Maravi

Don't allow thieves to rule over us again

Don't allow thieves to rule over us again
By Editor
Saturday August 16, 2008 [04:00]

There is growing anxiety over President Levy Mwanawasa’s illness.
There’s growing fear that President Mwanawasa may not come back to assume his duties. There’s a growing feeling that when he comes back, he may retire or resign his position as president of our country. Whatever the merits or demerits of such feelings, those who don’t like or fear his rule are busy conspiring to replace him, to ensure that he is succeeded by one of their type.

The most ardent critics of President Mwanawasa, those who hate and fear him the most, are invariably corrupt elements. These are the people trying very hard to ensure that he is replaced by a person who is corrupt or who can be corrupted, manipulated.

But as Mark Chona has boldly declared, Zambians will not allow thieves and greedy leaders to succeed President Mwanawasa and destroy their country.

Only people who are known for their honesty, ability, dedication and concern for the welfare of all should succeed President Mwanawasa when his time to step aside comes.

We say this because the joys and hopes, the sorrows and anxieties of the Zambian people today, especially those who are poor and afflicted in any way, are the joys and hopes, the sorrows and anxieties of honest political leaders.

And “whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all” (Mk 10:14).
The political leadership of this country needs people with high credibility. And participation in the political life of our country must be guided by such principles and values.

What our people are seeking is genuine democracy in which leaders are servants of the people and not their masters. They are not seeking leaders who would rob them of their country’s very limited resources.

Progress can only be made when we have incorruptible, honest, intelligent and humble leaders who see politics as a vocation to serve the people and not to rape them. And no one should be made a political leader of our country if they are corrupt or dishonest in any way.

We shouldn’t forget that politics is an area of great importance for promoting justice, peace, development and community among all our people. Therefore, politics is a way of building up society for the common good.

It is therefore not possible for corrupt elements, for people with narrow minds to move our country forward if they take up political leadership.

We should therefore under no circumstances allow thieves and those with narrow minds to govern our country.

Every period and every nation will need increasingly well-prepared, increasingly able leaders. It’s a new world that is emerging now.

We adapted to this world, we continue to adapt, and we are now learning what to do. We have developed sentiments of solidarity, political awareness, values that have immense power. We shouldn’t lose this in any way.

The governance of our country should continue to be based on principles. And the ideas that we defend have been, for quite sometime, ideas shared by the entire nation.

In opposing the establishment in our country of a government of thieves, by thieves for thieves, we are not in any way motivated by hatred or prejudice.

We should consider ourselves fortunate to have been aware that hatred and prejudice are not political weapons. There are political weapons and, in addition, we have the experience to know that principles are the best weapon.

And quality of life lies in knowledge, in culture and values. Values are what constitute true quality of life, the supreme quality of life, even above food, shelter and clothing.

And in saying this, we are not in any way trying to minimise, in the slightest, the importance of material needs – you always have to give them first priority, because in order to achieve a higher quality of life, the supreme quality of life, certain material needs must be satisfied.

The most perfect system of government is the one that produces the greatest possible happiness, the greatest degree of social safety, and greatest political stability. It is not possible to have that for the great majority of our people under a government of thieves.

It is therefore very important that the great majority of our people who are opposed to corruption should work hard and ensure that if President Mwanawasa is to leave office soon, he shouldn’t be succeeded by a thief or a representative or agent of thieves.

While thieves are conspiring to take over from President Mwanawasa, our people should work openly to ensure that the next president is theirs, belongs to them – he or she is an honest individual.

Power is always contested. There’s always a struggle for it. Even the best of people, the best of individuals will not get it or win it without a struggle of one form or another. While the thieves cannot campaign for power openly – at least for now – the people, the honest people should feel free do so openly.

Of course, taking into account the sensitivities that surround President Mwanawasa’s illness.

There is nothing wrong or evil in trying to ensure that President Mwanawasa’s honest work is not lost to thieves in the event that he fails to continue as our president. While nursing President Mwanawasa and hoping for his quick recovery, let’s be prudent and ensure that we do so without giving any political advantage to thieves.

We therefore urge all our honest politicians to come together and defend the gains of the Mwanawasa leadership. Again, this should be done in the most decent way and in the most disciplined manner.

And doing so should not be in any way be seen to being insensitive to the plight of our president and his family. It should be instead seen as a realistic and most sensible response to the manoeuvres of criminals who are continually conspiring to take over government and free themselves from corruption prosecutions and defend their loot.

We remember in these moments a thought of Che Guevara’s: “The present is the struggle. The future belongs to us.” Let’s struggle and never allow thieves to re-establish their rule over our country again.

Labels: CORRUPTION, TASK FORCE

posted by MrK @ 4:30 AM