FIMBA UPOKES RUINING LEADERS…responsible for state of our country, decisions leaders make – Katolo
By Kombe Chimpinde Mataka
IT’S our vuvuzela supporters and the ‘fimba upokes’ that are destroying leaders, says Zambia Must Prosper vice-president Milner Katolo.
In an interview, Katolo yearned for a time when politicians would throw away the political divide and “even sit to agree and disagree on national matters”.
“I yearn for a time when as politicians we can throw away this political divide and even sit and talk to each other and advise for the sake of the country.
It is our vuvuzela supporters, the ‘fimba upoke (choke with envy)’, that are destroying leaders. As a leader, I can make wrong decisions knowing that I have got my praise singers, they will protect me whether wrong or what.
I read on some fora people are saying ‘whether we have power blackouts for 18 hours we don’t care as long as PF is gone’,” Katolo said. “So how do you have a right thinking person saying things like that? When he gets to his home, he will be crying for electricity but in public, he wants to say something else.”
Katolo said politicians would be cautions in making decisions if they are held accountable by even those that seemingly support them.
“The leaders will continue to be careless, selfish, because they know we have got our people backing us.
The people running barbershops, restaurants, are hit the most but we will have the vuvuzelas, the fimba upokes singing and supporting such decisions. You are ruining your leaders. When it is time to criticise, criticise. It does not matter whether you are a member of that particular party or not.
This is the only way in which you will make leaders accountable and make leaders measure decisions they make on behalf of the country,” he said. “But the moment they know whether it is my supporters or not when I do something wrong they will rise up, they will tear me apart, leaders will be careful about the decisions they make.
That is what destroyed PF. They had these cadres who were just doing anything.”
Katolo said if supporters start holding leaders accountable, caderism would be contained.
“If people start thinking like that even this caderism will just fizzle out. People will be supporting objectively. A good thing, people will all stand and say ‘yes this is a good thing’.
A bad thing everyone will stand and condemn. Leaders will now be careful about what they do,” said Katolo. “As vice-president of Zambia Must Prosper, I would like to say that as Zambians we are largely responsible for the state in which our country is and for the decisions that our leaders make.
Because our leaders know they have supporters within their party who are praise singers, they are very careless about the decisions they make.
They don’t weigh and value the decisions and the impact that these decisions will have on the citizenry.”