A United Zambia is Must!

To our citizens who are young at heart and the old generation who may not remember, we need to know how the Republic of Zambia came into being to enable us to understand our present political divergence in the country.

Before 1911 the territory currently known as Zambia was divided into two separate entities known as North-Eastern Rhodesia and North - Western Rhodesia.

Both territories were under British colonial rule.

The capital of North Eastern Rhodesia was at Fort Jameson (currently known as Chipata).

The Fort was established to defend the British ruled territory from other colonialists and hostile natives.

You may be interested to know that the "Policemen's language", commonly known as "Nyanja" originates from Fort Jameson.

It was developed as a dialect from the local languages of African tribes found in North-Eastern Rhodesia.

The capital of North Western Rhodesia was initially at Kalomo.

It was the first administrative centre of Northern Rhodesia, serving until the capital city was established at Livingstone in 1907.

The British colonial masters then merged the two into one territory know as Northern Rhodesia after 1911.

The capital of Northern Rhodesia was eventually moved to Lusaka.

You may be interested to know that the name "Lusaka" originates from a Chief who was found around there called Lusakasa , which the British abbreviated to Lusaka.

There is a school in Lusaka called Lusakasa which is named in honour of the Chief.

Northern Rhodesia and the neighbouring British ruled territories of Nyasaland (now Malawi) and Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) were then merged into a Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

The administrative capital for this Federation was set at Fort Salisbury, later to be called Salisbury until independence in 1980 when Southern Rhodesia became the Republic of Zimbabwe when it was renamed Harare.

After the establishment of the Federation, there was resentment amongst the black nationals who were not happy with the way the wealth from the three territories were managed.

It was felt that most of the wealth from these territories was used to develop Southern Rhodesia more than the other two territories.

Salisbury became more developed than Lusaka and Blantyre (now Zomba) which was the capital of Malawi at independence. Even today this historic fact is still evident.

The capital of Malawi was later shifted to Lilongwe.

This brought about the call for the disbandment of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland by black nationalists (later to become the politicians) of these territories.

The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland came to an end in 1953.

Thereafter, the African nationalists in the three territories demanded independence  of these territories from British colonial rule.

This saw the independence of Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland from British rule in 1964 to become the Republics of Zambia and Malawi respectively.

The white administrators in Southern Rhodesia did not want the country to be ruled by the native blacks, so on 11th November 1965 they declared UDI (Unilateral Declaration of Independence) from British rule.

The UDI saw the begin  of a bitter 15-year guerilla bush war when the blacks in Southern Rhodesia , which was called Rhodesia after UDI, resorted to fighting the white rebels (under Ian Smith) from the bush.

This war affected the Republic of Zambia because the Freedom Fighters took refuge in the country and the rebels in Rhodesia used to bomb certain parts of the country in pursuit of the Freedom Fighters.

When the Liberation Centre was bombed by the white rebels in the 70s I was in Lusaka as a student at UNZA.

As students at UNZA we were conscripted into the Zambia National Service to go for military training in 1973 in order to protect the country from rebel attacks.

The UDI brought a lot of economic hardships to the Republic of Zambia in many ways.

The county was subjected to border closures, military attacks and siege by the white rebels in Rhodesia, the white Apartheid racist regime in South Africa and the Portuguese ruled territories of Mozambique and Angola.

Under the leadership of Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, who became the President of Zambia in 1964 (he was called Prime Minister then) the country managed to pull through these hardships.

This part of our history needs a separate writing about it!  

As stated earlier, North-Eastern Rhodesia and North -Western became Northern Rhodesia in 1911.

Northern Rhodesia was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland until 1953 when the Federation was disbanded due to African nationalist pressure.

Northern Rhodesia became the Republic of Zambia on 24th October 1964.

Now coming back to our present voting pattern in our Elections, you may notice that these are based on the historic basis of the two former British ruled territories of North-Eastern Rhodesia and North- Western Rhodesia.

A lot of people talk without knowing where we are coming from a Nation.

Ignorance is our greatest enemy today and if not checked it could lead to animosity in the country.

