Presidential Priorities

I'm a firm believer that anyone can do what they want. The limits to that lays strictly in them. I believe human capacity is determined by individual capacity which is affect by what they are. And to add to this, people are the products of their genes and environment. All these sum-up what one can do or can not do. I'm a little uncomfortable about the genes but have, with time, realized they could really contribute to what one can do. For example if your genes come from a family prone to certain genetic diseases, you can not avoid being affected by that disease. Quick to add, i'm a social scientist so i'm could be limited in my understanding of the genetics.

Having said that, I judge people on what they can offer, not what they promise to offer. The difference being that, the offer may be a result of people around them and not themselves taking that thing seriously. So if presidential candidates stand and say one thing when I know they mean something else, my better judgement should be to follow what I know they will provide.

My understanding of what one is worth is evident in what one unknowingly throws out as something he understands. Anything with links to being written for them or told about will carry the label of “I don't know this” no matter how convincing they try to be.

RB knew one thing about his priority when he assumes power, and he has implemented it. The rest are a mere suprise and shock to him that they should be addressed. My wife laughed at me when I said RB had no vision for his presidency as his scope was narrow and limited to just one thing – visa fees. He spoke with confidence and vigor about that than anything else. His entire being was focused on reducing the visa-fees. Even after being sworn in, thats the first thing he talked about. Don't believe me? http://appablog.wordpress.com/2008/11/02/zambia-inauguration-speech-by-president-rupiah-banda-november-2-2008/ And to that effect, visa charges have been reduced. How does that affect the Zambian in chibolya? Well, I will need to show you with basic tools of economics, and believe me, it does affect them and makes their life better off.

But surely, of all things that a president can take as priority, he chose visa charges!!?? why not looking at the poverty in the country that MMD seems to have ignored.

“there are game parks and warm hospitality to enjoy.
i want tourism centres all over Zambia.
i want the world to see how diverse and unique our country is.
i have already promised to reduce visa fees; this should welcome more visitors to our country.
i also want visitors to enjoy the fruits of our land.
our farmers play an important role in feeding us all. we will continue to support them in producing food surpluses.
the price of fertilizer and fuel has already come down.
these lower input costs provide a valuable window of opportunity.”

I wished I could look at the inauguration speech with a smile at how many good things he will do, but alas, nothing worth my pen! Tourism is more important than getting people put of poverty? Is it more important to show case Zambia to the world at reduced visa fees than making Zambians benefit from the fruits of their country? This is clearly a lack of substance on things to do when one is a president. No wonder we always rush to inauguration because in most if not all cases, elections have a rig stamp on them.

We had a discussion on the promises that the candidates had before the elections. RB and HH were lacking in substance or had ideas of what to do but lacked the simplest idea of what to do. Two points were taken from Sata which had substance and could have had a great impact in the country. Regardless of who is ruling, if Sata's ideas are taken up, a lot more could be achieved in this country. So sad that the one person with ideas is also old to take the presidency and maybe bring something worth talking about. I know a lot of people have nicely been brain washed by MMD to think Sata has everything bad about him. Yet none of them have achieve or even come closer to what he has done for this country. Even Kaunda could not cite one thing that is bad about Sata except that he is good as a minister but not as a president. RB is not even good as a mayor if we go by what he has done. I judge people by their works not by which chap disgraces them in public! How many blogs have been written about Sata and what they fear he can do. Not one of them talks about what he has done for the country – because all has been for the benefit of Zambians. During the last campaign the two important points I took from what he was saying were:
1.Setting up of hydro-power station in northern part of Zambia to supplement current supply of power
2.Establishment of another oil refinery for oil originating from Angola.

