Maravi

Before things change, we must change

Before things change, we must change
Tue 04 Sep. 2012, 19:19 CAT

Before things can change in this country, we ourselves, the citizens of this country and our leaders, must change.

If we want our country to change for the better, we will have to change our values, our methods of work and the way we relate to each other and treat each other. To change our current situation, we have to change our philosophy, our outlook. The only way things are going to change for us is when we change. If we don't like where we are, let's change it! We are not trees.

Progress in life, social, economic and political development is neither magical nor mysterious. It is nothing but the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals. It is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day. It is the accumulative weight of our disciplines that leads us to either fortune or failure.

But as we have consistently and repeatedly pointed out, virtue must be nourished. While vice springs up spontaneously like weeds and grows by itself, virtue must be nourished.

We need to return our country to the Kaunda type of politics that were based on principles, values and on morality. We have to try in a new way and in a new time to restore that type of politics and that type of national conduct.

To acquire a new set of values and build on our own capacities for transforming the society, we would need to go through an "Easter" type of experience. This involves dying and resurrection, letting go of our prejudices, letting go of our bloated ego, and allowing ourselves to be enveloped by the kind of humility and innocence that Jesus saw in small children, the only category of Jewish population Jesus could declare to be worthy of the Kingdom.

This new disposition would call for adoption of new values that will face life with courage: such as to accept to be different, to stand alone, and even to be ridiculed for defending justice. New values that will seek to assure the poor and the lowly that what they know is not necessarily inferior compared to the contribution of the so-called experts. They too have different but equally important worldview, their own view of reality.

We believe for things to get any better, we will need to nurture a new set of values. We need to develop the capacity to listen to those of humble background. We need to develop the capacity to let go of our own ego, biases and prejudices. We need to develop the capacity to accept our personal inadequacies and mistakes without pretence. And we need to develop the capacity to consider others as better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3) in their own areas of experience whether or not we are more or better schooled than they are.

We believe we can only begin to effectively build capacity in others when our own attitudes are right; otherwise, how can we genuinely build others' capacities if we tend to be offended by their contribution and by their ideas, especially when they differ from those of our own? How can we build others, if we fear being corrected, if we fear being told when we are wrong, in fact, if we believe we can never be wrong?

How can we build others' capacities if we claim to possess the monopoly of knowledge and truth, if we believe what others have to say is inferior or of less importance, how will we ever listen and learn from them? How can we enable others to change their situation if we see ourselves as the only ones who can change things, the only ones who can tell right from wrong?

How can we build others' capacities if we are offended when people around us take liberty to be creative, and do things their own way? If we fear change itself, and if we fear being changed, will we genuinely love those who change the status quo? And we have recently learnt that 'status quo' is a Latin phrase that literally means 'the mess we are in'. Yet, we are told that change is the spice of life and to live is to change, and to live long is to change often.

If we believe our decisions are the best, our choices are the only correct choices, will we never give others the chance to make their own decisions and make their own choices?

Again, as we have repeatedly stated, the individual does best in a strong and decent community of people with principles and standards and common aims and values. And those who lead us cannot lead us to where they themselves have never been; you can't lead anyone further than you have gone yourself. If a leader is constantly telling lies about this and that, defaming or maligning this one or that one, then one wonders what type of leadership he is offering.

A leader leads by example, whether he intends to or not. We have been criticising Hakainde Hichilema for telling lies. This is not an act of hatred for him on our part. It is simply a duty that we have to perform. We have a moral and professional duty to expose and denounce lies whenever they are told. A person who tells lies, who slanders others is not fit to lead. Hakainde has been telling lies about us and Michael Sata.

We have tried to correct him, but he has persisted in his marriage with lies. Hakainde has been claiming that we have done a deal with Michael to forgive us of the debts we owe the Development Bank of Zambia. We have pointed out to him that at no time did Post Newspapers Limited ever borrow a ngwee, a kwacha, a cent or a dollar from the Development Bank of Zambia. The company that borrowed from the Development Bank of Zambia was Zambian Airways. And it borrowed this money long before Post Newspapers Limited acquired a stake in that company. That company is today in receivership for reasons that are very well known, that are not a secret.

The debts of Zambian Airways, a limited liability company, are not debts of its individual or collective shareholders. And so are its assets. This matter is in the Supreme Court of Zambia and the records filed by all the parties to this matter are in the public domain. Anyone can go and read the case records for themselves. If Hakainde has any respect for the rule of law and for the rights of others, including our own rights no matter how much he may dislike us, he would give the court processes a chance and allow the Supreme Court judges to hear this matter without unnecessary malicious and untruthful utterances from him. But this is the type of politician Hakainde is - an unrepentant liar. But his lies will catch up with him; it's just a matter of time. A lie has short legs, it can't go far.

Leadership and politics are not about lies, slander and calumny. They are about honesty and truth; they are about integrity. There has to be ethics in political leadership. And those who want to lead others must set the example. Moral courage and character go hand-in-hand. A man of real character is consistently honest, being imbued with basic integrity and a firm sense of principle.

Labels: HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, LYING, MMD, PROPAGANDA, UPND

posted by MrK @ 3:47 PM