The Bible teaches us that: -

“My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. "Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.”

The challenge of our current political leaders is to keep the unity of this country so that it is not again divided as the British colonialists did before 1911 and it must remain a ONE ZAMBIA and a ONE NATION!

AMEN !!

REFERENCES :

For those who may be interested to read in detail about the history of our beloved country, you may get details from the links given below, from Libraries or research online, etc.

1) North - Eastern Rhodesia

     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North-Eastern_Rhodesia

2) North- Western Rhodesia

     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North-Western_Rhodesia

3)  Historical Atlas – The History of Zambia

      https://www.zum.de/whkmla/histatlas/southafrica/haxzambia.html

Zambia's Political Metamorphism

I am appealing to fellow citizens, who are following the just ended Presidential and Elections’ results, posted from various sources on the Social Media, to take easy!

There is no need for one to stress oneself unnecessarily due to politics.

A number of people, who were close to me, have passed on or became unhealthy due to stress after an election.

Others, who were successful businessmen, who recklessly threw their wealth into campaigns and lost the elections, saw their businesses going under.

It took time for a few others that I know of, to be restored.

As individuals, we are just tiny elements of a much bigger body.

Our personal development should be of prime importance to us.

So why should one worry who rules us?

An election victory or defeat is not a permanent situation.

Political leaders come and go.

From 1964, when I was 11 years old, up to this year of 2016, when I am 62, Zambia had seen several major political changes as follows:-

  

a) 1964 Zambia attaining political independence from British white rule.

     A black man and a native of the country becomes the first Head of State.

b) 1972 - Zambia becoming a one party State after abolition of all opposition  

     political parties.  

c) 1991 - Zambia reverts back to multiparty democracy.

    The second Republican President voted into Office with a popular vote from

    an electorate fed up with 27 years of one party leadership.

d) 2001 - The third Republican President is voted into Office after a two term

    tenure in Office of the incumbent comes to an end.

    This is after a bid by him to go for a third term flops due to public pressure.

e) 2008 - Zambia losing its third Republican President in office through death.

     This is the first time that an incumbent President dies in Office and a fourth

     President is elected.

f) 2011 - a fifth President is elected into office.

     This is after being in the opposition for 10 years.

     The new President is from a third political party to rule the Nation since

     independence.

g) 2014 - Zambia losing its fifth Republican President in office through death.

     This is the second time that an incumbent President dies in Office and a  

     fifth President is elected.

h) 2015 - A sixth Republican President is voted into Office after the death of

      the fifth President.

      He wins the party presidency after a big wrangle amongst party leaders as

      ten of them vie for the post of party President.

      After a fiasco at the party’s Convention, this lasts several days in two

      camps, the current party President is elected amidst one of the greatest

      controversies witnessed at any party Convention in the country.

i) 2016 - Zambia goes to the polls again.

It must be noted that this is a time when the country's economy is at one of its lowest levels since attaining its political independence in 1964.

Will the country have its seventh Republican President from a new political party or will the sixth President going to continue with a depressed economy?

The challenge of the incoming Government is to turn around Zambia’s economy and see the country to achieve the Agenda for Sustainable Development by 2030 as per resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 25^th September, 2015.

Failure to do so will result in continued suffering of the citizens, especially the marginalized, such as the unemployed youths and women.

This is likely to bring increased political agitation and animosity.

The Bible tells us about earthly leaders as follows:-

• “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” ~ Romans 13:1

• “Jesus answered [speaking to Pilate], “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” ~ John 19:11

• “By me kings reign…” ~ Proverbs 8:15

• “…he removes kings, and sets up kings…” ~ Daniel 2:21

• “Then God removed Saul and made David their king…” ~ Acts 13:22

• “No one … can exalt themselves. It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.” ~ Psalms 75:6-7

• “…the Most High has power over human kingdoms. He gives them to whomever he wishes.” ~ Daniel 4:17

At the end of it all, the Almighty Lord will make the decision on who the next President of Zambia will be.

He has the final power to put leaders into and out of Office.

AMEN!!

