ZAMBIA: TEARING A COPY OF THE DRAFT CONSTITUTION IN PUBLIC IS AN INSULT—NCC
THE National Constitutional Conference (NCC) has said the conduct of Patriotic Front (PF) deputy national secretary Samuel Mukupa to tear the Draft Constitution at a political rally is an insult to the many Zambians who have made submissions including Parliament.
And Mwense Patriotic Front (PF) Member of Parliament Jacob Chongo has said Mr Mukupa’s behaviour is also an insult to the United Party for National Development (UPND) their sister partner in the pact.
How does an expression of disagreement turn into an insult? If indeed it is an insult, what is the nature of the insult?
NCC spokesperson Mwangala Zaloumis said in an interview yesterday that it was wrong for the PF to politicise the constitution-making process.
“Zambians have been making submissions to the Draft Constitution and huge resources have been spent on this very important document therefore it would be wrong for people to politicise the process,” he said.
Ms Zaloumis said if people are opposed to the NCC process, they should not resort to politicising the constitution making process.
I thought the constitution itself was a political product. How does one politicize something that is already politicized?
She said the NCC was a creation of the National Assembly and that it was wrong for a member of the PF to conduct himself when parliamentarians from the party were party to the creation of the Act.
“PF members of Parliament were there when the NCC Act was created,” she said.
A creation of National Assembly or not, nothing prevents one from expressing disagreement with the contents of the document as it stood.
NCC chairperson Chifumu Banda refused to comment about Mr Mukupa’s behaviour because he had so much work to do.
“We have so much work to do because we have received a lot of submissions which Zambians have made, so I will not waste my time to comment on that behaviour,” he said.
That there were a lot of new submissions is justification for utter disagreement expressed by Mukupa. Submissions, in other words, are saying the same thing but in a more quiet way.
In a separate interview, Mr Chongo wondered how the PF and UPND would work together when they had such fundamental differences.
“That act by Mr Mukupa by itself is rubbishing all Zambians that have participated in the process including the UPND. They are telling the UPND that they do not think now just imagine how can these two parties work together. Are these really credible people that can form government?,” he said.
Holding dissenting views is actually healthy. It is a healthy organization that encourages generation of views alternative to the familiar.
“Do you have to go to such an extent if you do not agree with something? I think there are more civil ways that people can show disagreement.”
Chongo's failure to name one is indicative of scarcity of options.
He said by this act the PF were also rubbishing the Mung’omba Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) that the party has been advocating for.
“I only hope Zambians will now realise that these are criminals who want to usurp power by inciting people,” he said.
The Mwense MP also condemned the PF cadres for blocking Vice President George Kunda’s motorcade in Ndola.
“Just imagine what Mr Sata would have done if it was him that was blocked?” he said.
Mr Mukupa on Monday tore the Draft Constitution at a rally addressed by PF leader Michael Sata and threw it to the public saying the document was only fit for marketeers to use as a wrapper for vegetables.
[Times of Zambia]
August 6,2010
Final Note:
There is a hunger in most people, especially those privileged to moderate public discourse, to dictate what should or should not be appropriate conduct or the right thing to say. Many times they would rule one right or wrong without an explanation and when they happen to be so kind as to explain themselves, they fail to be rational. They tell somebody it is wrong to do or say something but they don't take time to explain why they think so. Subsequently, they stick a label on the other person and leave it at that.
A rational thinker evaluates other people's utterances before they make a response. They ask questions such as, 'What was wrong and what was right in what the person said?' They are always aware that no matter how thin a slice is, there are always two sides to it. 'What do I think the person missed and why do I think the person was right?' They remind themselves that there is always a chance that the other person was right and that possibility should given equal time. And lastly and more importantly, they ask, 'What is the weak area and what is the strong side of my judgment? What makes me think I am not as biased, one way or another, as the person whose comments I am evaluating?' This is not hard to do. All it requires is to listen, pause and think on what one hears or read an then respond when it is absolutely necessary.
And the title of Irrational Thinker of the Week goes to Zaloumis.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Another Good Example of Irrational Thinking
Rupiah is a liar, charges Sejani
By Mwala Kalaluka in Luena
Wed 04 Aug. 2010, 04:01 CAT
RUPIAH is a liar, UPND chairperson for elections Ackson Sejani has charged.
