Editorial Comment
How much does Bally want to fix Zambians?
It’s becoming dim for Zambians.
The Hope and Help they voted for is proving to be extremely chaotic, if not clueless! From the confidence he exuded upon being sworn in, Hakainde Hichilema has unfortunately – so far – delivered more pain and disappointment than the hoped for change for the better.
He has even defied Napoleon Bonaparte’s advice that, “A leader is a dealer in hope”. The hope Hakainde preached about has evaporated before his own eyes and citizens are back in the wilderness! Instead of fixing the economy as he promised, Hakainde has been busy fixing the same people who made him President. And he doesn’t seem to care about their feelings about his harsh economic policies! He seems to be reading from a foreign crafted script, administering prescriptions tailored for an alien economy. How this International Monetary Fund (IMF) script he holds in his hand affects Zambians, Hakainde doesn’t care. In Biblical terms, he has become a Saul whose leadership brought misery upon the Israelites. He is certainly not David whose leadership elevated the poor in Israel!
On Thursday, the UPND government increased fuel pump prices from K21 to almost K27. They have pointed to the Russia/Ukraine conflict – justifiably so – as a reason for this fuel hike. Apparently, the new dawn seems to have a multipurpose warehouse full of excuses for their inability to deliver on any of their grand promises anchored on the Bally Will Fix It slogan which they crafted ahead of the 2021 general elections.
But this government was not ushered into office to be on honeymoon! And they cannot carry on operating with a manual of excuses and finger pointing.
As John Maxwell puts it, “The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.”
Hakainde and his cronies must wake up and promulgate policies that will cushion our people from the adversities of the Ukraine war and other global uncertainties. That’s what leadership entails. After all the primary role of government – any government – is to protect its citizens.
Is the new dawn regime protecting Zambians?
Instead what we are getting from the methodical headquarters, State House, is that Zambians must be resilient. Resilient? Yes, Zambians have always been resilient. Ask UNIP, MMD and PF. And Zambians are highly resilient in their firm resolve to rid themselves of chaotic, corrupt, inept and uncaring governments. At the rate the UPND is mishandling socio-economic matters against their own myriad promises, they’ll be out of State House faster than they occupied it. Maybe this is the reason Hakainde himself does not want to shift from his Community House! Time alone will tell!
Arnold Glasow teaches that, “One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognise a problem before it becomes an emergency.”
So far, what we are seeing is that Hakainde and his people were not ready to govern. If they were, they would have implemented their own manifesto instead of being impulsive and following the wind. They have become a proper chipantepante government. As things stand, we do not know what economic policies UPND is pursuing and what they intend to achieve. Anyway, Zambians are very patient people who have no time to listen to political or economic rhetoric. The only time they have is to cast their vote. Even if there may not be a strong opposition in 2026, Zambians could create one; the same way they imposed leadership on the UPND to punish PF on August 12. If UPND want a second term of office, let them stop pushing Zambians to the grave through their harsh decisions. People can only be pushed to a certain limit, after that, they react!