Miles Sampa’s resignation might bring “Kafwafwa” in PF (By Chilufya Tayali – Facebook 29th October 2015)

I respect Miles though is one of the politicians I have never interacted with on a personal level but I have been watching him closely because he is young, energetic, ingenuity, courageous, generous, intelligent and ambitious. You would not fail to tell that he is in the early 40s when he is around and talking freely.


Miles has resigned in one of the most mature way in the history of Zambian Politics but that should not make the PF members comfortable and think it is business as usual like the way Hon. Chikwanda presented the 2016 budget.


The resignation of Miles is a challenge on the leadership of Edger Lungu to keep the PF intact otherwise he may soon me dancing around like a soldier on punishment with a sweet potato in his hands.


President Edgar Lungu should not read the beautiful resignation letter of Miles with naivety. The President should traverse the history, in terms of membership and vision, of the PF from the time when it was in opposition, when it wreathed power away from MMD, the time of Sata’s illness, after Sata’s death, what happened at Mulungushi Rock where both Miles and himself emerged as Presidents, then the court cases and reconciliations.


The January 2015 Presidential elections and results must also be considered in terms of the gap between Edgar and HH because that speaks volumes of what may happen next year depending on how the membership issue is handled between now and 2016 General elections.

I took my time to sniff around for reasons why Miles could have resigned; I have not spoken to him (Miles) personally because we have never interacted. Nonetheless, I can trust my well-placed sources.

Without dwelling on the details, I concluded that Miles feels side-lined by Edgar Lungu. My sources doubted if Miles has ever had a one to one meeting with the President since he took power. On the other hand Miles’ intelligence has revived to him that a number of reports has been going to the President about him but the President has never engaged him. I tried to check if Miles felt bad that he has not been appointed to full Minister but I was told that he never bothered about that.

If you look back to the attributes I gave Miles in the first paragraph and consider the events after Sata’s death, I think you would have cause to worry about the PF’s unity owing to the resignation of Miles despite of the beautiful letter he wrote to the President. The resignation with immediate effect must also give you a hint of the emotions behind this resignation.

Remember that Miles was crowned President by the so called cartel (according to Richard Sakala though I don't agree because these people hardly meet)


From my interactions with the PF which I tried to bring out in one of my articles entitled, “I am very upset with the PF today”, you will realize that Miles is not the only PF member feeling disgruntled. This is why I have suggested to the President to traverse the history of the PF and compare it to the current PF under his leadership.

I would be the first person to condemn President Edgar Lungu if PF remains the same, a year after Sata’s death, because life has to go on and change, just like the life of Sata had to change naturally even though one of my grieving brothers suspected foul play but in bemba we say “Uulila tabamucheba pakanwa” which simply means that don’t bother about what the grieving person says (I wish Kabimba knew that he would not be in court).

The issue of consideration or concern about the change of the PF after Sata is how the party is evolving. Where is the PF today, how is the PF and who is composed of this party today?

I always remember what my hero and mentor FTJ Chiluba said, when he changed from supporting Sata to RB, that politics is about benefits. Who is benefiting out of PF today? Where are the core members of the PF today?

I don’t like to beat about the bush, but Edgar has embraced a lot of new members in PF and given them good positions leaving out many old members who brought PF into power. It is also a fact that many of the people who actually campaigned heavily for Edgar Lungu himself, are not near him. The goal getters are on the peripheries while he has maintained the tired legs of Shamendas, Chikwandas, Kasondes, Nkandu Luos, Katemas and some other political interns like Mwanakatwes.

The party is also led by an administrator who I appreciate for his integrity but not mobilization but that should not worry you because Mumbi Phiri and Frank Bwalya will do the running.


President Edgar Lungu seems to have replaced the team that won him the cup with players from the losing teams who have not impressed the spectators in the past. But because he is the President he has powers to do it.

Anyway, I am not a PF member and I don’t need a job in PF or government otherwise I would have gotten that from Sata but many people in PF want to be recognized and if they are not, Edgar might have a batch of resignation letters that it might be difficult to be saved by a quick consent order with Davies Chama which saw Bridget Atanga into UPND.

