pluswell said (PS)

I think if I'd been more on the ball, this could have been a recurring post recounting the hilarious and insightful things Pluswell, the Clinton Foundation staff driver (all NGO's/government organizations have drivers for company cars here), says about Zambia, politics, and life.

Past classic PS moments:

• First night arriving in Zambia to pitch-black flat where power and water are out (and my bags didn't make it): "Welcome to the heart of darkness! (laughter)" Zambians have zero sense of irony, but this was still hilarious - and, at the time, distressing.
  
• Needing to explain what sunburn and sunblock are after getting burned at Lake Kariba over the weekend (and having forgotten sun block). His response: "If you knew that the sun would burn your skin since you forgot sunblock, and this is painful, why would you still go out in the sun?" Good question.
• Lengthy discussion of: chips v. fries; crisps v. chips; scones v. muffin v. cupcakes; differences between bagels and donuts. Common ending to such conversations - throwing hands up and laughing: "You people!"
• In reference to all the liberal development workers who come to Zambia: "I've never met any Americans who like Bush or support McCain. How could they become president?"

And today, talking in the car I asked Pluswell - a general encyclopedia on Zambian politics - on whether or not he thought things would get tense around the election, now set for October 30. Banda v. Sata v. the guy from UNIP who's name I can't remember. He responded with no, but when I asked if he thought the election could potentially be rigged, his response:

"Joanne, this is Africa. You can never say for sure that an election will not be rigged. But if it is rigged, it'll be by MMD (Mwanawasa's party which is currently in power) and that's probably for the best anyways."

Crazy to live in a country - or, according to Pluswell - continent where political corruption is a given. At least in the U.S. we can blame dumb fellow citizens for the selection of our bad leadership rather than keep fingers crossed that the "better" political party can rig the presidential election first.