Maravi

Not Katele, not Mabenga

Not Katele, not Mabenga
By Editorial
Saturday August 25, 2007 [04:00]

Politics is supposed to be a very noble undertaking where only the most honest, the most principled, the most trusted, the most humble and the most competent are allowed to serve. Politics is not supposed to be a profession for all sorts of crooks, thieves and jackals. We say this because politics deals with the lives of people, the future and destinies of nations. How can such a very important undertaking be left to the scum, to crooks?

For all the years he has spent in politics, old Daniel Munkombwe should know better and be the last person to defend those who fall short of such standards to take up public office. But probably it's understandable that old Munkombwe's politics have not been very much about principles, about values - they have been much more based on expedience and sometimes outright opportunism.

And it's very difficult to understand why a political party that wants to part company with poor political standards would make old Munkombwe a provincial chairman. What are things coming to? In the same breath, the MMD is fighting corruption while defending the vice!

It requires little intelligence - if a little is all one has - to realise that application of such a policy upon someone who is believed to have flouted the required standards of political leadership throws the whole system of values of a political party in confusion.

Anyway, this is what happens in a nation when values are lost, when ideas are lost.
As we have stated before, virtue must be nourished but vice springs out spontaneously like weeds and grows by itself. We must bear that in mind. If we do otherwise, while nourishing virtue we are simultaneously paving way for vice. That's a reality we must not lose sight of. For if good ideas foster other good ideas, bad things, on the other hand, can foster other bad things.

This country - and even the MMD - is not short of men and women of integrity to take up political leadership positions. Zambia is not short of people of integrity for us to cling to Katele Kalumba and Michael Mabenga. There are a lot of other things these two gentlemen can do. Politics doesn't need the likes of Katele and Mabenga; it needs men and women of high integrity. And political leadership shouldn't be seen as just like any other career which one can take up to fulfil a personal ambition or pleasure.

In politics one should be out to fulfil a duty; it requires a spirit of sacrifice. Politics is about serving our people whole-heartedly and never for a moment divorcing oneself from the masses. It requires one to proceed in all cases from the interests of the people and not from one’s self-interest or from the interests of a small group. In politics, one is always supposed to be a servant of the people and whatever one does should be to serve the people. This being the case, how can we allow people who have shown or demonstrated very high tendencies for selfishness, how can we allow those with sticky fingers to be political leaders and occupy public office? The duty of every politician or indeed anyone holding public office should be to hold himself or herself responsibly to the people. Every word, every act and every policy that they come up with must conform to the people's interests, and if mistakes occur, they must be corrected - that is what being responsible to the people means.

It is not right for old Munkombwe to defend and justify corruption in the way he is doing. No strong nation, or indeed even a political party, can be built on the shifting sands of evasions and opportunism.

We admit that corruption has taken root in our country, it has almost become a way of life and will be very difficult to uproot. But this does not mean we should resign ourselves to it. This would be to renounce all hope for progress in our country and resign ourselves to misery and backwardness. No matter how enormous the difficulties, no matter how complex the task, there can be no room for pessimism. We can change things for the better, we can build a better and more honest, just, fair and humane nation. Moreover, belief in the possibility of change and renewal is perhaps one of the defining characteristics of politics.

Our country can only progress if there's discipline, and where there's no discipline, there can be no real progress. It will be extremely irresponsible of us as a nation to allow people who have abused their offices and public resources to continue to be our political leaders and hold high public offices. There is need for discipline in the nation and in whatever we do. Impunity should not be allowed. Yes, we acknowledge the fact that in a democracy people should feel free to stand for whatever positions they want and the electorate should be the final deciders. This can be said to be so where there's no corruption because where there's corruption the electorate is manipulated and does not make free choices. Moreover, democracy is not only about forming political parties and contesting presidential and other elections, but also living in a way that respects and enhances the lives of others.

Corruption is a plague that must be erased from the face of our country because it stands in the way of progress. The important thing is to give happiness to our people and this cannot be done under corruption or where corruption dominates.
If we are proud of our country, we will not allow elements like Katele and Mabenga to run for high political office.

Pride in our country should be a common bond between us all. It should be the essence of our new patriotism, the patriotism of the 21st century. The onus is on us, through hard work, honesty and integrity, to reach for the stars.

As we have already stated, Zambia is not short of men and women of integrity. There's nothing special about Katele or Mabenga. In fact, if one had an opportunity to come into close contact with history and analyse these matters, one would realise that humans tend to make fools of themselves if they think too much about themselves and their self-importance. It would be wiser to aspire to a modest, simple, even anonymous place in life, because, if one has a true measure of the power of people as individuals, one will realise that it is so fragile and such a small thing that it really doesn't make sense to magnify the role of any individual, no matter how intelligent, brilliant or able they may be. There have been many able, intelligent, meritorious figures in the course of history. Therefore, we should be unassuming and limit ourselves to doing our duty to the best of our extremely limited possibilities.

If you are honest, truly honest, you won't be corrupted. If you are unassuming and have a clear understanding of the worth of people and of yourself, you won't be corrupted.

Labels: EDITORIAL, KATELE KALUMBA, MICHAEL MABENGA

posted by MrK @ 6:21 AM