Dr Nevers Sekwila Mumba writes……✍️
MILES SAMPA’S DISPARAGING REMARKS ON MILITARY AND NATIONAL SERVICE ARE UNFORTUNATE AND MUST BE WITHDRAWN
I wish to express my deep disappointment and concern regarding recent remarks attributed to my dear young brother, Hon. Miles Sampa, suggesting that serving in the military, air force, or national service is “for the poor.” These comments, allegedly aimed as a veiled attack on the son of President Hakainde Hichilema, are not only divisive but betrayal of a fundamental understanding about the nobility of national service.
Let me be unequivocal: serving one’s country through military or national service is not a mark of poverty, but a mark of patriotism, courage, and honour. To reduce such a sacred act to a class-based insult is to devalue the very essence of selfless service to nation.
Throughout history, many of the world’s most respected leaders, royals, and statesmen have undergone military training not out of necessity, but out of a sense of duty. Prince William and Prince Harry of the British Royal Family both served in the military—not because they were poor—but because they understood that leadership requires humility, discipline, and shared sacrifice. His Majesty King Harald V of Norway, His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan, and even the late U.S. President George H.W. Bush, all served in their countries’ armed forces with distinction.
Military training instills character, responsibility, leadership, and above all, a sense of national duty. In many parts of the world, it is the most refined crucible in which future leaders are shaped.
For young Habwela Hichilema to voluntarily submit himself to national service should be celebrated, not mocked. It signals a new standard of leadership—one that is grounded in service rather than entitlement. Zambia needs more young people of privilege stepping forward to serve, not fewer.
To claim that such service as something “for the poor” is to insult not only the young Hichilema, but the thousands of Zambian men and women in uniform—those who defend our borders, respond to national emergencies, and keep our country safe. It undermines the sacrifices of our national service personnel and betrays a disregard for the institutions that uphold our sovereignty and peace.
As leaders, our words carry weight. When we speak, we either elevate our national discourse or degrade it. In this instance, Hon. Sampa’s remarks fall far below the standard of statesmanship and must be withdrawn.
I call upon Hon. Miles Sampa to please retract his statement and issue an apology to the men and women who serve in our military and national service institutions. This is not about politics—it is about respect, honour, and the values we wish to instil in the next generation.
Let us raise the bar. Let us restore dignity to service. And let us remember that true leadership begins with humility and the willingness to serve.
Yes leaders’ words carry weight, but your words do not carry any weight sir. Can you win an election even at ward level, for you to call yourself a leader?