MR MWEWA’S DISRESPECTFUL REMARKS AGAINST KASAMA MAYOR ARE UNCALLED FOR
Our editorial comment
Mr Simon Mwewa’s decision to refer to the Mayor of Kasama as “that chap” simply because he holds a different opinion on how street vending should be managed is a disturbing way of conducting public discourse.
Disagreeing with an elected leader over policy matters is perfectly acceptable, but reducing that leader to dismissive language because you disagree with his approach is disrespectful, not only to the office he holds but also to the people who elected him.
We must understand that Lusaka and Kasama are two different places with different challenges and priorities. While relocating street vendors may be an urgent priority in Lusaka, Kasama’s immediate concern could be the need to construct more markets and provide adequate trading spaces for vendors.
You cannot prescribe the same solution to every community and expect it to work. Local leaders understand the circumstances on the ground and must be allowed to respond to the needs of their respective communities.
Mr Mwewa must also understand that the Mayor of Kasama does not take instructions from him. The mayor was elected to represent the people of Kasama, not to implement the personal preferences of commentators or individuals sitting outside the realities of the local authority.
Political debate should be about ideas, policies and solutions, not belittling fellow elected leaders because they hold different views.
Democracy allows us to disagree, but it does not give anyone a licence to disrespect the mandate of other elected leaders.
The people of Kasama have a right to have their local challenges addressed according to their own priorities. Their mayor deserves the space to explain and pursue solutions that respond to those needs without being subjected to unnecessary personal attacks.
Current Zambia
Let’s focus on the real issues here.
Not on bruised egos.
The points raised by our duly elected Lusaka mayor are important.
1.) Removal of street vendors does not require the existence of spaces in the market for them to move to. Street vending is illegal. Fulu stopo.
2.) This is no time to play politics and “nice guy” at the expense of public health and the higher functionality of local government if we are to meet the 10-10-5-3-3-1-1-1 economic targets. Everyone should be on board.
3.) If you find yowaself not agreeing with the above 2 points, you are a documented chap.
Village mentality is everywhere in Zambia. Because we can do anything anywhere in the village we want to do anything anywhere in an urban setting. Look at funerals, in the village people travel long to a distant village to attend a funeral. It is natural to provide food as they may not be able to go back to their village, and have to spend a night before burial. Taking this to town, someone wants to eat at the funeral house when their house is a stone throw from the the funeral house. In the village, there are no street names take this mentality to tour towns, e.g. when one arrives in Lusaka, south bound, which is the road to Livingstone?use village mentality. How does one go to the airport? LCC says hey the airport is the responsibility of Chongwe, village mentality. Want to sell anything? go where people are walking, village mentality. Mayor has nice ideas for a start, a chap is a hap.