And some Limulunga residents openly objected when UPND deputy chairperson for mines and minerals Namakau Kaingu urged them to give the candidate for the Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD) in the Luena by-election, Charles Milupi, zero votes in Thursday’s poll.
During a well-attended public rally addressed by UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema at Limulunga Basic School on Monday, Sejani, who is also Mapatizya member of parliament, said President Banda was a liar who had taken thieves and plunderers into State House.
“Where I come from in Kalomo we have no time for thieves, we have no time for liars, we have no time for the MMD, we have no time for George Kunda, we have no time for Rupiah because they are liars,” Sejani told a cheering crowd. “The reason why late president Levy Mwanawasa was buried a decent man is because he attempted to put aside liars, plunderers and thieves. Rupiah Banda has brought plunderers and thieves into State House.”
Sejani then asked the crowd if they would tolerate thieves and liars to be in-charge of the country and the audience responded that they did not want such a situation.
“Don’t waste your time or your vote by voting for this useless government,” Sejani said. “How can you continue to vote for a useless government, which is not keeping its promises? In Mapatizya we will not vote for Rupiah Banda because he is a liar. It is only here in Luena where you can entertain a liar. He comes here, he stands here and you clap for him. In Kalomo we have no time for Rupiah because he is a bloody liar.”
Sejani urged the people of Luena to be very angry.
“I want you the people of Luena to be angry now, to be annoyed because they are fooling you. Are you going to vote for MMD on Thursday,” Sejani asked as the crowd gave a resounding, no.
Sejani urged Milupi to learn to be humble.
“Leading government is not a one man show. We need all of us,” said Sejani. “Politics is about being humble. Listen to advice from old people, young people, from everybody, you will be a better politician.”
And when Kaingu asked the crowd to give Milupi zero votes tomorrow, a section of the crowd immediately in front of the podium openly disagreed with her.
“Bo Milupi lubafe noto we should give zero to Milup),” said Kaingu.
A few seconds later the ADD’s rain falling slogan of ‘cuuuu’ emanated from some vantages within the crowd.
When the crowd was told to give the MMD and President Banda zero votes on Thursday, the crowd responded positively.
The situation compelled the masters of ceremony, Sibote Sibote to call on the UPND youths to take position and ensure that no one made ‘noises’ at the rally.
The campaign manager for the UPND in the by-election, Captain Walusiku Liambela said she was encouraged by the number of people that attended the rally.
UPND vice-president Francis Simenda said it was not true that some delegates from Western Province were beaten at the convention that saw the election of Hichilema as party president prior to the 2006 elections.
And addressing the crowd, an ecstatic Hichilema said the MMD was killing the people of Western Province through its failure to provide proper health services.
Hichilema said it was sad that at Limulunga Health Centre, patients and corpses were being carried on the same stretcher.
“The MMD has failed. The MMD has destroyed Zambia,” said Hichilema. “How can you have development in Luena when there is no road?”
All the five political parties contesting the Luena by-election have stepped up their campaigns ahead of the poll while the ECZ has engaged a chopper that is distributing electoral materials in the mostly hard-to-reach areas of the vast constituency.
The Post
By Mwala Kalaluka in Luena
Wed 04 Aug. 2010, 04:01 CAT
RUPIAH is a liar, UPND chairperson for elections Ackson Sejani has charged.
And some Limulunga residents openly objected when UPND deputy chairperson for mines and minerals Namakau Kaingu urged them to give the candidate for the Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD) in the Luena by-election, Charles Milupi, zero votes in Thursday’s poll.
During a well-attended public rally addressed by UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema at Limulunga Basic School on Monday, Sejani, who is also Mapatizya member of parliament, said President Banda was a liar who had taken thieves and plunderers into State House.
“Where I come from in Kalomo we have no time for thieves, we have no time for liars, we have no time for the MMD, we have no time for George Kunda, we have no time for Rupiah because they are liars,” Sejani told a cheering crowd. “The reason why late president Levy Mwanawasa was buried a decent man is because he attempted to put aside liars, plunderers and thieves. Rupiah Banda has brought plunderers and thieves into State House.”