Hydro-Power Station
Current supply of power from ZESCO is insufficient hence the constant blackouts that are a daily routine in the capital city. I was shocked to land in a country in total darkness and yet we have enormous sources of hydro power. We live like rats or primitive villagers chasing for caddles every single day. MMD then proudly tells us, we are moving forward in development. It would be something worth talking about if the power shortage was as a result of major industries consuming all the power. But it is due to lack of planning and fore-sight. One more power station in the northern part would do wonders regardless of how many tourists come as a result of reduced visa fees!! Wake up, we need to move forward not deal on making this country any more primitive than it is today. Aren't we ashamed to visit other countries and you wonder how they have been moving and we have been going backwards?
Angola has better infrastructure than we dream about. Yet, it has been at war longer than we have been independent!
We need more and more energy for our industries and for sure, Sata has substance in his vision for a hydro power station in the north. What is that land doing if left neglected all this time?

Oil Refinery
INDENI is always down the greater part of the year. Thats not a secret. We have a refinery, but people in Livingstone find it cheaper to buy fuel from Botswana and even Zimbabwe (when it has). We are very expensive. There is a lot of oil being ferried from Botswana to Zambia on dug-out canoes. I have used this fuel, and for sure it is cheap regardless of what profit the people bring it in add on top and despite the risks! What has gone wrong with our country???
we are now backwards, primitive and shameless under MMD. We need to change our focus and see a future with the good priorities and brighter future for our children.

We need to judge these people based on what they can do. With RB, the efforts to rid this country of corruption will be reversed. A lot of current court cases with start being thrown out and slowly make way for kleptocracy to take over democracy that we have. He was the second mistake to this country. The first being Chiluba's second term.

RB will expertly mislead us to doom in a shortest time that we can imagine.

Where We Went Wrong

Where We Went Wrong

We had 1991 peaceful, transparent, free and fair elections. We had a great leader in charge of those elections, Kenneth Kaunda! I have heard people insult the man for many things, but please let us praise him for the great many things that he did for our beloved Zambia. He alone showed us that greatness in a leader must stand the taste of time. He is the great leader we had. I know he messed some things, but he had a heart for the country. I only feel disappointed that he stood and cheered for a leader the people did not want. Whatever happened to him supporting HH like he did before. Why of all people should he support RB, one person he fired for corruption. Is it the question of putting relatives first and not the country? I believe he not only commanded enough resources and people to rig the elections, but had the humanity to let the people choose what they want. How can he now be like that? He gave people the democracy they wanted with a stroke of a pen. We still cry for a good constitution, not better, but that can not be granted up to now. Chiluba came and brought all the worst possible things that can come from a leader, and we still pay for that. He brought in rigging in this country, he brought plundering of resources, he arrested and imprisoned anyone who stood in his way. But the worst thing he ever brought to this nation are the people around him who up to now are still working as part of government. The great dream of a great nation in Africa died with him in control.

Mwanawasa tried his best, but could not run away from the people Chiluba put in place. Actually Mwanawasa was never wanted by people in urban areas. It is said, they used the rural areas to rig that election. We mourned his death with great interest and respect for him, but we must put down things he did which make it impossible for us to move on as a country. He kept constitution assembly from us and gave us “his” version of what we wanted through NCC. That was his wish and not the people's wish. It is totally his own thing and not what we want. He also killed the young democracy that we had. He alone got MPs from other parties and made it impossible for opposition to rule. He killed any hope of a united opposition to counter check the government activities. My greatest complaint with him was hes fighting corruption but, at the same time promoting nepotism. Government was full of his relatives and in-laws. How can a leader have such double standards?

So where we went wrong? Simple. We messed up when we had a good leader under Kaunda. We were more interested in getting rid of him and not create a situation which will ensure we have a good leader to follow. We were supposed to create a way that we guard against thieves, plunderers and all that are enemies of good leadership. We are paying for that right now. We can't even hold elections that Kaunda gave us in 1991. We are going back in time and bringing back what we fought for. Even independent media organizations are facing closure because of MMD. How sad that we have come a long way, but actually moved only a step forward. We are doomed before we even start moving. I wonder whatever cursed my beloved country to reach such levels of problems, to have such levels of so called leaders, such disaster in elections.

We need to mend our leakages. The only one I think is critical is the constitution and one made by the people and not MMD. We know how much we should not trust MMD. MMD was a pillar in the region, but is the worst curse to SADC region, only second to Mugabe's group.