Maravi

Debating our leaders’ health

Debating our leaders’ health
By Editor
Fri 14 May 2010, 04:00 CAT

The Zulu people describe a person who talks incessantly but does little as having a large and wide mouth like a Zulu basket.

Again, the Zulu people say the house of a person who talks too much lets in the rain. They use this saying to describe a person who is so partial to talking that he neglects essential duties like repairing his house. His house does not only leak but he will also fare badly during a time of trial. His big talk attitude will be revealed.

Rupiah Banda’s trial is coming.
Today, it can no longer be denied that Rupiah has no commitment to his public pronouncements. He says things he doesn’t believe in. Many times his actions are contrary to his words. He just says things only to impress his listeners.
Several times, Rupiah attempts to condemn violence. But his actions display a Rupiah who counts on violence to intimidate and fight his political enemies, be they real or perceived.

The other day, Rupiah said he does not approve of any public discussion regarding other people’s health conditions because it is unZambian.

But Rupiah doesn’t mean this. He is saying this just to impress his audience. We say this because Rupiah has not reprimanded those very senior government officials or disassociated himself from their insinuations about other people’s illnesses or health problems.

Vice-President George Kunda upon arrival on Sunday from South Africa said he does not deliberately talk about Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata’s health although he knows a lot about it. The following day, Mike Mulongoti – as chief government spokesperson - challenged Sata to make public the results of medical tests he underwent on September 8, 2008. Mulongoti said the government was in possession of all of Sata’s medical records, mainly carried out at a medical centre in Lusaka. He challenged Sata to disclose the results of his medical tests, failure to which the government would disclose them to allow Zambians to make their own judgements.

In reaction, Sata challenged George Kunda, Rupiah and Mulongoti to go for medical tests, including voluntary counselling and testing, and thereafter publicise the results.

It is after this challenge that Rupiah has chosen to disapprove any public discussion regarding other people’s health condition because this, according to him, is unZambia.

Rupiah is not making this pronouncement in good faith. He is being hypocritical about it. We say this because it is in Rupiah’s interest that this discussion is closed. Rupiah and his own people are affected somehow. If they were to follow Sata’s challenge to go for medical tests and make their results known to the public, where will this leave George Kunda, Mulongoti or indeed Rupiah himself? It is this realisation that has forced Rupiah to say what he is saying.

If he was so sure that he, together with his people would come out clean after undergoing medical tests with Sata, he would have been the first one to positively respond to the challenge and continue to taunt Sata thereafter.

Like we said the other day, there is nothing unZambian about discussing the health of our political leaders, be they in opposition or government. The health, or lack of it, of highly-placed state and government officials is a matter of public discourse. No wonder in certain societies where people do not hold on to public offices when their health does not permit, they resign. This is usually done to avoid scrutiny from the public eye. Cruel as this may sound, the public has the right to talk about the health of their leaders. What probably matters is how the discourse is conducted. We say this because some diseases bring in the issue of stigma.

But Rupiah does not worry or care about all this. All he cares about is to ensure that his opponents are ridiculed, intimidated and taunted at every turn. He is in the forefront of using unpalatable language against those who do not agree with him. What is Zambian about Rupiah calling a fellow leader a son of a dog, a puppy? What is Zambian about Rupiah declaring Eastern Province a no-go area for people who do not originate from there? What is Zambian about Rupiah setting his thugs on innocent people just because they do not agree with him on a number of things?

Our people should not be misled by Rupiah’s empty rhetoric. It is just opium to drive our people to sleep as he goes about causing damage to our country.

Rupiah doesn’t represent anything good, anything just. He uses his old age to mislead people that he is a man of wisdom. Rupiah takes pleasure in the suffering of others. In some cases, he wants to administer or supervise the squeezing or punishing of his opponents.

That is why Rupiah boasts of having cadres who believe in him and are available to defend him. It appears the MMD under Rupiah has a new crop of cadres who are not only ready to die for their leader but also ready to kill for him.

If Rupiah wants our people to respect his pronouncements, he should remind himself that actions speak louder than words. If Rupiah does not favour the idea of people discussing each other’s health in public, Mulongoti – as chief government spokesperson – could not have said what he said about Sata. In fact, Mulongoti showed that Rupiah and his government do not respect individuals’ privacy on health matters. Mulongoti was boasting that government is in possession of Sata’s medical records. How did they get Sata’s medical records if not by violating his right to privacy?

If Rupiah does not want to discuss other people’s health in public because it is unZambia to do so, why make all that effort to obtain one’s medical records against their wish? Rupiah should not cheat anyone on this matter. If it were profitable for him to attack Sata on health grounds, nothing could have stopped him. He is not able to proceed on this line because he knows that he, together with his so many colleagues in government, will be bruised. They will not come out clean because most of them are sick.

Labels: GEORGE KUNDA, HEALTHCARE, MIKE MULONGOTI, SATA

posted by MrK @ 4:18 AM