This is one time that I could not resist the urge to read a lot into what somebody said. Judge me if you must but don't blame me. Mike's words were carefully selected and uttered repeatedly in what seemed like a rare moment of courage.
Mike is telling us, assuming the scribe quoted him accurately, that Zambian politics is about the self and not service to the people. "...advantaging yourself," he insists. Whatever happened to the reasons we engage in politics in the first place? Has differing on the methodologies and subsequent techniques of addressing concerns of a public nature taken on a different descriptor? I thought politics was it.
professor Mike Mulongoti just gave us a new definition for the word politics - advantaging oneself - (by any means necessary?) and, in my view, is the number one reason the majority of Zambians is poor. Ours is indeed Politics of Poverty. As one of my mutola nkhani friends once said, "...if everyone who is guilty of a crime were to be locked up, the entire government would be behind bars". I thought that was a profound statement. And why aren't they?
Anyway read on:
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I'm better than Kunda - Mulongoti
By Patson Chilemba Thu 17 Feb. 2011, 04:02 |
Mulongoti |
Reacting to Vice-President Kunda’s remarks that he was the best candidate for the MMD vice-presidency because he was one of the principal legal advisors to the government and was better placed to serve with President Rupiah Banda, Mulongoti, who is works and supply minister and MMD vice-presidential aspirant, said he had explained about his proven track record in the party, and others should do the same.
“I do hope they can give us the opportunity to debate so that the public can begin to pass judgement on us. I am not averse to debate. I am not averse to the people passing judgement on me because after all I am accessing myself to public scrutiny,” he said.
Mulongoti said Kunda should show his achievements in the MMD rather than talking about his performance in government.
“We are talking about elections. I do not think we should now bring government work into the party because the party exists as an entity. So the party also requires support. So I made a declaration and indication of what I have done in the party and I am sure everybody can see what I have done,” Mulongoti said. “If the basis is performance in government, we will all start talking about government. All I can say is I welcome him Kunda in the arena. He is my brother and I hope he can compete in a very brotherly manner.”
On Vice-President Kunda’s apparent reference to Mulongoti to stop making insinuations against other party members, Mulongoti said politics was about advantaging oneself.
He said politics was about competing at an intellectual level.
“I don’t know what type of politics they are thinking of where we have a dialogue of the dumb. Politics is not a dialogue of the dumb. Politics is about advantaging yourself. Everything you say is about advantaging yourself,” said Mulongoti. “If now everything you say becomes a crime, who is going to compete with who? Politics is not for the faint-hearted.”
Addressing the press and cadres at the Lusaka province party headquarters on Tuesday, Vice-President Kunda said he understood how the MMD operated having provided legal guidance to the party and government since he joined politics.
He said he worked well with President Banda and that relationship should not be interrupted.
Vice-President Kunda said party members should not experiment with leadership but go for tested leadership.
Adopted from The Post. February 17, 2011
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