MY HONEST OPINION ON THE GOLD SAGA
By Warren Chisha Mwambazi
What is killing the New Dawn Government is the lack of proper PR (public relations communication). This ‘Gold Saga’ is a very straightforward matter which could have been easily explained by a government spokesperson.
So a foreign plane carrying what was classified as ‘dangerous goods’ lands at our airport and in a highly commendable way, our law enforcement agencies intercept the plane. 10 people were arrested and the goods were impounded. We must feel safe as citizens to have such an effective security wings.
The required procedure after this excellent operation, the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) should have tested the minerals using experts from the Ministry of mines before issuing a statement. As procedure, even the dollars bills should have been tested for authenticity. It is wrong to assume that any white powder is cocaine before subjecting it to a laboratory test.
I am not in any way saying that it was gold or copper, my question is why have two conflicting statements from government departments which must be working together. This is eroding public trust in its government.
We are aware that in the gold business there are a lot of scammers, even here in Zambia we have unscrupulous people who call citizens saying “am so so we Luapula and I have gold” so we can’t rule out a possible scam in this saga.
Effective communication is very important and this is what our friends in government are lacking at the moment. The New Dawn Government has done a lot of positive things but there’s no proper communication system to help the public understand what is happening. Every good thing that President Hakainde Hichilema has done is at the mercy of propaganda because the communication system is dead.
We are aware that the government has brought in investors who will manufacture fertilizer locally, this will reduce the cost of fertilizer and in turn reduce the cost of meali meal. The increased maize floor price will also attract more farmers to go into maize production as a result the supply will outweigh the demand leading to the reduction of meali meal. Unfortunately, no one is explaining all these things to the people. Everyone is waiting for the day The President will hold a press briefing.
President Hakainde Hichilema must invest in a communication team both at the government and party level. The President must also quickly appoint a presidential spokesperson in order to bridge the communication gap.
It is our prayer that President Hakainde Hichilema and the New Dawn Government succeed in their service to the people because if the government fails, we all fail and the people will perish.
Lastly, we appeal to citizens to treat such sensitive cases with the seriousness they deserve. Such cases may border on national security as such deals may be used to fund rebel groups in the region. It’s not everything that we must approach with politics or propaganda especially that these were foreign materials.
God bless you
Warren Chisha Mwambazi
Bwana Mkubwa Independent MP