Sejani then asked the crowd if they would tolerate thieves and liars to be in-charge of the country and the audience responded that they did not want such a situation.
“Don’t waste your time or your vote by voting for this useless government,” Sejani said. “How can you continue to vote for a useless government, which is not keeping its promises? In Mapatizya we will not vote for Rupiah Banda because he is a liar. It is only here in Luena where you can entertain a liar. He comes here, he stands here and you clap for him. In Kalomo we have no time for Rupiah because he is a bloody liar.”
Sejani urged the people of Luena to be very angry.
“I want you the people of Luena to be angry now, to be annoyed because they are fooling you. Are you going to vote for MMD on Thursday,” Sejani asked as the crowd gave a resounding, no.
Sejani urged Milupi to learn to be humble.
“Leading government is not a one man show. We need all of us,” said Sejani. “Politics is about being humble. Listen to advice from old people, young people, from everybody, you will be a better politician.”
And when Kaingu asked the crowd to give Milupi zero votes tomorrow, a section of the crowd immediately in front of the podium openly disagreed with her.
“Bo Milupi lubafe noto we should give zero to Milup),” said Kaingu.
A few seconds later the ADD’s rain falling slogan of ‘cuuuu’ emanated from some vantages within the crowd.
When the crowd was told to give the MMD and President Banda zero votes on Thursday, the crowd responded positively.
The situation compelled the masters of ceremony, Sibote Sibote to call on the UPND youths to take position and ensure that no one made ‘noises’ at the rally.
The campaign manager for the UPND in the by-election, Captain Walusiku Liambela said she was encouraged by the number of people that attended the rally.
UPND vice-president Francis Simenda said it was not true that some delegates from Western Province were beaten at the convention that saw the election of Hichilema as party president prior to the 2006 elections.
And addressing the crowd, an ecstatic Hichilema said the MMD was killing the people of Western Province through its failure to provide proper health services.
Hichilema said it was sad that at Limulunga Health Centre, patients and corpses were being carried on the same stretcher.
“The MMD has failed. The MMD has destroyed Zambia,” said Hichilema. “How can you have development in Luena when there is no road?”
All the five political parties contesting the Luena by-election have stepped up their campaigns ahead of the poll while the ECZ has engaged a chopper that is distributing electoral materials in the mostly hard-to-reach areas of the vast constituency.
The Post
Monday, August 2, 2010
Zambia: Sub-Saharan Jewel - A postive spin an African country rarely gets from the west!
Get as much out of Zambia as you put in
By Story by Hilary White and pictures by Bivan Saluseki
Sun 01 Aug. 2010, 04:01 CAT
IT is said that of all the continents, Africa has the power to run rings around your imagination. It calls to something deep within us that longs to go back and see where we all started.
But approaching the continent as a tourist can be daunting, especially if you only have a couple of weeks in which to visit. There is so much to consider squeezing in, and that's before you've looked at issues of safety and responsible tourism.
Enter Travel4change, which I recently had the pleasure of accompanying to the sub-Saharan jewel of Zambia. The Irish company has worked out that not everybody wants to go on holiday just to point at things and consume away in a nice climate. Some want to roll up their sleeves, leave their sweat and positivity behind, and make some small difference to the lives of their hosts.
Zambia makes this an easy prospect for the visitor. Happy and handsome, the people are a sea of bright smiles and good wishes. There is never a feeling that you should be looking over your shoulder. The Irish are particularly welcome, a brotherhood forged during independence in 1964, when Irish missions and government-aid schemes stepped in to help a fledgling nation find its feet.
And we're still there, too. In the capital Lusaka, we paid a visit to the Irish Embassy, where Ambassador Tony Cotter filled me in.
"This year, Irish Aid is celebrating its 30th anniversary here," he said.
"We are very involved in the education sector. In 1964, only six per cent of its population had completed primary education. Access to primary education is now more than 95 per cent. Ireland has made a significant contribution in that respect. Last year, we helped build 2, 500 classrooms and to recruit more than 5 000 teachers."
