Provide leadership

Many questions continue to be raised about the PF government’s handling of various national issues – from the constitution, the NGO Act, commodity price increases to the depreciating kwacha. Certain people are beginning to think power has gotten in the ears of these leaders that they’re no longer focusing on their work. Perhaps, the revotionary former president of Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara was right when he once said that power was like a bottle of whisky; you have a sip, enjoy the taste, take another and before you know it the bottle is finished and you’re drunk.

It looks – to many in the opposition and civil society at least, that the PF have been enjoying the taste (of whisky). What is the fussy they’re creating around the constitution and NGO Act? They have been shifting goal posts, contrary to what they had promised in their manifesto. In fact, they have been given more time because their promise was to do all the important things within 90 days, which in simple terms is 3 months. It seems the PF where not quite ready for this task.  What they forgot is that this country has so much that needs to be done – everywhere you look, there is work that needs to be done. Our children need better schools that teach the right curriculum and right subjects, our hospitals need medical personnel and medicine, the jobless youth need something to do, widows and orphans require government’s support and the list goes on.  

The unnecessary tension that they are creating as a result of the jaded approach to the constitution-making process is making citizens sick and tired of their leaders. What has followed is this unending bickering among leaders. Huge sums of money have been wasted on the constitution making process which has been a project that started some years back. Who will show leadership on this one single national project? Many people thought the PF would do the right thing, alas, they were wrong. It seems we are back to our usual ways of bickering, backbiting and slandering one another – things that are so common in a country which prides itself to be a Christian. Wait a minute! What is Christian about this country where people who still and amass wealth dubiously are praised, go scot-free and are praised by those in the corridors of power? 

Let those who have the power use it well to deal with the challenges facing the nation than create unnecessary debates. The mandate given to you by the people of this country doesn’t warrant you to take a callous approach to issues affecting this country. You must be sober and explain your actions to the people who voted you into office. Remember, yours is to govern for five years and once that is over you will be exposed to the ballot box to seek another mandate. It will be sad if you allow your departure to be received with jeers as opposed to cheers that greeted your coming into office. 

Political Betrayal

I have just seen a message on Fr. Patrick Chibuye’s facebook page, expressing his regret for what he termed “being cheated by politicians”. I guess he is not the only one seeing things this way. Many of the people I have been interacting with are expressing similar sentiments and feel their own men and women have betrayed them. In fact, it is more like the Judas Iscariot biblical tale of your own man deciding to join the enemy’s camp.

He says, “I have realised that partisan politicians are the same in terms of dealing with people. They begin by first making sure that "baongola amano ya bantu", then dump them and pretend all is well with them and the people. Zambians have been involved in the constitution making processes, not once and not twice.” Fr. Chibuye is working from Mpika Diocese, some good 700 to 800 kilometres away from Lusaka and if his expressions are anything to be taken seriously, then there is a problem in this country.  Maybe our driving force was to see change at all cost and because of that, we were all blinded not to think of any consequences of our actions. African and indeed Zambian politics is littered with all sorts of examples about political betrayal and one does not need a chess grandmaster’s view of things to see it this way. Ask yourself where all those people who supported PF are today – Fr. Bwalya, George Mpombo, Mike Mulongoti and others. They have all fallen on the wayside.

Perhaps, we did not pay particular attention to US president, Ronald Reagan when he said in his 1981 inaugural speech, that "government is not a solution to our problem. Government is a problem". This is exactly what we are seeing with the PF government who have all of a sudden become a problem to the NGOs, to the constitution making problem, to the media reforms and many other issues. The underlying denomination is that they’re all politicians after all and to make matters worse they are the same old politicians who have led us to where we are today. The challenge that we have is how to solve this PF conundrum??? I do not have the answers but we can find the solution if we’re guided by people like Albert Einstein, a German-born theoretical physicist and violinist who is reminding us of one thing – “we can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them”.  

Music of Hypocrisy

Pupils in a community school at Linda Compund

There is so much talk about youth empowerment and what youths can do once they leave school. The emphasis is so much on youth entrepreneurship as a way to go in the absence of white collar employment opportunities. While I am not against this approach to dealing with some of the challenges facing young people, I have a few observations to make.

This call is “music of hypocrisy” to borrow from Pope Francis’ words in today’s homily. This murmuring often coming from political leaders and international organizations is not a voice of reason. Why are you pushing young people to grasp business opportunities when you are running away from your own business empires to join government? You have failed to sustain and grow your businesses despite all the expertise that you have acquired through your long service, yet you want young people some of whom have dropped out of school to go straight into businesses. How is this possible when they don’t have even the most basic knowledge of running businesses or simple accounting? More so they don’t have capital for start up or collateral to present to banks when they want to borrow money. You have all these yourselves, why can’t you show by example?

