Maravi

Obligations to the people

Obligations to the people
By The Post
Sun 10 July 2011, 12:00 CAT

Sometimes we wonder what democracy means to some of our politicians. Democracy is based on the principle of the subordination of the minority to the majority and on the recognition of freedom and equality in terms of civil rights.

They are accustomed to seeing it only in its formal terms, divorced from social reality. When they feel safe and it’s in their interest, they are proud of democracy and use it as a surgical tool or as acupuncture needles for exercising political control.

Very briefly, as Abraham Lincoln once defined it, democracy is government of the people, by the people and for the people. For us, democracy means that governments are closely linked to the people, arise from the people, have the support of the people and devote themselves entirely to working and struggling for the people and the people’s interests.

Democracy implies the defence of all the rights of citizens, including the right to national dignity and honour. And this seems to be what Andrew Ntewewe, board chairperson of the Young African Leaders Initiative, means when he says: “Politicians ought to be mindful of falling prey to putting their interest above that of the general citizenry.” And Nelson Mandela has this say on this score: “…obligations to the people take precedence over loyalty to an individual.”

And this is why in this year’s elections, we urge our people to vote for candidates who consider themselves accountable to their electorate, who consider public interest rather than their own, who keep in touch with their constituencies, and who are faithful to their election promises. This is why we should vote for candidates who respect the rights of others and do not use their positions to amass wealth, and are mindful of the many who have little or none.

Those who offer themselves for re-election ought to be evaluated on how they selflessly responded to the needs of all, especially the poor, on their desire to work for the common good instead of self-enrichment, disposition to use power for service, especially service of the poor and underprivileged.

We should vote for candidates strictly according to the good we think they can do. Our political leaders should be modest and prudent, guard against arrogance and rashness, and serve the Zambian people heart and soul. They should serve the people wholeheartedly and never for a moment divorce themselves from the masses.

We should vote for candidates who proceed in all cases from the interests of the people and not from their own self-interest or from the interests of a small group they belong to. We need leaders who have the spirit of devotion to others without any thought of self.

We say this because an individual politician’s ability may be great or small, but if he has this spirit, he is already noble-minded and pure, a man of moral integrity and above vulgar interests, a man who is of value to the people.

We should vote for politicians who see it as their duty to hold themselves responsible to the people and who try to make sure that every word, every act and every policy of theirs conforms to the people’s interests, and if mistakes occur, they are corrected – that is what it means to have obligations to the people taking precedence over personal interests.

Rupiah Banda is a presidential candidate in this year’s elections. He is seeking to be re-elected president. It is his entitlement, his right to seek re-election. But it is also our right to decide whether to re-elect him or not. We want democracy and political leadership makes it possible, makes it real. The future consolidation and expansion of our democracy will depend on the economic development we achieve and the political leadership we construct. This is so because economic development makes democracy possible, political leadership makes it real.

Therefore in casting our votes, we shouldn’t be swayed by personal profit but solely by consideration of which of the conflicting issues and candidates are better for the nation. We should evaluate Rupiah’s suitability to continue as President of the Republic against the record of what he has or has not done or achieved.

Did Rupiah offer quality service to all the people of Zambia and not only those who campaigned for him and put him into office? Was Rupiah available to listen to the concerns of the people and has he been selfless in responding to the needs of all, especially the poor? What is Rupiah’s record on corruption? And on the issue of democracy, we should ask ourselves what type of a political environment Rupiah has created.

Has Rupiah given space for democratic expansion? Has he been tolerant to and respectful for the political rights of others, especially his political competitors? This is important because a multi-party political dispensation is only viable if the opposition has enough political space in which to operate and public resources are not monopolised by those in power.

In this regard, we have to ask ourselves: has Rupiah used the state-owned and government-controlled media fairly, equitably and in a manner that allowed the opposition voice to be heard? Has Rupiah used his incumbency in a fair way?

We ask this question because although the party in power may enjoy the advantages of incumbency, the rules and conduct of the election contest must be fair. Is the slandering and libeling of Rupiah’s political opponents by the state-owned media under his control an acceptable political practice? Is this something that promotes democracy? Is this in line with the rule of law?

Clearly, we do not need to go to Rupiah’s performance in the UNIP days. It is not necessary to do so because his record over the last three years is more than enough for us to determine whether Rupiah deserves our votes or not. The last three years of Rupiah’s government are enough to show us whether he led a clean or a dirty government, an honest or dishonest government, an accountable or a non-accountable regime. Lastly, it’s easy for all of us to determine whether or not Rupiah put his personal interests above those of the general citizenry.

In the end, we should only vote for competent, honest and selfless candidates who are dedicated to the common good, those who have the courage to speak out the truth, concern for social justice and the desire to work for the common good instead of self-enrichment.

Labels: DEMOCRACY, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 11:41 PM