Let me end with a quote from the Bible which our Church Elder HH likes "Where there are no Prophets, people get out of hand, but happy the one who follows commandments." (Prob 29:18).

And the Late Sata said that the PF government will lead the Country based on the 10 commandments!

CT/hmn

301015

The Lord, Our Redeemer

"May my words and my thoughts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my sheltering rock and my redeemer." (Psalms 19:14).

"They remembered that God was their protector, and that the sovereign God was their deliverer." (Psalms 78:35).

"This is what the Lord says, your protector, the Holy One of Israel: "For your sake I send to Babylon and make them all fugitives, turning the Babylonians' joyful shouts into mourning songs." (Isaiah 43:14).

"I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will get drunk on their own blood, as if it were wine. Then all humankind will recognize that I am the Lord, your deliverer, your protector, the powerful ruler of Jacob."" (Isaiah 49:26).

"For you are our father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not recognize us. You, Lord, are our father; you have been called our protector from ancient times." (Isaiah 63:16).

"As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that as the last he will stand upon the earth." (Job 19:25).

""Do not let your hearts be distressed. You believe in God; believe also in me. There are many dwelling places in my Father's house. Otherwise, I would have told you, because I am going away to make ready a place for you." (John 14: 1-2).

"And if I go and make ready a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that where I am you may be too." (John 14:3).

"Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope." (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

"(Look! I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy expressed in this book.)" (Revelation 22:7).

"(Look! I am coming soon, and my reward is with me to pay each one according to what he has done!" (Revelation 22:12).

"The one who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon!" Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all." (Revelation 22:20-21).

"From his mouth extends a sharp sword, so that with it he can strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod, and he stomps the winepress of the furious wrath of God, the All-Powerful. He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh: "King of kings and Lord of lords."" (Revelation 19:15-16).

AMEN!

Who is Responsible ?

Whenever an act of violence is committed in any part of our country, the first thing that one hears is a variety of opinions from various quarters of our society as to who may have been responsible for it.

As a child I was brought up in a place which was subjected to seasonal flooding.

One of the sports we used to enjoy, as children, was to swim and bathe in flooded pools of water.

This could go on for hours until when we were all exhausted. It was real fun!

The back side of this game was that of poor sanitation because the place of play was very far from any lavatory.

At times one of the children would, out of pressure, empty his bowels in the water. This was with the hope that no one would know who has done it!

Once the contents of the bowels were noticed floating on top of the swimming area, we would all quickly come out the water denouncing the "son of a cow" who has done such a despicable act of barbarism and insanity !

On many occasions the culprit would not be known, as we all came out of the water "very clean".

However, suspicion of guilt was always pointed to the younger boys in the group.

This often resulted in heated arguments, and at times, fist fights would ensue amongst us.

On one fateful day soon after being forced out of the swimming area, a heated argument was going on and a fist fight was about to take place.

Suddenly, to our amazement, one of the boys started emptying his bowels on dry ground!

We later learned that he had a bout of diarrhoea as a result of over eating of mangoes the previous day.

Remember this. 

Whilst the "Playing Ground" is wet for you it is easy to hide, but once it has dried out you will certainly be found out!

Why Zambia Won The 2012 AFCOM Cup

After the dramatic win by the Zambian national soccer team over the Ivory Coast soccer team in Libreville, Gabon on 12 February 2012 several people have put forward their opinions as to why we won. Many football analysers have labelled Zambians as "underdogs" from the beginning of the tournament.

Despite all the odds Zambians carried the day on 12 February 2012. In this post I put forward my belief as to why we won.

1) We Zambians won not because of what people thought of us but because of our resolve to win. The so-called soccer analysists and specialists have been proved to be greatest pathological liars. The word "underdog" belongs to the dark world of Satan.

2) We won not because of "Good luck" but because we were destined to win. When God says YES in your life, no man can say no!

3) We won not because of the desire to have more wealth but because of our faith in the Lord. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. " (Matthew 6:33).