Travel4change is part of this legacy. Helmed by the vivacious and determined Marjorie McHenry, the company organises nine-day to two-week trips, depending on your budget. You work three days building a school, before winding south to enjoy the more customary fruits of Africa along the mighty Zambezi River.
What's more, the company donates 10 per cent of the cost of the trip to the project.
Lusaka was a welcoming place to commence. The climate was a dry, sunny and generally Paddy-pleasing 26 degrees. It was surprisingly green, with elegant tree-lined avenues and landscaped grass-verges. International banking, houses and construction sites hinted at a nation developing nicely in the face of the continent's economic, political and social challenges. Aspirations for it to become a middle-income economy by 2030 appeared reasonable.
Our base for these first days the Southern Sun Hotel, offered a high level of comfort. The restaurant put on an excellent buffet each evening - you could help yourself to Mediterranean tapas and an extensive salad selection before asking the chef to grill you a fillet of African fish. If by the end you couldn't bring yourself to approach the dessert table, the Southern Sun even had its own Irish bar, McGinty's, to adjourn to.
In the afternoon, a fitness room and outdoor pool were available to help work up an appetite. But despite the hotel's Western mould and level of service, there were continual reminders of being in Africa: crocodiles sunbathe in a pond beside the outdoor seating area, while you eat a breakfast of tropical fruit salad and good coffee; above them, in the lush reeds, hang the delicate basket nests of weaver birds.
Things were more explicit outside the Southern Sun during our daily drives into the Kanyama compound. The high-rise and traffic of downtown Lusaka would give way to the clamour and frenzy of the market area.
Lines and lines of vendors manned stalls selling anything and everything, while minibus touts leaned and leered out passenger windows.
It's safe to say that our five pasty northern European hides stood out, but bar the odd "mzungu" (white man) heckle, we would get wave after smile after wave.
The tarmac road finally came to an end and continued as a bumpy track of dust and rock. This was Kanyama, a vast suburb home to some of the city's poorer residents. We continued on, resting finally by the large clearing that would one day be the Luyando Open Orphanage Community School.
There are about 1,800 HIV/AIDS orphans here, and while conditions in the area are comparatively better than in many other African townships - community spirit and housing structures are both sturdy - it is these children, their parents ravaged by illness, that Travel4change is setting its sights on.
During the next three days, our group worked in the dust and sun to scratch out what would soon be the construction site. Supervising work on the project was Hibernia Contracting, which, as the name would suggest, was an Irish-owned business.
The owner in question was a hard-nosed but helpful Dub by the name of Mark Brogan, who, incidentally, had also set a new standard in fundraising as chairman of Zambia's Wild Geese - the expatriate Irish community there.
Third World bureaucracies tend to get things done very slowly, however, and some teething problems emerged over property rights. This meant lots of phone calls and negotiating on Marjorie's part, while the rest of us helped clear away foliage and rubble.
It was satisfying outdoor work, the kind you wish you got more of. Sweat emulsified with sun-cream, running into and stinging my eyes. Dust travelled up noses and prompted bouts of sneezing. Hands were blistered and thorns snagged skin.
But all around, young and old came to shake your hand or help you carry a tree stump away.
This was going to be theirs and they understood this. We weren't heroes - merely assistants to a better start for these children.
Travel4Change organises responsible tourism that will have a positive impact on the local communities. The next trip is planned for November. For more details, visit www.travel4change.
The Post
By Story by Hilary White and pictures by Bivan Saluseki
Sun 01 Aug. 2010, 04:01 CAT
IT is said that of all the continents, Africa has the power to run rings around your imagination. It calls to something deep within us that longs to go back and see where we all started.
But approaching the continent as a tourist can be daunting, especially if you only have a couple of weeks in which to visit. There is so much to consider squeezing in, and that's before you've looked at issues of safety and responsible tourism.
Enter Travel4change, which I recently had the pleasure of accompanying to the sub-Saharan jewel of Zambia. The Irish company has worked out that not everybody wants to go on holiday just to point at things and consume away in a nice climate. Some want to roll up their sleeves, leave their sweat and positivity behind, and make some small difference to the lives of their hosts.
