When all sloganeering, political rhetoric, rallies, campaign excitement and any other activity that goes with the election are finally brought to a stop, as Zambians we shall at the end of the road stand and begin to look up to the leadership that we will have put in power for the prudent, effective and smooth running of the affairs of our great country.Now this is a very sobering and humbling thought as it gives us an idea of what will be the state of our minds and conscience in the after math of the October polls after we have finally elected a president. At that point all the political curtains will have been rolled down and in our sight shall stand a leader that we shall be stack with for the next three years.
With this line of thinking, what is to be done is take precautions against detrimental elements to the achievements made by this regime as has been the general consensus and also the potential we have to do much more. The following constitute the dangerous elements to the future of our country:
• Corrupt, inconsistent and dictatorial leadership that is bound to take our nation backwards. This is the leadership that Michael Sata has stood for most of his life in politics as evidenced through the political maneuvers that he has engaged in up to this point. To start with, everyone fully knows that Mr. Sata only left the MMD after being beaten by the caliber of the late Dr. Mwanawasa for the party candidacy. His departure was therefore not based on any policy differences but purely on his selfish ambition. The only thing that remains consistent about this gentleman is his selfish ambition for the presidency. Now ask yourself where does he get the moral authority to criticize the party (MMD)? He only left after being rejected because of the competence, integrity and honesty that the party was looking for in a successor to FTJ. Now he thinks Zambians have suddenly lost their memory. This should be clearly REJECTED!!!
• Today Mr. Sata claims to be so much concerned about the plight of the poor people and that he enormously cares about them. Does he also think that Zambians have forgotten that it was him who went around mistreating the poor during his time in government? As local government and housing minister, Sata dismantled certain compounds and left poor people in the cold without giving them any alternative or any where to stay. This he did without any compassion and empathy for the poor. (Weekly Post, Tuesday, February 22, 1994). This hypocrisy should be rejected!!!
• Where is Sata and the Patriotic Front's commitment to the poor when his councilors and Member of Parliament have failed to simply address the plight of the people of Mazyopa but busy politicking about the whole issue when they have the power and responsibility to act on behalf of the poor. Where is the so-called ACTION when the PF dominated councils are failing the people by not acting responsibly? He has failed to show leadership apart from mere talk in the press.
• Sata is certainly a riotous character, his coarse, blustering ways and rude domineering style makes him less democratic and not fully qualified to be president. Sata has probably been subjected to more beatings in his adult life than any other politician in the world. Because of his misbehavior in 1992 he was stoned at a funeral gathering and also floored by fellow minister Dawson Lupunga and equally nearly beaten by another opposition leader. (Weekly Post, Tuesday, February 22, 1994) This is not the kind of character that Zambia wants in a president. With this behavior, the nation can easily be plunged in problems through having such a person in the highest office. It is this kind of conduct that even made the Lusaka city councilors in 1993 have a show down with him over his continued interference in the administration of the civic authority's affairs and his involvement in the corruption of the Merzaf housing scheme of which he has never apologized to Zambians.
• Zambia will need someone who has experienced national governance at a very high level and has a lot of soberness. Even in countries where they have elected leaders who are relatively young it has not been at the expense of experience. The perceived young president of Tanzania for example acquired experience at parliamentary and ministerial level before he ran for the presidency. It was not a trial and error arrangement. Running a country should not be reduced to running a company of less than one thousand employees. Zambia is not a toy such that anyone can come from nowhere and say they want to be president. Even Barack Obama was Senator before he ran for president (probably equivalent to MP in Zambia).
Above all, what should be done is elect someone who is most familiar with the policies that are being implemented right now, someone sober, experienced and forward looking. All the conmen that are pretending to bring change should be stopped by all means so that the achievements that have been made are not in any way reversed. Electing someone who knows the pattern means continuity and the desire to see much more done.
