Politicians need Zambians more than we need them

By Revelation Editor

Countrymen and women, the campaign season is officially on now, and politicians are offering many promissory notes as usually happens during a season such as this one.

But we urge you to be watchful and sieve through their pronouncements. We know that a good number of electorates are decided on who they will vote for, with many others still undecided and giving themselves enough time to better judge the people offering themselves for office. To those who have already made up their minds, we urge you not to close your ears and eyes to the other candidates as they probably may have something better than those you have already decided upon.

We are sure that you are wise enough to decide your own destinies based upon voting for the people you feel will better handle your affairs in government. 

Zambia is right now going through a lot of challenges that require leadership to sort out. The challenges this country faces are such that it needs leaders who will prioritise the actualisation of its limitless endowment for the benefit of the general good, and not just a few politicians and people’s connected to those in power, or those who wish to take over from them and their associates.

In the five years President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration has been in office, they have managed to score some succceses, while at the same time recording failures, just like the other governments that have ruled this country before them. We are aware that no government can solve all its country’s problems. However, the success of any government is determined by the degree its successes outweigh its failures. And the difference between success and failure must actually be overwhelming. 

Therefore, if people believe that the UPND administration is the right government to continue working towards the outstanding challenges the country faces, then UPND should be the automatic party of choice for them. But if in their considered view, they have opined that the UPND has reached a dead end where it can no longer address the country’s many outstanding issues, then their choice is also automatic. However, if their choice is to vote for the opposition, they must consider an opposition that is patriotic, an opposition that is offering sound workable ideas towards addressing problems, and one which is being led by a right group of people.

You see countrymen and women, we must place a premium on our vote. Let’s not waste our votes just engaging in kuvotela votela, while the country continues to wallow in poverty as foreigners are allowed to pillage, rob its resources in broad day light.

People must demand a government that will place them at the centre of beneficiation from its abundant resource endowment. They must demand a government that will not allow copper to be exported in raw form, a country where people have a primary say in their gold, sugilite, water and land etc.

We cannot as a country be pleading for donor aid of $1 billion in the health sector to cover several years when we can easily raise that amount from our resource endowment. We need to be more demanding of the politicians who will be presenting themselves before us. These are not our masters. The fact that they are coming to us seeking to continue in government, or seeking to get into government, is reason enough to tell us that these are our servants who are presenting themselves before us to be employed by us. They are presenting themselves before us because we are their masters, their employers, and they need a job from us. They actually need us more than we need them.