Kunda’s campaign of lies, slander and tribalism

Kunda’s campaign of lies, slander and tribalism
By The Post
Tue 18 Jan. 2011, 04:00 CAT

George Kunda is increasingly becoming associated with the most disagreeable messages and thoughts. George doesn’t seem to know what election campaign messages the people want to hear.

His campaign message in Maamba on Friday was clearly not well received by the people. George told the residents of Maamba: “Don’t allow cobra Sata to cheat you that they will unite this nation. Where have you seen Sata working with other tribes? This man has hatred for Tongas. He cannot work with you Tongas. He is a tribalist.”

As George was saying all this, someone in the audience was heard accusing him of promoting tribalism instead. Another from the crowd demanded: “Let him tell us what will happen to the retrenched miners. Let him tell us what government will do about the looming displacement of the people because of the planned construction of a water pipe from Kariba to Maamba by Bharati investors, not shouting and insulting Sata.”

Clearly, our people have very little interest in the insults our politicians are hurling at each other or in their mock engagements. Those who were attending George’s rally in Maamba were not doing so out of love for him. They were there to listen to what he had to offer them in terms of material benefits, living better and in peace, and in seeing their lives improve and in guaranteeing the future of their children. They were not interested in George’s verbal violence against Sata. Actually, verbal violence during the pre-election campaign is an affront against the rights of voters and the rights of the electoral candidates.

Campaigns must be carried out in a peaceful and honest way, devoid of any violence, verbal or physical, and slander of other opponents. All citizens must be guided by truth, integrity and justice. It is necessary to remind George that politics and elections are for the good of the people and the country and not for the political survival of any individual or political party. George seems to be very desperate to remain in public office as Vice-President and keep the trappings and benefits of power. He seems to be losing his head over the prospects of losing all these things through electoral defeat. If the spirit of the primacy of the common good were to animate George, we wouldn’t be hearing the dirty things, lies and slander that come from his mouth which leave the public dismayed and disheartened.

As we approach the elections, we must express concern regarding the frequent instances of lies, malice, slander and lust for power. We call upon all our politicians and their cadres to avoid lies and slander of their political opponents. Responsible politics demands respect for others and fairness towards political opponents. In a word, it calls for adherence to the golden rule: do unto others as you would like them to do unto you. We need to remember the lesson: “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

In the present atmosphere of fierce competition and character assassination, we remind the nation of the noble goals of political activity. Politics aims at the promotion of the common good and the service of all the people. The common good is the reason for the existence of political, social and economic institutions. It enables people to express commitment and concern for each other as well as attain the fullness of love. Common good calls upon all persons to contribute and commit themselves responsibly to building a peaceful and just society for all. We read in the scriptures that “the Son of Man himself came not to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:45). Political debates should concentrate on programmes to improve the life of the nation rather than on character assassination or personality issues. There is an urgent need for understanding and dialogue.

Good elections require intelligent and responsible participation of all. We therefore encourage all our people to get themselves informed of the manifestos from the various political parties.

George and his master, Rupiah Banda, should win this year’s election not because Michael Sata is despised, but because they are understood, supported, trusted. They should win with honesty and integrity. There is no choice between being principled and unelectable; and electable and unprincipled. They should win because of what they believe. They should show our people that politics is not some Byzantine game but a real and meaningful part of our lives. Let our campaigns be in the understanding that the individual does best in a strong and decent community of people with principles and standards and common aims and values. The type of politics George is engaged in is disgraceful for a man of his education and background. Is this what desperation, greed and vanity can do to a person? George today is seen by some people in Maamba to be advocating tribalism. Whatever our personal interests or concerns, let us guard against tribal divisiveness and all its ugly consequences. What we won when all our people united must not now just be lost in selfishness and politics. Let’s put the unity of the people first and ahead of any divisive partisanship. And in these times, as in times before, it is true that a house divided against itself by the spirit of faction, of party, of region, of tribe, of religion, of race, is a house that cannot stand. So we would ask all Zambians, whatever their personal interests or concern, to guard against divisiveness and all its ugly consequences. We must always be mindful of this one thing, whatever the trials and the tests ahead. The ultimate strength of our country will lie in the unity of our people.

Good electoral practices that lead to good leadership help in protecting and promoting human rights of all citizens. It is sad that our elections should be marred with unfairness and violence of all forms. Respect for human dignity requires that elections be conducted well. Elections should never be a matter of lies, malice, slander, fraud or coercion since that would break the sacred character of democracy. Election time is a time to vote for honest, courageous, hardworking and selfless leaders. Elections are an opportune time to review our past in order to prepare for better political choices for the future. Free and fair elections in choosing leaders are absolutely necessary in a democratic process.

Candidates for political parties will be committed to the manifestos of their party as well as to their personal vision for their constituency. Candidates should therefore be evaluated on the basis of their capacity to implement both their parties’ manifestos and their personal vision. Those who offer themselves for re-election ought to be evaluated against the record of what they have or have not achieved. Did they fulfil their promises? Did they offer quality service to all the people and not only those who voted them into power? Were they available to listen to the concerns of the people and were they selfless in responding to the needs of all, especially the poor? Those who have not yet held office should be carefully evaluated in terms of their competence and their reputation for honesty and selfless dedication to the common good.
The qualities that candidates for political office should have may include the following: courage to speak the truth, concern for social justice, desire to work for the common good instead of self-enrichment, disposition to use power for service, especially service of the poor and under-privileged, openness to dialogue, good moral standing, transparency and accountability to the electorate.

Our vote is a powerful weapon for unity, an instrument of liberty, justice and peace. On our voting, on the quality of it, the discernment behind it, depends the progress and peace of our country. And in casting our votes, we should never be swayed by personal profit or tribal bias, but solely by consideration of which of the conflicting issues or candidate is better for the nation. We should scrutinise the people who wish to represent us and select our candidate strictly according to the good we think they can do. The interest of the political parties should be kept subordinate to the public good. We have a duty to choose people who will serve the country with justice towards all, people who consider themselves accountable to their electorate, who consider public interest rather than their own and who are faithful to their election promises; people who respect the rights of others with regard to property, who do not use their position to amass property or wealth and who are mindful of the many who have little or none.

Our election campaigns should be based on ideas, ideals, principles, programmes and not on tribal or personal cult. Our campaigns should avoid tribalistic outlook or sectionalism and look for the common good of all people and enter into sincere dialogue with other opponents, even in cases of political divergence. Violence must be avoided because the electoral campaign should not be confused with a battlefield where the aim is to destroy the other. Real political victory rests on the ideals proposed, on the ethical values of the candidates, on the respect for the freedom of choice of all citizens, and not on any form of moral pressure or intimidation of political opponents or voters.

We should therefore reject the type of campaign that George has embarked on, a campaign that is characterised by lies, slander, calumny and tribalism.