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

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.