NEGATIVE ENERGY

IT is shocking that Zambians are refusing to believe that UK£2.7 million British donor money, meant for the poor in cash social transfer was not stolen. They are hoping against all hope that we are wrong and that the money was indeed stolen and used by the government to finance its operations or at worst, corruptly syphoned out of the system. The fact that we even published a Bank statement showing that the money is intact in a Zanaco account has not assuaged the situation. If anything, the revelation has met shell-shocked disbelief. They want to believe British media. Some are even enthused by fake news that donor countries have frozen all aid to Zambia on account of the social cash transfer “plunder.” We are not surprised. Zambians want to believe the worst of themselves. This is the nature of the emerging Zambian character, cynical to the core. What ever comes from the West is gospel truth and must be believed without question. We do not subscribe to this misguided disparagement or cynicism. We believe that given an opportunity Zambians can and do indeed rise to the highest levels of honour and integrity. As a newspaper, we hold the truth to be sacrosanct. That is why we very proudly state that “if you read it in the Daily Nation, you know it is true.” We are proud of our record and have no need to hide behind faceless publications. We present the truth and indeed when we do get it wrong, we promptly correct and apologise. We are therefore appalled that Zambians who should be condemning foreign calumny, falsely suggesting that UK£2.7m donor money had been stolen to fund a budget deficit, are instead doubting the veracity of our story, choosing instead to side with our accusers. In particular, we are taken aback that a man we had a modicum of respect for, Mr. Patrick Mucheleka, Deputy Secretary General of the United Party for National Development (UPND) could mount such a vicious, attack against the truth, couched in personal and tribal tones. This is very worrying. For a party that should inspire confidence, the attack against us is a display of intellectual bankruptcy and dishonesty. For a start it is ad hominin, meaning that it eschews any form of substance and instead concentrates on the so-called attributes of the parties involved in a narrative. This type of argument which is typical of the UPND masks ignorance, arrogance and in this case, tribal prejudice. Nothing will be achieved by attacking the character, motive or indeed tribal affiliation of any person. What should be at issue are the facts. We are proudly Zambian and nationalistic. This country is more important than narrow tribal parochialism. We will defend this country against any form of prejudice, injustice and oppression from which ever character it comes from. We believe in positive energy that has capacity to build because it embraces all Zambians with compassion and empathy. In contrast, we are opposed to people with negative energy wholly preoccupied with their egocentricism which makes them insufferable, judgmental and always determined to put other people down.