Yes Zambia Needs Strong Institutions

Obama's speech was a welcome reminder to our troubles as a continet. We have suffered and lagged behind in all developments that the world is experiencing. I agreed with alot of what he talked about.

Yes, there was a time that we needed strong men, to take power from colonial masters and put it in the people. That time needed strong African men. And that time is long gone. Now what we need a system of institutions that will ensure we are heading in that right direction and far from oppression which is now coming from within and outside Africa. We need to get rid of presidents and their elite group of thieves that think the state is them and so they are the state. We need systems that will check and controll the power that leaders have and make sure if they over step, they are brought back in line. It is time for Africa to wake up and see that the country, the region, the land, the people are bigger than any one group, political party or government.

Time has come to wash the dirty politics out of Africa. Let no leader think they are in the right right now in Afica. If they are, we should expect that country to be in riches and have political and social institutions that will serve the people. If nothing of the sort comes out, there is some 'strong men' and not strong institutions.

Let me not fly far from my land, as it stands out as an example of 'strong men' and not institutions at any level. We have such a useless system that there is no institution that I would talk about. There was a time I thought we had and needed to have faith in our legal system. But recent happenings surely places doubt even on them. They seem to work with and under the 'strong men'.

Lets look at what the strong institutions would mean for a country like Zambia.

Firstly, it would ensure accountability to the people. Institutions would exist that protect the interests of the people. We don't need luck in finding out how much money governmente officials have been stealing. We need institutions that will check, punish and ensure nothing is stolen. Do we have that now? Corruption would not exist in the levels it is today. There is corruption now because the people at the top are corrupt and use the state machinery to hide and continue stealing. That is the problem we have right now. There will also be accountability in all activities that are being done by officials. Why should someone buy hearses- a hundred of them, when even 10 ambulances would have done a better job. Why should a government be ready to bury us and not cure us. There is plenty of no brains in the way things are done. But with strong institutions, all those insulting each other on who is a bigger fool on the order, would easily be sorted out and controlled. Thats what we need, not simple talking donkeys with no idea what they are there for to be in controll. Africa needs strong institutions for accountability. He who that messes up, must be ready to face the law and the punishment they deserve.

Secondly, we need strong institutions to protect the ordinary people. Many times, we have useless conflicts which end up killing ordinary people who will never benefit from such greedy. We need a system of institutions that will make sure no one is killed or punished for the sake of a leader's greedy. The institutions will work out a plan that will make it impossible for greedy leaders to have their way. People will be protected as the system will work for the people. I always find it amusing to have OP (Office of the President) when strong governments have secret SERVICE. OP works for an individaul. A greedy individual whose interest is protected. Hence, it can be used to rig elections as it has been put up to protect a person. A secret service aims at SERVING the people. It is a service! We need to work out these silly obstacles in getting rid of greedy men and women who just get into power and can buy hearses when people are dying, and they want to punish those that bring pictures of how bad the situation was. With strong institutions, the people who blow the whistle on the negligience would be protected. Currently, who will protect the POST news paper editor when the law is being bent to punish him for standing up for the government's wrongs?

Thridly, strong institutions will ensure the system runs for the betterment of all regardless of who is in power. Right now, the sistuation is that whoever does not fall in good books with government, suffers. His business will suffer and he will close down. Anything that will run has to have a blessing of the president! What nonsense, will the head of the house determine who goes to the toilet? Government must be able to function regardless of what/ who is there. Roads must be maintained all the time. Hospitals need drugs all the time. Only strong institution will stop government officials from taking their children to South Africa for under-five clinics. The institutions will make it impossible to be greedy and use government treasury for selfish needs. The institutions will make sure the previous and current government officials will not use the resources of the country for their gains. It will make it impossible for the president's children to go on holidays on tax-payer money. It will probe all their activities in and out of office. It would look at all bank accounts and businesses of whoever was in power from first lady to the cleaner. That institution will ensure no official has a business where he will have advantage over other businesses. It will eliminate the silly 'news buying that ZNBC' shows and ignores other people. That institution will make a government be what it should be - for the people. We can't be so primitive that the only thing that will stand up and say one is worth being a toilet is a monkey - I hope that monkey is not killed by the 'strong men'.

Forthly, it will move control from the simple people who know nothing but talk like they are high on drugs to people who matter. One should realise that current government has no control on some people because of their relationship to the president. Who is Teta? But he talks like he has been drinking tea soaked in cocain! Who are the president's sons to be so involved in the affairs of the country? Who is Dora? She single handedly made us see how useless the legal system is because of who likes her? Shame!!! We need control of the resources of the country. Why pay them so much and yet have no control on what they do. We want some things worked out seriously.

I will visit this issue alot later, but that needed my voice I hope I did contribute to such words of wisdom that Obama spoke