4) We won not because a Sangoma foresaw it but because our God was on our side. If God is for us who can be against us ? I therefore, rebuke Satan for some nonbelievers suggesting that the South African Sangoma who foresaw be invited for the celebrations.

A Sangoma will never be a messenger of God ! He is destined to be punished by the wrath of God.

"And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus. Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.

But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand." (Acts 13:6-11).

Our victory was prophesied by several men and women of God without the cheap publicity through the press as of the Sangoma. Some of the prophetic messages were in form of parables. No one rushed to the press to publish it, but as Christians, we kept the faith and prayed over it.

The prize for false prophets can sometimes be inflicted by the devil himself as happened to the seven sons of Sceva.

"Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded." (Acts 19:13-16).

Those who are in support of the Sangoma from South Africa to be invited to Zambia and be part of the celebrations need deliverance and prayer !

The greatest honour to Zambia is winning the Cup, 19 years after the whole National Soccer Team, Officials and Crew perished in a Aircraft crash on the coast of Gabon in Libreville where the final Match was played yesterday. May their souls rest in eternal peace.

Amen !

Emergency Services in Zambia

On 15 May 2011, there was a news item from the local media about the loss of lives of more than a dozen children in the Zambian city of Ndola.

A hired mini bus, that was carrying some forty children who were going for a Church function, careered off the road and plunged into the Kafubu River.

The Police and the local Fire Brigade were called to the accident scene to rescue the victims.

According to one television footage of the accident, some witnesses who rushed to the scene of the accident were of the opinion that, if the rescue team had acted swiftly, not so many lives would have been lost.

What incensed them was the method that the Fire Brigade officers used to rescue the victims.

One witness claimed that a rope was thrown to the children so that they could climb out of the sinking vehicle !

They expected the officers to have dived into the water and assist the children.

When one looks at the equipment that the emergency services in Zambia have , it would have been suicidal for the Fire Brigade officers to have gone into the water.

The only section of our community that have adequate emergency rescue systems are the Mines and the Military.

There were two similar accidents which occurred on the Copperbelt in the recent past.

A few years ago, there was a heart breaking loss of a Luanshya mother and her children who drowned in their family car. She was apparently trying to drive through a flooded road at a bridge near the Kamfinsa township after a heavy downpour.

The vehicle was swept off the road into the fast running stream. Their bodies were recovered after several hours by the Fire Brigade with the help of a Mine Rescue Proto Team from a nearby Mine.

Recently a car went off the road and plunged into the Kafue river at a bridge on the Mufulira - Kitwe road. It took many days before the car and the body of the driver were recovered by a team of military divers.

Several road accidents have occurred where lives have been lost unnecessarily during rescue operations.

There two reasons to this.

Most people who rescue road accident victims are not familiar with First Aid practice.

There are cases where people bleed to death because there is no one to help them to stop the bleeding. Others die or become paralyzed permanently due to the manner they are transported from the accident scene to the hospital. A person with a broken spine needs a special method of transportation, for example.

One worry is that it takes time for authorities to respond to emergencies or to remove hazards from the roads.

A recent example is that of a Tanzanian truck that overturned at a sharp corner on the Chingola- Kitwe Road very close to the CEC substation at Luano early this year.

The truck, which was carrying a load of dump truck tyres each weighing over five tonnes, apparently overturned after going through a very big pot hole.

Despite the truck being a danger to individual motorists and passengers of public transport vehicles, it took more than five weeks before the truck was removed.

I happen to have been traveling on the road on a near daily basis during that time. I and friend used to cross with a Police traffic vehicle that was commuting between Chingola and Kitwe.

There were several near misses where some vehicles almost rammed into the obstructing truck. The only warning to other motorists were pieces of tree branches spread on the road from either side and some warning triangles which were not easily seen. The crew of the truck were stuck at the place for all that time without any assistance from anybody.

At one time we stopped our vehicle and interviewed the truck crew. They told us that they have sent word via fellow truck drivers to the owners of the truck who was in Tanzania.

