Politics of Poverty? Or not.

In a responsive and responsible government, as in any efficient and effective organization, the architectural design is dictated by enormity and complexity of work to be done, and not by the number of imposa mabwe seeking position and title. Most rational thinking Zambians appreciate the fact that Zambia is a country populated by poor people, not because there are no resources to be converted to goods and services to meet their needs but victims of lack of political will to do the right thing. Their cultural value of contribution and service are overtaken by their overwhelming concern for pain in their belly. Doing the right thing, though, does not take much. All one has to do is pick out and prioritize the pressing issues, and look for people with knowledge, skills, abilities and proven experience to effectively address them.

A person vying for head of government should demonstrate to the electorate, beyond a shadow of doubt, that they have the skills of a selector of (wo)men, an absolute ingredient of a competent administrator. Subsequently, the chosen individuals need to be supervised. This means that the administrator must know what constitutes good performance, and lay it all out in no uncertain terms to those he or she hires to address the known recurrent societal issues. Additionally, a competent administrator would set up a schedule of meetings when he or she would be receiving status updates on work done toward achieving defined milestones. I call this step, receiving bundles of goods on behalf of the people. The quality of these deliverables would determine the level of competency the head of government has. To continuously enhance the quality of service, the administrator must sign compacts with his posse that clearly states that those who exceed expectations deserve a pat on the back. And those who fail to hit their marks, deserve a kick on the butt!

While kicking butt may sound like a therapeutic exercise for one's arthritic foot, avoiding it by hiring the right people for the right jobs would definitely increase the administrator's credibility. One can almost be guaranteed re-election if one did a good job of addressing, in time, the concerns of the majority, stealing notwithstanding.

This is the point, I think, old man Saunders is making in the article below. And because of his words of wisdom, I confer upon him the the title of Rational Thinker of the Week.

Zambia: Members at lower level causing pact problems – Observer

UPND supporters

Political Activist Dante Saunders has observed that the problems that have rocked the UPND/PF pact are being caused by the party members at lower organs. Mr. Saunders says from the meetings that he held with both UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema and PF’s Michael Sata, it is clear that the two opposition leaders are still interested in the Pact and that all the wrangles in the pact are being caused by the leadership at lower organs.
The veteran politician says it is evident that some members of the two parties in the Pact are scared of losing their positions in their respective parties once the Pact leader is announced hence the misunderstandings.
Mr. Saunders has told QFM news that there is need for all the leaders in the two opposition political parties to reach a compromise and ensure that whatever decision they make is for the benefit of the nation.
Mr. Saunders adds that there is need for the political leaders to prioritize the interests of the entire nation before their personal interests.
Meanwhile, Mr. Saunders has urged all the political parties to consider empowering the youths in their parties instead of using them to ignite violence during elections.
Mr. Saunders has suggested that each political party reserve at least 30 percent of their parliamentary adoptions for the younger generation.
He says this will help in grooming the youths for future political responsibilities.
[Qfm]

Adopted from Lusaka Times, Feb. 14, 2011.