By Revelation Editor
If you ask most ordinary Zambians today on why they will be voting, most of them will not give you a compelling explanation, besides saying that they will be voting for the candidate of their choice.
If a question were to be posed to many to provide even one promise they remember their candidates of choice making, many will fail to even mention one. Yet, they have already decided on who they will vote for.
It is their democratic right which must of course be respected. However, it is a right that is not being utilised properly. Democracy functions effectively in an environment where citizens base their decisions upon informed choices. An informed citizenry is an integral ingredient towards the function and growth of any democratic society.
However, in this election an argument can be made, from the look of things, that people will be voting mainly because of the dislike they have for a particular candidate. For those who are voting for President Hakainde Hichilema for instance, it doesn’t matter what Brian Mundubile, Fred M’membe, Harry Kalaba or anyone in the opposition will say, they will still vote for the President, no matter how meaningful the things those in the opposition will say. It’s like some have simply closed shop and decided that they will go with their chair regardless what others say.
The same applies for those who have decided against voting for the President, those who have decided to vote for Mundubile, Kalaba, M’membe or the other contenders, it does not matter what Hichilema will say, it doesn’t even matter what he has done. They have simply decided that they will vote for the opposition candidate regardless.
Of course, the likability of any candidate when it comes to making decisions can’t be discounted. But that likability should be founded on the workability of what a candidate is proposing, the solutions they are advancing in terms of advancing the general good of all Zambians. There is a famous saying to the effect that ‘handsome is what handsome is able to do’, and not just by appearance. One may actually have an appearance like that of an angel, while at the same time carrying the ugliness of the devil incarnate in terms of their character. Character is actually the best determinant of who the real person actually is.
Countrymen and women, we have repeatedly urged that these political contenders, including the President himself, are our servants. These contenders are presenting themselves before us, please let’s use this time to grill them and ask them the toughest questions on how they will use their next five years if elected into office to advance the interests of Zambians. For instance, mining is a key industry in this country, and clearly a country that mines thousands of metric tonnes of copper daily, at a historically high $13,000 per metric tonne, should not be wallowing in poverty. What are these politicians promising to ensure that Zambians benefit significantly in form of taxes, royalties and ownership of these mines?
How about the endemic corruption that has been eating at the very fabric of this country, what proactive steps will the candidates take to address the vice? In manufacturing, what are they going to do to utilise the abundant human capital and other abundant resources to scale up the production of locally produced goods in the country? What will they do to turn our schools, universities and colleges from just being theory giants into practical giants for instance?
We have continued grappling with problems where those in power continually abuse the weak state institutions they promised to professionalise once they were elected, but immediately do 360 degrees U-turns upon being elected. What are the candidates promising to do about the sorry state of these state institutions?
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By Revelation Editor
If you ask most ordinary Zambians today on why they will be voting, most of them will not give you a compelling explanation, besides saying that they will be voting for the candidate of their choice.
If a question were to be posed to many to provide even one promise they remember their candidates of choice making, many will fail to even mention one. Yet, they have already decided on who they will vote for.
It is their democratic right which must of course be respected. However, it is a right that is not being utilised properly. Democracy functions effectively in an environment where citizens base their decisions upon informed choices. An informed citizenry is an integral ingredient towards the function and growth of any democratic society.
However, in this election an argument can be made, from the look of things, that people will be voting mainly because of the dislike they have for a particular candidate. For those who are voting for President Hakainde Hichilema for instance, it doesn’t matter what Brian Mundubile, Fred M’membe, Harry Kalaba or anyone in the opposition will say, they will still vote for the President, no matter how meaningful the things those in the opposition will say. It’s like some have simply closed shop and decided that they will go with their chair regardless what others say.
The same applies for those who have decided against voting for the President, those who have decided to vote for Mundubile, Kalaba, M’membe or the other contenders, it does not matter what Hichilema will say, it doesn’t even matter what he has done. They have simply decided that they will vote for the opposition candidate regardless.
Of course, the likability of any candidate when it comes to making decisions can’t be discounted. But that likability should be founded on the workability of what a candidate is proposing, the solutions they are advancing in terms of advancing the general good of all Zambians. There is a famous saying to the effect that ‘handsome is what handsome is able to do’, and not just by appearance. One may actually have an appearance like that of an angel, while at the same time carrying the ugliness of the devil incarnate in terms of their character. Character is actually the best determinant of who the real person actually is.
Countrymen and women, we have repeatedly urged that these political contenders, including the President himself, are our servants. These contenders are presenting themselves before us, please let’s use this time to grill them and ask them the toughest questions on how they will use their next five years if elected into office to advance the interests of Zambians. For instance, mining is a key industry in this country, and clearly a country that mines thousands of metric tonnes of copper daily, at a historically high $13,000 per metric tonne, should not be wallowing in poverty. What are these politicians promising to ensure that Zambians benefit significantly in form of taxes, royalties and ownership of these mines?
How about the endemic corruption that has been eating at the very fabric of this country, what proactive steps will the candidates take to address the vice? In manufacturing, what are they going to do to utilise the abundant human capital and other abundant resources to scale up the production of locally produced goods in the country? What will they do to turn our schools, universities and colleges from just being theory giants into practical giants for instance?
We have continued grappling with problems where those in power continually abuse the weak state institutions they promised to professionalise once they were elected, but immediately do 360 degrees U-turns upon being elected. What are the candidates promising to do about the sorry state of these state institutions?
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