Had a fatal accident occurred as result of the obstructing truck, it was going to be high profile news. As long as no accident occurred it was, apparently alright, with the authorities in charge of road safety !

This is a very sad state of affairs which needs urgent attention from all concerned.

What is lacking in our society is the lack of urgency to resolve problems which are under our control.

What comes to mind is the establishment of road safety organizations which would supplement authorities to reduce the accidents on our roads.

In many parts of the world there clubs such as the Automobile Association (AA) which look into the well being of motorists. If I remember well we used to have such an organization in the distant past when I was just a school boy.

There is potential for establishment of motoring clubs that would remove dangerous obstacles from the roads, provide first aid to accident victims and do rescue operations at accident scenes.

The country has a lot of people who are professionals in the field of first aid and rescue operations. If these put their heads together a formidable organization would be formed.

An example would be if each motorist was asked to contribute a regular fee of say, K10,000 per month, towards such an organization on a voluntary basis, it would go a long way towards reducing suffering to the road users.

As more and more people realize the benefits of belonging to such a "club" it would encourage others to join. This would extend even to rescue operations in residential areas where people find them selves in many emergencies.

Some people may not agree with me and say such duties should be left to the existing sytems run by the Government and Local Authorities.

If one can afford to pay, say K50,000 to belong to a drinking social club, why not belong to one which is looking after his own safety ?

What do you think ?

Your Mindset Determines Your Destiny !

This year, citizens of the Republic of Zambia will be going to the polls to elect new civic and political leaders from a number of political parties.

It is during this time like this that each party is trying to outdo others by massive campaigning to attract the attention of the voters.

Very well written manifestos will be distributed around the country.

As usual, the electrorate is promised good developmental programmes by each political party.

After 47 years of political independence, my heart bleeds when I realise that, despite the campaigns, the attitude of an average Zambian towards basic things like hygiene and self development is still wanting.

As an example, I was recently in Kitwe City Centre when I decided to go home by public transport. The family car was being used for another purpose in town, so I took a shortcut to the bus stop, via an alley that passes between two commercial banks on one end and some shops on the other end.

The water drain was full to the brim with stagnant and dirty water.

On closer look, I noticed that the water could not flow freely because people who walk along the alley have thrown away all sorts of litter into the drain, thereby choking it !

An average Zambian who has gone to school knows that stagnant water is a good breeding ground for mosquitoes, which is the cause of the deadly malaria disease. Thousands of people are killed by malaria across Zambia every year.

It is a pity that after so many years of Independence the mindset of an average citizen is not tuned to self discipline towards looking after surroundings.

There is a general tendency amongst us that the Government and local authorities will do everything for us.

If litter is thrown away so carelessly resulting in water drains being blocked, what sort of development are we expecting in the country ?

Is there any political party that will change our mindset to develop ourselves?

What every citizen should know is that this country will not be developed by any politicians if we are not tuned to develop ourselves in the first place.

Do we need a council policeman to guard that drain for 24 hours to prevent irresponsible people from choking the water drain by throwing away litter
anyhow ?

Do we need foreign experts to come and show us how to look after our cities properly ?

Remember your mindset determines your destiny !

NOTE : -

To see the water drain referred to click the link below:-

http://files.myopera.com/hmsialex/operamini/1302872245.jpg

Pawns of Political Bigotry

A few days ago, there was a news item informing us that the results of a by-election that was recently held in one province in Zambia has been nullified by a Court judge.

This was because of the violence perpetrated by the rival political parties during the campaign period.

The violence, which was unprecedented in the country, save for that seen during the " Cha Cha Cha" era before Independence, saw a number of people seriously injured.

What attracted my attention was the observation the learned Judge made about the violence.

He noted that despite the violence, none of the aspiring candidates who were in the opposing political camps had any scars on their faces as result of the violence!

He directed that one young man who lost an eye during one fracas should be compensated.

I just wondered who was going to foot the bill for that? The State, I presumed? If this is the case, why should the tax payer pay for political bigotry ?

Furthermore, one may also ask, why should innocent people find themselves maimed as a result of other people who are aspiring for political office?

