapons.

Secondly, we are saying we would recruit about 2 million young people to work on all these farms and then we create the value chain. From marijuana there are several products that we can manufacture. It can be used for the manufacture of medicines – so we want to create pharmaceutical industries around the country. We want to use marijuana for the production of biofuel products. Then there would be no need to destroy more trees for biofuel.

Medical marijuana Photo: marijuanaindustrygroup

Thirdly, we want to use it in the manufacture of paper. Marijuana grows very quickly and we could produce high-quality paper. In this way we could cut or reduce the importation of paper because we are endowed with plenty of land and rain. There is no reason why we should be importing paper into Zambia.

Marijuana can be used to manufacture various cosmetics – hair creams, body creams, etc. We want to start exporting these creams instead of importing them.

CM: Why do you think this message is not sinking in?

PS: We have very conservative people in Zambia; people who want to do the same thing over and over again. They don’t get tired and they are not open to new ideas. That is why we are in this situation, especially in regard to what we call ‘Generation X’. The generation that grew up in the 1960s, globally, is called the ‘lost generation’. It is a generation that grew up when computers were just coming onto the scene. Even though they use computers, they have been a let-down because they are not open to new ideas. That is why, if you consider innovation, there has not been a lot of innovation worldwide in the 1980s and 1990s. They are at the forefront of standing against new ideas; they are a lost generation. But we are happy that the young ones, ‘Generation Y’, are open to new ways of thinking. I am relying on that group. They can google; they can use their smart phones to get information and they are open to new ideas. Once we convince that group, then I am good to go, and I think that is where we are headed.

“I am the only one in this election who is offering to bring into the economy US$66 billion. That would grow the economy by about 80%.” – Sinkamba

CM: There are some critics who say this marijuana crusade is immoral because Zambia is a Christian nation.

PS: That is ignorance. There is nothing unchristian about the plant. Marijuana was created by God. So, if you say this is wrong, you are saying God was stupid to have created this plant. And nowhere in the Bible does it say, ‘Don’t touch this plant. In fact, God told us to use this plant for our own benefit. So, if we are going to use this plant, which was created by God, for a good purpose – you will help to heal the sick, you will help grow the economy, you will lift people out of poverty – where is the non-Christianity in that? Actually, the mission of Jesus was to heal the sick. And if we are going to use this herb to heal the sick, where is the problem? I cannot see the problem. I do not understand.

File picture: Moroccans participate in the destruction of a field of cannabis in the northern Rif mountains 07 July 2005. Cannabis cultivation in Africa is increasing, and the drug is replacing other agricultural products, according to a UN. Photo: ANP

CM: Some people think legalising marijuana would lead to more people smoking it. The consequences of that are well known. Have you smoked yourself?

PS: Before we talk about my smoking, let us first talk about this: In this country, beer, which is even more dangerous to human health than marijuana, is all over the show. Anyone can access it at any time. Are you telling me that everyone is a drunkard on that account? Not at all! People volunteer to drink because they wish to. If they don’t want to drink, they won’t drink. And you cannot say because beer is available on the shelf, every Jim and Jack will drink. No! It is individual’s choice. In any case, even if they smoke, so what? Beer, which is licensed, kills more people in this country. No one has ever committed a crime because of chamba (marijuana). Those who are in prison for marijuana-related reasons are there because they were caught cultivating or selling, that is all. Why should we lock up people like that? That is why we are going to get everyone out of prison. You pardon murderers but then you leave people in prison who have not inflicted any injury on anyone!

Now to your question about whether I have smoked: Let me tell you that to those of us who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s smoking chamba was not a big deal, and I used to smoke myself. There is no problem with that. It was part of socialising. At my former school, literally all the boys used to smoke. And look at the US today: The last 12 presidents of America used to smoke chamba, including Obama himself. So, what is the fuss about smoking? Where is the problem?

CM: Do you feel unfairly judged?

PS: It is an issue of brainwashing. You know, when you are brainwashed; people may do all sorts of things. As president of the Green Party pushing this agenda, I think it is just a matter of time before I am vindicated. People will realise that I was able to read ahead, well ahead. This is the only thing that is going to push this country out of this [slump].

“We’re looking at using marijuana for the production of biofuel products.”

CM: This is the second time that you are taking part in the election. What is your view of the state of democracy in Zambia?

PS: Democracy in Zambia is, unfortunately, a money democracy in which people withmoney  influence the outcome. In Zambia, it is not about those with the best ideas calling the shots. Just look at what has happened in this election. Because of high poverty levels, you give people chitenges (kangas), you give people petty campaign materials, and that is reason enough for them to vote for you. You buy people Shake Shake (traditional beer) and things like that and it is a reason to vote for you. If you don’t have those materials, even if you have the most brilliant ideas, they will never come along. In fact, poverty is a danger to democracy because you find that the riff-raff – people who are clueless, people with no vision – end up in government simply because they flashed money around. That is how we have messed up our democracy, especially in the last 10 years.

Industrial hemp, a variety of the Cannabis sativa plant species has various uses, which include the manufacturing of paper, clothing and fibre Photo: Thoughtpursuits

CM: Let us talk about your personal background. Who is Peter Sinkamba?

PS: I hold an M. Phil degree in Development Planning and I am busy doing a Ph.D. I was born in 1964 in Namwala, Southern Province. I did my primary school there and in Mulobezi. I then attended Sesheke Secondary School. After that I went to the Copperbelt and the Zambia Institute of Technology, where I did engineering. I was a student leader there. I was expelled in my third year. Then I went into business. In 1990, I was one of the founder members of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD). [This is the party that toppled the Kenneth Kaunda dictatorship.] In 1996 I founded Citizens for a Better Environment, an organisation that engaged in environmental advocacy. I formed the Green Party in 2013, so this is our third year.

I am married to Gloria and we have four children: two boys, two girls.

CM: How do you view election?

PS: This election is tricky. At this point in time, there is no one who is destined to win. It is still an open game. I assure you, anyone can get it.

CM: Do you foresee a re-run?

PS: Of course, that is inevitable. There is no one who will get an outright 50 plus one per cent… Even this time around, 50% is not attainable. So a rerun is inevitable and I don’t see anyone in State House before 30 September.

CM: Finally, which party are you likely to support in the second round?  

PS: We don’t do bandwagon politics. We don’t support anyone just for the sake of it. We support out of principle. None of these political parties have championed our cause and therefore it would be pointless to support people who do not understand what we are talking about. As the Green Party, if we do not make it to the second round, we will rest and then start our campaign for 2021. We have no time to waste supporting any other political party.