Honorary degrees for two presidents spark backlash

The University of Zambia (UNZA) last weekend awarded Zambian President Edgar Lungu and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa honorary doctorates in law for exceptional leadership and upholding the rule of law, triggering a backlash.

The presidents of the two neighbouring countries graduated from UNZA with LLB degrees. The Zambian university said it was a great achievement that three presidents, the late Zambian president Levy Patrick Mwanawasa who graduated in 1974, as well as President Lungu who graduated in 1981, and President Mnangagwa who graduated in 1976, had passed through its gates.

Back home in Zimbabwe, a number of universities including the University of Zimbabwe and the Midlands State University conferred honorary doctorates in law upon Mnangagwa last year.

After he was honoured by UNZA, Lungu took to Facebook and said the honorary degree will see him dedicating himself to quality higher education.

Quality higher education

"I wish to express our sincere gratitude for the honour HE the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Comrade Dr Mnangagwa and I were accorded by our own University, the University of Zambia #UNZA.

“I personally, take this honour as a challenge for us to continue providing the kind of leadership which will enable our two great countries [to] move towards prosperity and provide a better life for our people by ensuring that we continue to extend this honour to our people. We can always honour them by ensuring that access to quality education at primary, secondary and higher education levels is assured for them," Lungu wrote.

"We must continue to place emphasis on preparing our youths for the 4th Industrial Revolution, in the education we provide for them. We do not want to remain behind. I challenge the corporate sector to partner with government and contribute towards infrastructure development at our public education institutions."

In an interview with University World News, Dr Ricky Mukonza, a public management senior lecturer at South Africa's Tshwane University of Technology, said the awards are not deserved.

Controversies

"There is no reasonable justification for UNZA to award the two leaders honorary doctorate degrees, worse still for good governance. This is because their stints in power have been marred by controversies on governance-related issues.

“Lungu has been in the headlines for crushing dissenting voices in Zambia. ED's [Mnangagwa’s] government stands accused of killing people in the aftermath of the 2018 elections as well as those who engaged in protests earlier in the year. Add to that the recent harassment of civil society activists. All this brings into question why the two leaders are receiving honorary degrees," he said.

Zambia's media quoted University of Zambia Lecturers and Researchers' Union (UNZALARU) Publicity Secretary Moffat Moyo as saying the decision was ill-conceived, ill-informed and lacked evidence for good governance.

The lecturers’ union said it felt that the timing and reasons advanced were inadequate.

Negative publicity

"The union strongly advised against the conferring of the honorary degree, as such a move would bring negative publicity and impact to the university in the short and long term. The timing and reasons advanced were inadequate to satisfy the widespread indignation, ridicule and scorn the wider public would render.

“The current mood in the nation suggested that the idea was ill-conceived, ill-informed and lacked evidence on the ground for good governance in general and inadequate support to higher education by the current regime in particular," said the union.

Gary Nkombo, Mazabuka Central opposition United Party for National Development member of parliament in Zambia, was quoted in a local newspaper as saying Lungu did not deserve any honorary doctorate in good governance because Zambia has recorded the worst governance record under his administration.

Nkombo said human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests of political opponents, have been rampant in Lungu's style of governance.

Corruption index

He said a recent report by the Financial Intelligence Centre shows that Zambia's corruption index has risen exponentially and institutions of governance, including the police, have suffered abuse.

"The institutions such as the Electoral Commission of Zambia … the public perception of that institution has suffered under the same individual. So, we can only question the motive of those who have chosen to do that; whether it's for genuine reasons or it's for purposes of aggrandisement or patronage," said Nkombo.

Piers Pigou, Crisis Group's senior consultant for Southern Africa, told University World News: "It is de rigueur for such institutions to offer these accolades. In many instances they are not really deserved and often meaningless. There will be some vociferously opposed, perhaps with good measure.”