Maravi

Political leadership has failed, says Fr Miha

Political leadership has failed, says Fr Miha
Written by George Chellah
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 1:17:08 PM

OUR political leadership has failed, Mission Press director Fr Miha Drevensek has observed. And Fr Miha said leaders should be much more vibrant and visionary to see beyond the problem.

Appearing on Muvi-Tv's Matter at Hand programme on Monday night, Fr Miha compared the various leaderships the country has had since independence.

"I think we have failed in our leadership...in our political leadership because Zambia could be one of the richest countries, among the richest countries in the world. It started with [Kenneth] Kaunda when he started to nationalise things. When Kaunda started to think for the people. I say that all the roots are there. Things did not go in the way as they maybe wanted to go and then it became a dictatorship...military police and the vigilantes were going round," he said.

Fr Miha said corruption flourished in former president Frederick Chiluba's reign.

"We hoped that president Chiluba is going to start afresh as a leader... as a union leader who understood the plight of workers and everything. Unfortunately, the way they started, all the drought in the 1992, 1993, the economic situations and then I don't know how it happened and all this corruption came in... corruption just started to flourish," Fr Miha explained. "Then he wanted to prolong his third term, how the nation went up. Therefore, the nation got disturbed and the leadership actually failed the development of the nation."

He said late president Levy Mwanawasa fought a solo battle.

"The poor man tried to fight but he was a solo fighter, he went solo, he went alone. He did not have people around him who would fight with him. They left him alone so there was no way that he could do this alone. Unless he would be encircled with the people who would be the same mind with him and then the things would start to have effect," Fr Miha said. "Now we have a present situation, which is also not easy. The economic crunch coming in and the same people on the leadership who were with Kaunda, who were with Chiluba, who were with Mwanawasa and who are now with President Banda... are we going to have a better future with these same people or not? Let the people of Zambia judge, not me.

"I only know one thing, if I bankrupt my farm once, I am never going to lift it up again unless, somebody else comes with different ideas then things may be different. Here is our Zambian problem, we are, I think 162 on the level of the poverty because our leadership was more concerned with itself."

Fr Miha said leaders should be much more vibrant and visionary to see beyond the problem.

On the dismissal of Radio Icengelo station manager Fr Frank Bwalya, Fr Miha said the church authorities made the decision but as to whether the decision was right or wrong he did not want to pass judgment.

Labels: MIHA DREVENSEK, MISSION PRESS

posted by MrK @ 12:18 PM