The unfortunate fact is that some individuals find themselves being used by others to achieve their political ambitions.

Whereas there maybe different reasons why this scenario is evident in our country, it is clear that politicians are fond of taking advantage of the weak in our society.

It is common practice during elections for politicians seeking favour from the electorate to use various methods to win their support.

With this state of affairs, the atmosphere becomes conducive for tempers to rise up.

There are cases where a group of people who have been members of one political party for many years, would suddenly change their minds and crossover to the rival party!

Are these people really genuine supporters or just political drifters?

These people are used as pawns by political bigots.

One man, whose writings I follow, Rick Warren is the Author of the book called "Purpose Driven Life". He says :-

"If you are not living on purpose , you'll be driven by pressure, pleasure, popularity, power,
prestige, possessions, your past, or pain."

Without a purpose in life one would find himself being manipulated by others.

In Africa, by elections or no by elections, we always get the best out of a bad deal from our politicians.

I pray that this scenario will never show its ugly head in Zambia in future.

Getting the Best Out of a Bad Deal ?

In March 1986, whilst I was working as an electrical project engineer at Konkola Division of the then Zambia Copper Consolidated Mines Limited, I was sent for a six-month attachment with a British electrical utility company in the United Kingdom.

The attachment was part of a training programme in Electrical Power Distribution systems.

The training was sponsored by the World Bank as a way of strengthening the engineering skills of indigenous citizens of Zambia.

For accomodation the sponsors arranged for me to stay with a British couple as a paying lodger in their home.

I was staying with Mr. and Mrs. Munroe at their home. It was some four kilometers from a switchgear factory of a company called Northern Electrical Industries ( NEI) .The factory was located in a town called Hebburn, which is situated on the banks of the Tyne River.

Mr. Munroe had once worked as an expartriate at the copper mine in the Zambian Copperbelt town of Chingola around 1972.

My stay with the Munroe family is one of the most memorable time of my life. The couple, which was in their fifties, were very kind to me and I was treated like their own child. They had two grown children of their own who were by then grown adults who had their own homes.

On a typical Friday evening we used to go out for dinner at any one of the several social outlets found in the town of Hebburn.

One friday evening we went to one social outlet where we had dinner which was followed by taking of a few drinks.

A number of the Munroes' friends were interested to know more about Zambian life.

At time Zambia was under a one party system of Government.

One evening a certain man engaged me in a heated discussion when I told him about our "one party participatory democracy " in Zambia.

He told me point blank that the one party system of Government could not qualify to be called a "democracy".

I told him that when we had a multiparty system of Government we used to experience a lot of skirmishes between opposing political parties.

The skirmishes were generally between tribal or regional based opposing parties.

My support for the one party participatory democracy then was based on the fact that it had brought unity between the different tribes who have been bitter enemies for many generations.

The British man could not be convinced by this argument .

After about thirty minutes of a heated discussion he told me the following words which still linger in my mind.

"The problem with you Africans is you always choose the best option out of a bad deal. How can you call a one party dictatorship a democracy just because it has brought so called "unity " amongst you ?"

"The unity you are talking about is the unity to share poverty under despotic leaders"!

In our own lives we should not settle for anything that brings peace with the anybody else just to maintain the status quo of living in tranquility with them.

A troubled heart can not live in peace with anybody else apart from its owner.

Personal satisfaction can only be realised when an individual gets the best out of a good deal with anybody else!

Time Wasters ! Space Wasters !

At the beginning of this week I went to one of the local Banks in Chingola.

This is the end of the month and is the time when most workers get their salaries via the Banks.

I had to deposit some money into an Account of a friend, who was to use the money to do some business transaction on my behalf.

When I entered the Bank hall, I found a very long and meandearing queue of about forty people.

There are five teller counters in the Bank hall.

I observed that four of the five counters were manned. I also noticed that one of the counters was marked "Deposits Only".

Since I was depositing cash, this brought a sigh of relief to me that I won't be very long in the Bank.