Zambia makes this an easy prospect for the visitor. Happy and handsome, the people are a sea of bright smiles and good wishes. There is never a feeling that you should be looking over your shoulder. The Irish are particularly welcome, a brotherhood forged during independence in 1964, when Irish missions and government-aid schemes stepped in to help a fledgling nation find its feet.
And we're still there, too. In the capital Lusaka, we paid a visit to the Irish Embassy, where Ambassador Tony Cotter filled me in.
"This year, Irish Aid is celebrating its 30th anniversary here," he said.
"We are very involved in the education sector. In 1964, only six per cent of its population had completed primary education. Access to primary education is now more than 95 per cent. Ireland has made a significant contribution in that respect. Last year, we helped build 2, 500 classrooms and to recruit more than 5 000 teachers."
Travel4change is part of this legacy. Helmed by the vivacious and determined Marjorie McHenry, the company organises nine-day to two-week trips, depending on your budget. You work three days building a school, before winding south to enjoy the more customary fruits of Africa along the mighty Zambezi River.
What's more, the company donates 10 per cent of the cost of the trip to the project.
Lusaka was a welcoming place to commence. The climate was a dry, sunny and generally Paddy-pleasing 26 degrees. It was surprisingly green, with elegant tree-lined avenues and landscaped grass-verges. International banking, houses and construction sites hinted at a nation developing nicely in the face of the continent's economic, political and social challenges. Aspirations for it to become a middle-income economy by 2030 appeared reasonable.
Our base for these first days the Southern Sun Hotel, offered a high level of comfort. The restaurant put on an excellent buffet each evening - you could help yourself to Mediterranean tapas and an extensive salad selection before asking the chef to grill you a fillet of African fish. If by the end you couldn't bring yourself to approach the dessert table, the Southern Sun even had its own Irish bar, McGinty's, to adjourn to.
In the afternoon, a fitness room and outdoor pool were available to help work up an appetite. But despite the hotel's Western mould and level of service, there were continual reminders of being in Africa: crocodiles sunbathe in a pond beside the outdoor seating area, while you eat a breakfast of tropical fruit salad and good coffee; above them, in the lush reeds, hang the delicate basket nests of weaver birds.
Things were more explicit outside the Southern Sun during our daily drives into the Kanyama compound. The high-rise and traffic of downtown Lusaka would give way to the clamour and frenzy of the market area.
Lines and lines of vendors manned stalls selling anything and everything, while minibus touts leaned and leered out passenger windows.
It's safe to say that our five pasty northern European hides stood out, but bar the odd "mzungu" (white man) heckle, we would get wave after smile after wave.
The tarmac road finally came to an end and continued as a bumpy track of dust and rock. This was Kanyama, a vast suburb home to some of the city's poorer residents. We continued on, resting finally by the large clearing that would one day be the Luyando Open Orphanage Community School.
There are about 1,800 HIV/AIDS orphans here, and while conditions in the area are comparatively better than in many other African townships - community spirit and housing structures are both sturdy - it is these children, their parents ravaged by illness, that Travel4change is setting its sights on.
During the next three days, our group worked in the dust and sun to scratch out what would soon be the construction site. Supervising work on the project was Hibernia Contracting, which, as the name would suggest, was an Irish-owned business.
The owner in question was a hard-nosed but helpful Dub by the name of Mark Brogan, who, incidentally, had also set a new standard in fundraising as chairman of Zambia's Wild Geese - the expatriate Irish community there.
Third World bureaucracies tend to get things done very slowly, however, and some teething problems emerged over property rights. This meant lots of phone calls and negotiating on Marjorie's part, while the rest of us helped clear away foliage and rubble.
It was satisfying outdoor work, the kind you wish you got more of. Sweat emulsified with sun-cream, running into and stinging my eyes. Dust travelled up noses and prompted bouts of sneezing. Hands were blistered and thorns snagged skin.
But all around, young and old came to shake your hand or help you carry a tree stump away.
This was going to be theirs and they understood this. We weren't heroes - merely assistants to a better start for these children.
Travel4Change organises responsible tourism that will have a positive impact on the local communities. The next trip is planned for November. For more details, visit www.travel4change.
The Post
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