Maravi

Explain what you are doing

Explain what you are doing
By The Post
Thu 16 Feb. 2012, 12:00 CAT

THE observations on the re-alignment and reorganisation of districts and provinces made by Obby Chibuluma, the information officer of the Southern Africa Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes, deserve some favourable considerations.

Chibuluma observes that the hard-line position taken by 19 chiefs from Southern Province over the re-alignment of districts in the area is a potential source of conflict and the government should dialogue with traditional leaders and the local people over the matter. Chibuluma says "Only dialogue and increased information exchange can help in allaying the fears that the local people and the traditional leaders may have.

The people must be made to understand that the increase in the population calls for effective service delivery which can only be done if the government through its agencies has the capacity and resources marching people's needs. There is a lot of misinformation out there regarding the reasons behind the re-alignment of the Southern Province districts and some people have taken advantage of the failure by the government to consult to misrepresent the intentions".

Truly, the government needs to explain its decisions and actions at all times. It is not enough for those in government to do the right thing. It is very important that what they are doing is understood by the people they are doing it for. Everything that is being done for the people must be done with the people.

We know that there is need for action, urgent action for that matter, on many fronts. But people shouldn't be left behind. The error that is being made is that of neglecting the people, of doing things for them without their involvement, without adequate consultations and engagement with them. The people don't seem to understand what Michael Sata is trying to do for them or where he is going.

He should take time to explain to the people what he is trying to do and why he is doing it. There is very little interaction between Michael and the people today. He is good at explaining things but he is not taking the trouble to explain anything. Press statements and some briefings at State House won't do. Michael needs to get out and meet the people, especially those likely to be affected positively or negatively, by his decisions or actions.

Sometimes it may not be easy to explain things and there may simply be no time to do so because decisions have to be made quickly. It is sometimes dangerous to explain things, but still more dangerous not to explain. Michael shouldn't be tempted to shoulder all the responsibility on our behalf and go his tortuous way, over-confident that he only has to speak and the masses will follow. Things don't work that way.

All these good things Michael is doing may soon amount to nothing if they are not properly explained to the people and the people are not adequately engaged by him. Michael is abandoning politics too early. All these good things he is doing need popular support to succeed and that support will not come on its own; there is need for continuous political mobilisation.

We are not seeing this political mobilisation from Michael, the PF and its government. Michael is a politician and not a bureaucrat. If he wants to work like a bureaucrat, and not like a political leader, opposition will grow and become stronger even against the best of his decisions, deeds or actions.

Michael will only be able to deliver if he performs his tasks without being isolated from the masses of the people he is leading and he is able to lead the whole mass forward. And without continuous engagement of the masses of our people in the most diverse sphere of activity, there can be no question of any success in what Michael is doing.

The reaction to this very correct, very noble, very well-intentioned re-alignment of districts and provinces must be a wake-up call to Michael and his colleagues, and indeed to all of us, that there is no alternative to continuous mass mobilisation, to continuous political work among the masses for government policies and programmes, no matter how good and well-intentioned they may be, to be supported and accepted.

Clearly, there is nothing wrong with Michael's re-alignment of districts and provinces. He is absolutely right in everything that he has done so far on this score. And the fear this has generated among some people in Southern Province is totally unfounded - it's simply fear of the unknown. We have asked many people how these re-alignments are going to affect them or are going to affect anyone.

What are they losing? What is it that is bothering them, that is troubling them about these re-alignments? How is any chief or village headman or indeed his subjects going to be affected by these re-alignments?

We all know very well that these re-alignments are not in any way altering the boundaries of chiefdoms or villages. Even colonial borders among our countries have in some way failed to alter kingdoms. We still have chiefs in this country who are answerable to kings who are based in neighbouring countries. And we have chiefs in this country who control villages that are situated in neighbouring countries.

Michael's re-alignment of districts and provinces has not in any way attempted to reduce any chief's sphere of influence. And we again ask, with respect and in good faith, anyone who is affected in any way by these re-alignments to come forward and show how that is so.

Of course, we know that while Michael is not politicking about this issue, his political opponents are busy doing so. Opposition UPND has been very consistent in its opposition of these re-alignments. The reaction of Hakainde Hichilema, the president of UPND, to the re-alignment of Northern and Eastern provinces and the creation of Muchinga Province was one anchored on regionalism and tribalism.

Hakainde accused Michael of using the creation of Muchinga Province as a vehicle for the allocation of more resources to one region. That was Hakainde's reaction to that and his opposition to the creation of Muchinga Province - nothing more, nothing less.

They were equally not happy with the moving of the provincial headquarters from Livingstone to Choma. They saw it as a scheme to undermine them politically and otherwise. In all these re-alignments, all they see is some political scheme by Michael to strengthen himself politically and in the process weaken them politically; they see regionalism and tribalism in all this.

Assuming Michael, as a politician, has some other hidden political agenda over these re-alignments, the question that arises is: how is it going to personally benefit him? We are of the view that if Michael has any ill-intention and is doing all these things to benefit himself politically and disadvantage his political opponents, it won't work, it won't do - he won't get much political capital out of it.

What is clear is that UPND is mobilising against these very necessary and legitimate re-alignments on a regional and tribal basis. This does not surprise us because this is what UPND is - a regional and tribal party.

And there is empirical data to show that it is a regional party, a party of Southern Province, a party of one tribe. To expect them to act in national interest is asking too much. These are people who are troubled even by the victory of the national soccer team.

They were short of just telling their supporters not to join the celebrations. Look at how they reacted to the "don't kubeba" goal celebrations! These are amazing characters who are completely lost in regional and tribal politics. But this will devour them.

And it is for this reason that Michael and his colleagues should not leave things to chance, should thoroughly explain everything they are doing to the people so that regionalists and tribalists are not given much room to manoeuvre, to tell lies and to mislead the masses of our people.

Southern Province is part of the unitary state of Zambia and it will not be allowed to be a Bantustan or a playground for regionalists and tribalists. They will never rule Southern Province as a Bantustan.

They may have collected most of their votes from this area but they don't govern Southern Province - Michael and the PF are governing today and they are in charge of Southern Province as part of the unitary state of the Republic of Zambia.

We know this is choking them and driving them mad - Chainama may be their next stop if they don't control their envy, frustration, hatred and anger.

Labels: CHIEFS, DISTRICTS, OBBY CHIBULUMA, PROVINCES, SOUTHERN PROVINCE

posted by MrK @ 4:18 PM