Maravi

Don't be like them

Don't be like them
By The Post
Sun 08 July 2012, 13:25 CAT

LITTLE was done to bring meaningful development to our country over the last 20 years of MMD rule. Alfred Lienda, a former Deputy Minister of Commerce in the MMD government of Frederick Chiluba, is right when he says that the development the MMD brought was "window dressing type of development". Chiluba used to boast about his government bringing back Coca Cola in our shops. To Chiluba, this was development.

And Yoweri Museveni once described Coca Cola as nothing but just a mixture of carbon dioxide and water. But to Chiluba, the presence of this fizzy drink in our shops was a sign of development in the country.

The MMD also points to shopping malls - Manda Hill, Arcades, Levy Junction and now Makeni - as evidence of how much they have developed the country over the last two decades.

They boast of the presence of many consumer goods in our shops that previously used to be queued for as a testimony of how much development they have brought to the country. They don't talk about how many quality jobs they have created or about how much they have reduced unemployment and poverty among our people.

They don't talk about the industries they decimated that have not been replaced, or that have been replaced by importations from South Africa and Dubai. There is much more to development than these consumer goods that most of our people, our poor people, cannot even afford.

And as Alfred points out, the MMD tried to appease people by "tarring a few roads in Lusaka and so on so that people can vote for them". And this they called development.

But people are able to see and discern where there are genuine and serious development efforts. Window dressing is easy but it is not development. It will not be easy for the PF and its government to address problems arising from the many years of MMD's window dressing.

Our economic development efforts need to take a new direction. And this government doesn't have 20 years to wait. People are in a hurry to see their lives move forward. They have had enough of promises of a new and better tomorrow that never comes. What they now want is action on all fronts.

They can't live on promises; they can't feed their children on promises; they can't pay their medical bills and school fees on promises. But this government cannot give them all these things today, in nine months. As Alfred says, "development takes time, you need to find the money to redress the situation".

To make Zambia prosperous, we will need several decades of intense effort. And to do this, a committed and far-sighted leadership is required. This also calls for better organisation on all fronts and at every level.

The ruling party itself needs much better organisation and capacity to mobilise the masses of our people to support its programmes and get themselves back to work. This is so because the wealth of society is created by the workers, peasants and working intellectuals. If they take their destiny into their own hands and take an active attitude towards developing their country, there is nothing that will stop them from giving themselves a better life.

But it won't be instant coffee; it won't be easy. There will be many challenges and difficulties. And at certain times, the difficulties may outweigh the favourable conditions. But through hard work, the difficulties can be overcome step by step and open up a favourable new situation.

And the PF needs to heed Alfred's advice on the need for them to establish "a very strong public relations unit in their party to tell the people what is happening and what was happening". There will always be a gap that needs to be narrowed between the people's expectations and what can be delivered. There is need for constant propaganda among the people on the facts of what progress is being made or cannot be made and the bright future ahead so that they can build their confidence in themselves and in their leadership.

At the same time, there is need to tell the people the truth that it won't be development in 90 days. Things are going to take much longer to accomplish; there will be twists and turns in our road. There are still many obstacles and difficulties along the road to development and progress.

We know that some people don't like to think much about difficulties. But difficulties are facts; we must recognise as many difficulties as they are. We must recognise difficulties, analyse them and combat them. There are no straight roads in this world; we must be prepared to follow a road which twists and turns and not try to get things on the cheap. As we have stated before, it must not be imagined that one fine morning, we will wake up to find our country and our people having everything they need.

In a word, while the prospect are bright, the road has twists and turns. There are still many difficulties ahead which we must not overlook. Developing a country is not the same as stealing a few kwachas here and there to enrich oneself and improve one's appearance and standard of living. A country can't steal in that way, can't develop in that way.

It is important for the PF to do things in a different way from the way the MMD managed things. It is important for the PF to avoid the MMD's window dressing approach to development.

The pressure is high on the PF to deliver development, create jobs, but real things - not gong'as - take time to create or establish. Development will come, jobs will be created but not today and not in the way some people want to make us believe they can be created. Time is needed. But not time to slumber but time to work. You don't plant your crop in the morning and harvest in the evening.

Even the fastest maturing varieties or breeds need a bit more time. What we need to focus on now is work. Those in the political leadership of our country, those managing the affairs of government - from Michael Sata to the lowest public officer - need to work and work very hard and in the most honest manner, the most efficient and effective way.

And what do we mean by work? Work is struggle. There are difficulties and problems in those places for us to overcome and solve. We go there to work and struggle to overcome those difficulties. A good leader and citizen is one who is more eager to go where the difficulties are greater.

If public servants are working and are working very hard and in an honest manner, people will see this and will accept the fact that things can't be done in a day - Rome was not built in a day. But they need to see and understand what is going on, what is being done and how it is being done and why it is being done the way it is being done.

There has to be communication with the people. And this communication has to come from all levels of leadership, with Michael leading the way. The government has to communicate with the people on what is going on with government programmes.

The ruling party must always be where the people are, explaining to them what is happening and must at all times stand up for the truth, because truth is in the interest of the people; and must be ready at all times to correct mistakes, because mistakes are against the interest of the people.

Judging from what is being said and from the expectations of the people, the two most decisive factors affecting the future consolidation and expansion of our democracy will be economic development and political leadership. Economic development makes democracy possible; political leadership makes it real.

Labels: FREDERICK CHILUBA, MMD

posted by MrK @ 5:40 PM