Maravi

Rupiah’s dangerous language

Rupiah’s dangerous language
By The Post Editor
Mon 26 Apr. 2010, 04:00 CAT

THE language of Rupiah Banda and his minions is dangerous. Threats, intimidation, insults, harassment of citizens who do not agree with the views of those in government are certainly not a recipe for governing well.

Rupiah’s language demonstrates an increasing lack of respect for fellow citizens and their rights as guaranteed by our Constitution. Any expression of opinion that is contrary to that of Rupiah provokes all sorts of threats against those making them. What is wrong with General Malimba Masheke commenting on matters arising from Rupiah’s own press conference?

Does Rupiah expect the Zambian people to be imbeciles that will only listen and swallow everything he tells them without questioning? What Rupiah said at his press conference announcing the retirement and new appointments in our military units raised a lot of contradictions that needed to be resolved.

To expect citizens to keep quiet, especially knowledgeable ones, in the face of what appears to be outright lies told to them by Rupiah is expecting too much. And no amounts of threats will stop the Zambian people from exercising their constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression.

We know the source of all these threats and desperation. It is the fear of losing power; it is the fear of being undermined by honest criticism.

Anyone who dares to stand in their way to win the next elections and to perpetrate their corruption is accused of treason and threatened in all sorts of ways. Anyone who dares challenge our demi-gods is a subvert.

Whenever they cannot admit their deficiencies, inefficiencies, mistakes, they try to hide behind threats.

Clearly, Rupiah and his friends have no interest in the future nation – only the present owes them anything. They are so scared of losing elections and consequently losing their jobs. They don’t see elections as a competition to serve. They see elections as a fight for financial survival and not as a competition to provide the best service to our people.

For this reason they are ready to destroy anyone standing in their way. This is why we see Rupiah becoming so incensed with anyone saying anything that weakens his hold on power. Rupiah is not in office to serve the Zambian people. He is there for nothing but personal gain. And because of this, Rupiah sees political power and political office as something personal and not as something that is there for a legitimate public good.

The other thing is Rupiah and his friends are not discharging their public duties in an honest way; they are doing too many wrong things which they fear they may have to be called upon to account should power go into the hands of ‘wrong people’.

This is what really scares them. Imagine Rupiah being called upon to account for the questionable acquittal of Chiluba and for his refusal to have the matter appealed! What about the involvement of his family in government business, tenders and contracts? In less than a year, a family that was almost in destitution is today one of the richest in the country.

Every new girlfriend they get is rewarded with a new expensive automobile! This is what worries them. For them it’s a life-and-death affair. That’s why today we are witnessing so much violence even in what is supposed to be a humble parliamentary by-election. This is why today Rupiah is telling us that “today is Chiluba, tomorrow it may be you”.

It is not you Rupiah is concerned about; it is himself and his family he is concerned about. He is worried what will happen to him and his family in the light of what has happened to Chiluba given the way they are misconducting public business.
But intimidating and threatening everyone who tries to question what they are doing or chart a different political line that is totally different from their narrow-minded and corrupt politics will not do.

The only thing that will save Rupiah and those around him from the impending Armageddon is selflessness and honesty in their public dealings. Manipulation and threats on fellow citizens will only worsen matters. This country can no longer be governed by threats.

What people are seeking is an honest government; what people are seeking is genuine democracy in which the leaders are servants of the electorate and not its masters. Our people today know very well that good governance only occurs when they have honest and humble leaders who see politics as a vocation to serve the people and not to rape them or intimidate them and turn them into imbeciles.

And no one deserves to be elected unless they have demonstrated a desire to devote themselves entirely to working and struggling for a people and the people’s interest. Moreover, the democracy which our people are seeking implies the defence of all the people’s rights, including the rights of citizens to criticise and question the decisions and actions of their rulers and the right to dignity and honour.

We can’t continue to have a President insulting his masters, the citizens of this country simply because they disagree with him as their servant. Rupiah is not a master of any Zambian citizen; he is a servant of every Zambian citizen and he is very well remunerated as a servant of the people.

If Rupiah does not accept the role of being a servant as President of the Republic, he should simply get out and no one will miss him. For sure, Rupiah’s presidency will never be missed by any honest Zambian. Only those who are corruptly benefiting from government tenders through their proximity to Rupiah will miss his presidency.

This country comprises a great diversity of interests and individuals who deserve to have their voices heard and their views respected by Rupiah as their servant. They should be free to raise their voices and participate in the democratic political process on lines chosen by themselves as long as they are within the confines of our Constitution.

It doesn’t make sense to assume and believe that Rupiah and his friends alone can ever have the final and perpetual solution to all problems and challenges facing our country and our people. Such a view has no existential basis. There must be recognition in Zambian politics that any system of government must be based on sound moral values which bind us together in our diversities and complexities.

Any politics that does not recognise this runs every possible risk of tyranny. We need politics and politicians that recognise individual freedom and dignity because without this, it is not possible to promote meaningful political participation of all citizens.

That is, the right of individuals to self-determination in the pursuit of their constitutional rights should not be subjected to monopoly politics by Rupiah and his friends.

Meaningful political participation is likely to encourage discussion, that is, the right of individuals to engage in critical and informed debate on personal, local, national and other broad issues which affect the individual and his social space without fear of reprisal.

And recognising the fact that it takes time for any nation to develop and uphold these values, it is necessary for us to have in place an enabling environment for these values. By and large, Zambia does not yet have in place an enabling environment for democratic governance.

And it is our individual and collective duty to struggle and ensure that such an environment is established in our country. We say this because this democracy we have declared in our country in word only guarantees us nothing. It offers us instead the opportunity to succeed as well as a risk of failure.

In Thomas Jefferson’s ringing but shrewd phrase, the promise of democracy is “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness”.

Democracy is then both a promise and a challenge. It is a promise that free human beings, working together, can govern themselves in a manner that will serve their aspirations for personal freedom, economic opportunity and social justice. It is a challenge because the success of the democratic enterprise rests upon the shoulders of its citizens and no one else.

Government of and by the people means that citizens of a democratic society share in its benefits and in its burdens. It is us, individually and collectively, who, finally, must take responsibility for the fate of our country. In the end, we get the government we deserve.

Labels: CADRES, EDITH NAWAKWI, POLITICAL VIOLENCE, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 2:55 PM