TRUTH BE TOLD!
ZAMBIA must be protected from manipulators who have gone guns blazing, disseminating distorted information to appear holier than thou while portraying their foes as uncaring characters.
This is all meant to sway public opinion in their favour as the country draws closer to campaign period next year onwards.
They are positioning themselves for political and state power.
In the political arena, players are copiously propagating sugar-coated ideologies that are attractive on face value.
Tactfully, they are painting their political opponents in the negative, in some cases branding them as downright criminals.
They are doing it repeatedly to tilt blatant lies into golden truths, especially for the gullible audiences.
In short, they are being deceitful; trying to get someone to believe something untrue in an “attractive” manner.
In some way, they are managing to shape public opinion using half-truths and blatant lies especially with the advent of the social media.
It is important, therefore, for the Zambian general public to remain alert all the time as the political wolves continue manipulating the media space.
The public must always pause whenever they notice same faces and same voices throwing down the gauntlet whenever the country is confronted with a negative phenomenon.
However, ferocious voices will usually quiver or go mute altogether whenever there is a positive development in the country. They do not want to give credit where it is due.
They are political demagogues!
Quite clearly, false political messiahs are increasing in number with incredible intensity in their speeches which, if analysed critically, are nothing but hot air.
The Zambian political landscape experiences desperate and extreme strategies in the second half of each political term. This is what is happening and it will even be worse next year.
Yes, the manipulators will pick up any negative phenomenon and form a basis to harangue opponents in the ruling party.
A case in point is the way some politicians are whipping up emotions over the load shedding being undertaken in the wake of the energy deficit.
The demagogues have concentrated on bashing Government and giving a blind eye to the causes and solutions at play.
If the solution is investment in alternative sources of energy, how much information have the critics given on the on-going solar energy projects!
Why can’t critics truthfully indicate what is on the ground!
For instance, in March this year, the Bangweulu Solar Park was commissioned in Lusaka – a renewable energy project constructed at a cost of $60 million under the management of the Industrial Development Corporation.
Many more solar projects are underway.
Agrawal Group of Companies of India in Goa State is planning to build a 100 megawatt capacity solar panel manufacturing plant in Zambia.
All in all, Zambia plans to increase electricity generation to 6, 000 megawatts by 2030 from the current 2, 800 installed capacity.
This information is ignored altogether.
Thus politicians and their allied propagandists are prying on gullible audiences through manipulation of specific factors n information dissemination.
Firstly, they manipulate the quantity of information by withholding important and positive aspects about their opponents.
Secondly, they give poor quality information packaged with half-truths and blatant lies.
Additionally, political demagogues manipulate audiences by citing irrelevant instances and also present information in a manner that is fraught with dishonesty.
Zambians must remain alert and only take that which is true!