When you are destined to lead a particular people, your race and background can never be a hindrance to what fate has programmed. Here is a brief article about the white man that defied all odds to become the first post independence President of a Sub-Saharan African country.
Meet Guy Lindsay Scott the former president of Zambia, and yes he is white.
Scott was born in Livingston, Rhodesia in the present day Zambia to immigrant parents from Scotland. His love for politics developed at a very tender age, he always admired his father who was a member of parliament, in the former Rhodesian parliament.
His admiration for his father's style of politics made him to pursue a degree in economics from the university of Cambridge. He would later return to his native Zambia to set up a successful business, of which he employed people from all races.
He spoke the local African dialect fluently, this earned him the trust and admiration of the black population. He was kind hearted to his workers who were mainly blacks.
He ventured into Zambian politics in the early 1990's, when he contested for a seat in the Zambian parliament and won. He was subsequently made the minister of Agriculture ,food and fisheries. As the minister of Agriculture, he introduced sweeping reforms, and successfully led the country when Zambia witnessed it's worst ever drought in decades.
On 20 September 2011, Guy Lindsey Scott was elected as the vice president of Zambia alongside president Michael Sata. This will mark the first time in post independence Zambia that a White man will be elected into office. Scott and president Michael Sata presided over sweeping reforms that boosted the economy of Zambia. Their government focused on national unity and reconciliation.
After much constitutional crisis arising from the death of his principal and president of Zambia Michael Sata in 2014, some people held a sentimental feeling that Guy Lindsay Scott was next in line, but he was a white man, according to them, a white man should not be ruling a post independence Zambia. But after much debate, it was agreed that Scott should be sworn in as acting president for 90 days, pending the outcome of the next election.
He peaceful handed over power to the newly elected president Edgar Lungu in January 2015. Guy Lindsay Scott's legacies includes the ability to defuse tensions before it escalates, and he is credited with introducing sweeping reforms that further strengthened the economy of Zambia.
His story is that of a man who nurtured the dream of transforming his country from an agrarian society into an industrial one, should be emulated by most African leaders. The idea of racial politics should be abandoned, and a politics that is centred around qualifications and advancement should be encouraged in Africa.
It is high time Africans put the politics of tribalism aside, and elect technocrats into government regardless of their race, religion, or ethnic group.
Meet Guy Lindsay Scott the former president of Zambia, and yes he is white.
Scott was born in Livingston, Rhodesia in the present day Zambia to immigrant parents from Scotland. His love for politics developed at a very tender age, he always admired his father who was a member of parliament, in the former Rhodesian parliament.
His admiration for his father's style of politics made him to pursue a degree in economics from the university of Cambridge. He would later return to his native Zambia to set up a successful business, of which he employed people from all races.
He spoke the local African dialect fluently, this earned him the trust and admiration of the black population. He was kind hearted to his workers who were mainly blacks.
He ventured into Zambian politics in the early 1990's, when he contested for a seat in the Zambian parliament and won. He was subsequently made the minister of Agriculture ,food and fisheries. As the minister of Agriculture, he introduced sweeping reforms, and successfully led the country when Zambia witnessed it's worst ever drought in decades.
On 20 September 2011, Guy Lindsey Scott was elected as the vice president of Zambia alongside president Michael Sata. This will mark the first time in post independence Zambia that a White man will be elected into office. Scott and president Michael Sata presided over sweeping reforms that boosted the economy of Zambia. Their government focused on national unity and reconciliation.
After much constitutional crisis arising from the death of his principal and president of Zambia Michael Sata in 2014, some people held a sentimental feeling that Guy Lindsay Scott was next in line, but he was a white man, according to them, a white man should not be ruling a post independence Zambia. But after much debate, it was agreed that Scott should be sworn in as acting president for 90 days, pending the outcome of the next election.
He peaceful handed over power to the newly elected president Edgar Lungu in January 2015. Guy Lindsay Scott's legacies includes the ability to defuse tensions before it escalates, and he is credited with introducing sweeping reforms that further strengthened the economy of Zambia.
His story is that of a man who nurtured the dream of transforming his country from an agrarian society into an industrial one, should be emulated by most African leaders. The idea of racial politics should be abandoned, and a politics that is centred around qualifications and advancement should be encouraged in Africa.
It is high time Africans put the politics of tribalism aside, and elect technocrats into government regardless of their race, religion, or ethnic group.
