Maravi

Disown politicians championing unproductive political ideologies'

Disown politicians championing unproductive political ideologies'
By The Post
Fri 27 Jan. 2012, 14:00 CAT

IN any country, there is always a need for an ongoing political dialogue for different reasons. First, new and young generations need it, new situations require it, and new challenges force us to adopt new attitudes. Dialogue is an ongoing process in all fields, and no human being can rightly claim that he or she does not need more dialogue.

This is all the more true in the new political situation that is emerging in Zambia. Without a personal and social change of attitudes towards economic policies, politics as a public service, honesty, transparency, accountability and justice for all, the change of leaders or political structures will not bring any substantial improvement.

If political campaigns are not matched with a moral campaign towards civil responsibility, a spirit of dialogue and justice, the change of leadership or political structures will remain inoperative, and the same route of evils will continue producing the same consequences.

We therefore welcome the clarion call to dialogue issued by Youth Network Zambia founder Higriffs Chansa to our country's political stakeholders to actually begin to adopt the process of dialogue. Political dialogue is a necessary part of the process of motivation of the citizens which enables them to participate more in the life of a nation and be more aware of their rights and duties in the society.

In this way, all citizens will be able to play their part in political affairs. Dialogue is necessary for the population as a whole and for young people in particular to meaningfully participate in the affairs of their country and must be diligently attended to. In any true democracy, more is needed than political institutions and practices such as voting and representation in parliament.

We must hold on to some values and norms, some expectations and aspirations. This is the environment, the atmosphere, that makes democracy work. This is the so-called political culture which we feel is so necessary in Zambia today if our multi-party democracy is to succeed.

The fundamental value we must have is a respect for diversity and acceptance of pluralism. Gone are the days when everyone was supposed to think the same way, belong to the same party, and support the same programme.

True believers in multi-party democracy welcome dialogue and debate over views contrary to their own because they realise that they themselves may not always be right. They recognise that there is a specific role to be played by each different organisation in a spirit of unity amidst diversity.

This value of respect for diversity and dialogue means a realisation that political parties are important, but that they are not the only actors in democracy. A real democracy has to be built on the basis of justice and moral values and has to look to the common good. The realisation of our dreams of living in a truly democratic society requires the commitment of all citizens to dialogue.

We cannot deny the fact that there are people who find it very hard to like people who belong to a different political party, who belong to a different tribe from theirs. And they are more tempted to hate them and oppose them at every turn. A disastrous aspect of this evil is that it blinds them, it prevents them from seeing the evil in themselves.

We belong to our political party as a drop of water belongs to the ocean, as a grain of sand belongs to the earth, as a breath of air belongs to the atmosphere. We see with the eyes it gives us. We hear with the ears it gives us. Its spirit is our spirit. Its life is our life. Whatever is good in it is in us. Whatever is evil in it is in us also.

That's why we find it so hard to see the evil. As with our individual failings, others see them much more quickly and clearly than we do. We may never see them. One of our greatest tragedies is that we hardly ever see and admit our own failings. We do not want to see them. We prefer to remain blind to one another without apparently any qualms of conscience.

As long as this goes on, meaningful dialogue becomes impossible. Those who are hurting others see no need to change; and those who are being hurt get more and more resentful until their resentment bursts into open conflict.

We see this every day in some of our political parties that have refused to accept that the PF and Michael Sata defeated them in last September's elections. They are choking with envy, they have failed to accept the PF victory. It doesn't seem they will ever accept it and learn to live with it.

And this failure to accept the PF victory is leading some of them into madness, into cynicism. They oppose everything and anything that the PF comes up with. And they are really starting to look so stupid. They used to boast or brag that the PF needed them to win last September's elections. They were proved wrong. The PF won without them.

They went into a desperate alliance with the MMD, an alliance they had difficulties acknowledging in public, but still lost. Envy, grudges, hatred are very dangerous things. They can ruin the thinking even of the most intelligent.

This can sometimes lead to self-destruction, if not controlled. And Chansa is right in appealing to the opposition to exercise patience and offer criticisms to the current government. He is also very correct in urging youth to disown politicians championing unproductive political ideologies - Bantustan ideologies. Our people are not interested in that type of politics.

They want their lives to move forward; they want the best for themselves and their children. And they cannot encourage communalism, Bantustanism or narrow-mindedness, for no nation can be great whose people are narrow in thought or in action.

We have hard work ahead. There is no time to waste on massaging small egos. There is no resting for any of us till we make the people of Zambia what destiny intended them to be.

Labels: POLITICS, YOUTHS

posted by MrK @ 6:45 PM