by Aaron Ng’ambi:
The people voted for the Patriotic Front government simply because most of them believed that the PF would form a government for the poor, and the downtrodden. In fact, the late president Mr Michael Sata was seen by many as a man who came from a humble beginning and could relate with the poor and the forgotten. Therefore, in 2011 the PF won a decisive victory promising lower taxes, more jobs and more money in people’s pockets. Unfortunately, Mr Sata would not live long enough to see his promises delivered to the Zambian people. Whatever your opinion may be of the late president Sata, one thing is clear that the man is a significant figure in our political history with some who think highly of him and others who despise him. Regardless of your perception of the initial Patriotic Front and its founder, Mr Sata, it is only fair to observe that the party in power today has lost it and the centre cannot hold any longer. The PF which was once a pro-poor party is now in disarray and its leaders have enriched themselves at the expensive of those they promised to serve. The death of Sata had not only robbed the nation a leader but created a crisis within the party as we can recall. And to some people this was the beginning of the end of the party, as we have seen how the previous political enemies of Mr Sata hijack the PF.
As the nation stood by witnessing the scramble for power within the PF party, a self-proclaimed humble leader would emerge to take over the mantle from the late president. Mr Lungu was skillful in making everyone believe that he would unify the party, continue the legacy of his former boss and above all he managed to convince us that he was indeed full of humility without any shred of pride or arrogance. This was a well-orchestrated image of which to this day the current president has tried so desperately to hold on to in an attempt to pacify the masses. But of course, for most people who are really interested in politics or follow current events closely, it has not come as a surprise at all that the true colours of the man and his government are finally coming out. Not so long ago it would have been unimaginable that our so-called humble leaders would display such levels of arrogance and selfishness. The leaders of the Patriotic Front government have acquired so much wealth illegally and corruptly to an extent that they will do whatever it takes for them to stay in power in perpetuity. One of my favourite quotes by a former president of the United States says that; “Nearly all men can withstand adversity, but if you want to test the man’s character give him power.” This statement by Abraham Lincoln is absolutely the litmus test of anyone’s true character. Now that this government has been in power for so long, we have begun to see their true character in the way they engage with the people, especially the most vulnerable among us.
The dictionary defines humility as; a modest or low view of one’s own importance or in other words putting the interests of others before your personal interests. Those who are humble or have humility sacrifice everything for the good of others or those around them. The scandals involving this government from the 42 fire tenders, the $65 million presidential jet and other corruption allegations are further from what a humble government looks like. No one can claim to have humility and at the same time steal from others, especially the poor. It is clear that our government and these so-called leaders have found themselves in a very precarious position by professing to be humble yet their actions speak otherwise. What we need to do going forward is to re-educate our people so that they better understand that not all that glitters is gold, and that we should never mistake or confuse humility with false pretense. Every day under the PF regime, it is becoming evident that our government is caught-up somewhere in between humility and hubris. These people can no longer hide their true character over the last nine years, and this is why we have seen some of them say and do some unbelievable things without shame. They have reached a point where they do not care anymore if what they do or say hurts the people of Zambian and so this needs to be a wake-up call and a lesson for us all.
To those aspiring for leadership to serve our nation, we encourage you to learn from the mistakes of this government and remember that no man or woman can go on for so long pretending to be who they are not. Please be true to yourselves and be true to our people in all your dealings. Zambians today have matured enough to read between the lines and can tell the difference between true humility and hubris. The days when we were taken advantage of and made victims of deception are long gone. We will not allow these good for nothing politicians invoke humility or God’s name in attempts to mislead us, use us, abuse us and keep us passive so that they can return power at all cost. We the people must resolve to no longer be naïve and ignorant so that the politician will never take us for granted. I believe that with a little bit more of political education, the thin line between humility and hubris will be so vivid to us, that we will distinguish between those who are genuinely humble and sincere leaders rather than the full-blown pretenders. Speaking at Oxford Union in London, Malcolm X said “I have more respect for a man who lets me know where he stands; even if he is wrong than the one who comes up like an angel and he is nothing but a devil.”
Email; aaronngambi@yahoo.com/SM