What do young people need to succeed in employment or businesses? They need to be provided with an education that will give them skills to make better choices and improve their lives and those of their children. The current education system is a divisive tool that allows sons and daughters of the poor to remain in abject poverty. In order to get the best education in this country you need to have the money and connections. Unfortunately, a poor man does not possess both. A well structured education system that offers skills as opposed to theories opens more opportunities for young people to be self-employed and acquire employable skills.

You have the power to put in place a better education system that will make every child of this land enjoy the fruits of life to the full. Once you have improved the system your children will also be compelled to go to the same local schools in retain you will also serve the millions you spend on your children’s education abroad. As I conclude, I will leave you with my own observation for which you have every right to agree or disagree with me. 

The biggest illness that is afflicting this country is the lack of empathy. If only you could spend time to think and ask yourself this question. What about if that son or daughter who goes to a community school and sits on the log while learning was mine, how was I going to feel? These are questions we must always ask ourselves. 

Leaders of the 21st Century

Visiting Hon. Miles Sampa's facebook page, one is encouraged to think that perhaps it is time young and energetic people take over the affairs of our nation. The other day he updated his people that he was away from the country.

Now Hon. Sampa has just updated his facebook with various projects being implemented in his constituency using the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). This is the way to go for all our leaders. This idea of requesting for hard copies of letters is not doing us any good. It is just contributing to deforestation and is a way of running away from your duty of explaining your actions to the public.

We are living in an era when  our leaders cannot afford to live in fenced offices. They have to explain what they are doing to the general public. One way they can explain their intentions to the public is to use any of the social platforms available.

I have just finished reading a blog by His excellency Kenny Hacket, the US Ambassador to the Holy See after presenting his credentials to the Holy Father, Pope Francis at the Vatican. He has blogged about his initial days as an ambassador and explain what his embassy does in its engagement with the Holy See.

The good thing about these new approaches to life and duty is that you don't hold people to ransom for them to know what you are up to. If it was your private company, now one would bother to ask you or force you to explain certain things. As a representative of the people and someone who draws his salary from tax payers money, it is only right that you make yourself available through some form of social interaction.

What Hon. Sampa and other MPs who are on facebook, twitter or linked In are doing is something that should be emulated by leaders of the 21st century. If even churches are now finding simpler and quicker ways of getting the gospel to their people who are you to continue living in stone age era?

If you can't do it please work with some technologically savvy youths to help you navigate through the internet. By so doing you will creating employment for some of these young men who have nothing to do in society.     

Can Zambia spring a suprise against Brazil?

Even though I am a Zambian, I will admit that today’s game against Brazil is one that will leave the nation disappointed. I fail to figure out how the current Zambian team can stop the Samba Boys as the Brazilians are called from recording a convincing win. Which player in our current team can stop the free-flowing Brazilian side featuring the likes of Oscar, Ramires, Neimar and Dani Alves to mention but a few?

The Brazilians who by virtual of hosting next year’s World Cup have already qualified for the Worlds’ greatest football showpiece would look to easy past Zambia. From the time Luiz Felipe Scolari was appointed coach, he has been busy playing friendly matches just to imbibe the right kind of quality to progress in the tournament. They are a team that is on resurgence with some bright young talents that routed the World and European champions - Spain in the final of the Confederation Cup. The Spaniards were silenced 3-0 in a game that many pundits thought would be an evenly contested encounter. 

Zambia are not expected to provide much of a problem to a team that already recorded a 2-0 win over a much stronger South Korean side on Saturday. Scolari admitted he is running out of time to experiment with the Brazil squad and wants every player, who is given an opportunity, to exploit it to the fullest. He already hinted that he is going to make five changes to his side that beat the Koreans. 

The Chipolopolo Boys have plenty of problems of their own with three players -- namely Stopilla Sunzu, Rainford Kalaba and Nathan Sinkala - facing immigration exit problems after reportedly leaving the country without following the proper procedure. The trio who were expected to join the squad to face Brazil in an international friendly in Beijing, China, are believed to have crossed into Congo on an unknown date but between Saturday October 12 and Sunday October 13, 2013. 

That aside, Zambia is one country that can spring surprises especially, when you don’t place so much hope on them. And being a Zambian I would very much love to witness one against a side that we have never met at senior level. But the list of problems with our players is too long to expect such a thing to happen. Collins Mbesuma, Davies Nkausu and Mukuka Mulenga will all sit out today’s game because of inuries and Jacob Mulenga and Chisamba Lungu have just recovered from their injuries while, Mayuka lacks match fitness.

Let me now end here and wait to see the outcome. Otherwise I wish everyone a pleasant game.