CHIPIMO IS A BIG DISAPPOINTMENT
Dear Editor,
I used to have a lot of respect for NAREP President Elias Chipimo who I thought would emerge to be one of the most cerebral leaders in this country which seems to be suffering from sober political leadership, especially within the opposition. Unfortunately the opposite has come to happen, he turns out to be just another kaponya.
He is no better than un-educated Chishimba Kambwili, otherwise how can one explain his asinine remarks, suggesting that citizens are praying for the death of leadership in order to be relieved from their suffering.
He is reported to have said that Zambians were suffering to a point where they were praying for the misfortune of certain leaders to die.
“People have suffered so much. I mean, to get to a point where they are praying that certain leaders will die, then you know that things are very serious. Why should our own people start praying for the misfortune of our leaders? It’s because they are hurting! It’s because of the kind of things which are completely disconnected with the harsh reality of the people who are being chased [from selling on the streets] on a daily basis. Why do you think that we have the Tokota boys in Kitwe? You can arrest these people today [but] it’s not their fault – they are simply responding to the pressure that
they have been placed under by the party which happens to be responsible for governing this nation at this point in time,” says Chipimo. What kind of person in his right mind says such things?
Then more recently he gave equally unfounded legal advice that President Lungu had breached a law by accepting a gif of land from King Mswathi.
There is no law preventing the acceptance of a gift by the President. Chipimo has failed to demonstrate the advantage ”which” King Mswathi would derive from the award of the land. The important ingredient to prove corruption is any transaction revolves around receiving unfair advantage or benefit.
In essence a transaction is corrupt if the giving party hopes to gain some form of advantage in a transaction in which other people are competing. In this case what does the King have to benefit from Zambia?
I expected Chipimo to provide more reasoned advice to the Government, but at the rate he is going chances are that he will never make a mark on Zambian politics. He should be among the first persons to realize that nation building is not a collective national endeavor picnic demanding sacrifice contribution and support from all citizens. No one single leader can singlehandedly develop the country. The duty of political leadership is to provide directions in the use of the very limited resources to attain collective interest.
Poverty is not an event. It is the collection of many social, economic and political realities traversing the history of any people and no single leader would want people to suffer. If anything it is the wish of every leader to improve the lot of his subjects, but this cannot happen in a vacuum.
Most Zambian expect politicians to be realistic in their statements and not outlandish in their claim of prowess to resolve national problems.