After being in the building for ten minutes, I realised that I had moved up the queue by only three spaces occupied by people in front of me !

On checking what was going on, I noticed that, in fact, only three tellers were serving customers.

The teller behind the counter marked "Deposits Only" was only handling bundles of cash, which looked like they were coming from the Bank's security Safe.

He was distributing the cash to the other three tellers. These tellers were paying out cash to customers who were getting their monthly salaries as well collecting cash being deposited.

The "Deposits Only" sign was therefore misleading !

What was annoying is that the meandearing queue was for those who were depositing and those withdrawing cash.

This was a great inconvenience to those who were depositing money, who were in the minority.

What was even more annoying was that, out of the three tellers who were working, only one of them was really doing anything. This young man was serving customers at a faster rate than the other two. I noticed that he was working approximately three times faster than his colleagues.

The other two gentlemen were really annoying because they spent more time chatting with customers or were in conversation on mobile telephones.

There is a notice stuck on the wall, which clearly prohibited the use of mobile telephones within the Bank premises. I wondered whether this notice was only meant for customers?

It took me exactly eighty minutes before I could be attended to by one of the chatting Bank tellers. This time is almost equal to that spend to watch a ninety minute football match!

This brought a revelation to me of how some people who are not productive contribute to the under development of our country.

The Bank has built a very big hall for banking purposes, at great cost, but there we were, subjected to such shoddy service.

What a lot of us do not realise is, that such people are not only time wasters but space wasters as well !

The space that they occupy is not used efficiently. This is depriving chance to other people who could utilize the space more efficiently.

Such people are more suitable to be in public Parks. The space in these Parks is meant for relaxing.

The public is entitled to efficient service from the Banks.

With the emerging of several new Banks in Zambia which are run more efficiently the future of such Banks is bleak.

How many time and space wasters do you come across on a daily basis ?

What Should Change ?

Recently there has been some talk amongst the Zambian politicians, who are in the opposition, that the country is ready for change.

No one has really qualified what this change is all about.

Those belonging to the ruling party perceive this as a call to remove them from running Government.

Government never changes. What changes is the political party that has control over the running of the State machinery. After every general election a particular political party would have the mandate to run Government for a given period of time.

It is more like who is charge of the streering wheel of a vehicle that belongs to a family. Any member of the family can drive the vehicle, as long as they have a valid driving licence.

How the vehicle moves along the highway is determined by the competence of the particular member of the family.

The State machinery never changes in spite of which political party is in charge of running it.

When people talk of change they mean changing of a political party in charge of running the Government machinery.

We have had several changes of political systems since Independence in 1964.

Soon after independence, we had a multiparty system of Government which was a copy from our former colonial masters.

Later on, we changed to a one party "participatory" democracy, which was in fact, a dictatorship.

In 1991 multiparty democracy was reintroduced in the country.

The reintroduction of multiparty system saw a proliferation of many political parties, which at one time totaled over three dozen! Is this really democracy ?

By critical analysis of the behaviour of our politicians, one can see a general pattern in the attributes of individuals who belong to these parties.

The country has the following types of politicians, irrespective of which party they belong to :-

1) Political Monkeys - These are non principled individuals who jump from one political party to another. This type of politician is closely related to the one that follows.

2) Political Prostitutes - These are individuals who do not care about how our natural resources are utilized for national development, as long as a few thousand dollars are in their personal bank accounts.

3) Professional Politicians - These are individuals who make a living from politics. Some have done it for more than three decades. They have no interest of the country at heart. Some of them would like their own family members to take over from them as if they belong to royality!

4) Political Dreamers - These are individuals who come up with dossiers of economic development plans which never bear any fruits. They have very good development plans which are only pipedreams or not practical to implement.

5) Political Agitators - These are individuals who think political power should be via intimidation of the electrorate. They are ready to fight those that are not of their own party in order to remain in power.

The list can go on and on.

What is at stake is not which political party is in charge of running the Government machinery , but the type of politicians we have in our midst.

A lot of our politicians have one or more of the attributes mentioned above.

Is it not time for us to have a different approach to politics?