Tell no lies
Tell no liesBy Editor
Monday September 22, 2008 [04:00]
IT is very dangerous for a man in his seventies to be telling lies because he will have no time to correct them, to acquire a new image and may die with a tag of being a liar. Rupiah Banda's contradictory stories on when he joined the MMD should raise many questions about his character and personality.
As we have stated before, we are in no way questioning Rupiah's right to join a political party of his choice at any time he feels like. What we are questioning is the manner in which he goes about doing so. And this is where character comes in. We are questioning the lies he seems to be telling about his joining MMD from UNIP.
In a profile interview with Webster Malido, which was published in the Sunday Post of December 7, 2003, Rupiah said: "I am really a Unipist, what people call Unipist. So it is very difficult for me perhaps at my age to join another political party."
And the same Rupiah was the day before yesterday claiming to have joined the MMD in 2002. How possible is this?
Is it an accidental mix-up of dates due to old age or senility? Is it a simple oversight? Or is it simply a lie on his part?
December 7, 2003 is very far away from 2002. If it were January 7, 2003 one would probably be sympathetic with Rupiah's claim because the two dates may be slightly closer to each other. But if his memory is so bad, then he will have a lot of difficulties remembering the many things a Republican President has to remember.
However, we believe that Rupiah's contradictions on when he joined the MMD are not the product of oversight, senility nor were they unconscious, but rather they were deliberate and conscious. Rupiah has simply allowed himself to be blinded and confused by personal ambition. As a result of this, Rupiah is ready to tell any lie, to say anything that he thinks can win him support and votes.
There have been many questions asked about Rupiah's membership of MMD, especially as to when he left UNIP and joined the MMD. All these lies he is telling are simply tailored to address this issue and increase his credibility that is continually being questioned.
But surely, Rupiah can address this issue without having to lie, without having to manufacture dates. We know that the best test of a human being, like that of a metal, is to put it under pressure, under heat. Under such conditions, the true character of a person comes out.
Those who are honest will admit shortcomings and tell the truth. Those whose character is more inclined to dishonesty will be economical with the truth and they will try to manufacture gong'as of the real truth. But as it is with other things it doesn't take long to distinguish the truth from a lie - a gong'a.
"Lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own feet" is a Chinese folk saying to describe the behaviour of certain fools. All dishonest politicians are fools of this kind. In the final analysis, their lies catch up with them.
We must undoubtedly expose and denounce lies of every description. It certainly would not be right to allow lies to go unchallenged, looking on while they spread unchecked, and allow them to monopolise the political field.
Lies must be exposed and denounced. And like poisonous weeds they must be fought wherever they crop up. To expose and denounce a presidential candidate's lies is necessary.
In the political life of our people, how should right be distinguished from wrong, truth from lies in a candidate's words and actions?
It is said that lies have short legs. It is therefore very easy to catch them because they can't run fast and far.
We know we will be attacked and accused of all sorts of things for exposing and denouncing Rupiah's lies on when he joined the MMD.
But we hold that it is bad, as far as we are concerned, if we are not attacked and denounced by dishonest and crooked politicians, their sponsors and supporters, for in that case it would definitely mean that we have sunk to their level.
It is good if we are attacked and denounced by such people since it proves that we have drawn a clear demarcation between themselves and ourselves. It is still better if they attack us wildly and paint us as utterly black without a single virtue; it demonstrates that we have not only drawn a clear demarcation between themselves and ourselves but achieved a great deal in our work.
Every dishonesty is the same; if you don't expose it, it won't disappear quickly. This is also like sweeping the floor; as a rule, where the broom does not reach, the dust will not vanish by itself.
Many things may become baggage, may become encumbrances, if we cling to them blindly and uncritically, if there is no critical awareness.
There are some very dangerous signs, some very negative things that are coming out about Rupiah's character and it's better we clear these or understand them better before we make our choices on October 30.
We need to make informed choices, we need to know the true characters and personalities of the individual politicians we want to vote into the office of President of the Republic of Zambia.
We can't afford to make unnecessary mistakes, it will be irresponsible for us as citizens of this country to vote someone into that very powerful office with our eyes and minds closed.
Let us open our eyes and our minds and critically examine the characters, personalities of all these candidates. We need to vote for the most honest, the most trustworthy, the most able of them all.
It doesn't pay to leave lies unexposed and denounced for the sake of peace and friendship, especially when a person who is a presidential candidate has clearly lied.
We should not refrain from principled argument because the liar is an old acquaintance, a candidate of our political party, a fellow tribesman, a close friend, a loved one, an old colleague and so on and so forth.
Or to touch on the lie lightly, so as to keep in good terms with the presidential candidate, his sponsors and supporters. The result is that the party, the nation and the individual candidate are harmed.
It doesn't pay to let lies drift simply because they don't seem to affect one personally; to say as little as possible, knowing perfectly well what is wrong, what is not true, to be wordly wise and play safe and seek only to avoid blame.
It doesn't pay to hear lies without rebutting them, but instead take them calmly as if nothing wrong has happened.
It doesn't pay to hear someone telling lies and yet not feel indignant, or dissuade or stop him or reason with him, but allow him to continue telling lies.
It is said that it is not hard for one to do a bit of good. What is hard is to do good all one's life and never do anything bad, to act consistently in the interests of the broad masses and to engage in honest and arduous struggle for decades on end. That is the hardest thing of all.
We should be ready at all times to stand up for the truth, because the truth is in the interest of the people. And it is said that no matter how hard its adversary - falsehood - may try to overwhelm it, truth refuses to yield and we should be prepared to stand by the truth even if everyone stood against us.
Let's always remember what that outstanding Guinea Bissau revolutionary leader Amilcar Cabral once said: "Hide nothing from the masses of our people. Tell no lies. Expose lies whenever they are told. Mask no difficulties, mistakes, failures. Claim no easy victory..."
Lies, dishonesty do not reflect good character or personality. Those who tell lies, those who are dishonest have got poor character and personality. Why should we trust and vote for such people to preside over our destiny and that of our children and the children of our children? Is the presidency of this country so useless, so unimportant that it can be so easily entrusted in the hands of characters that are clearly not trustworthy?
These are the honest questions we should ask ourselves and honestly answer before we vote on October 30. We know the choices may be difficult and the whole issue may be decided on relative terms. But let us not shy away from doing so and let's go and vote - there should be no room for apathy.
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posted by MrK @ 5:08 PM
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