President
Edgar Lungu made his address to parliament today. It was his first address to
the august house as Zambian president. The speech that was delivered has been received with mixed reviews by the public. Some have said there was nothing new, while others have even gone as far as saying that it was an inspiring speech. I do
not think I can call it an inspiring speech but it did have certain things I liked about it. These are the five things that I liked about
the president's speech.
1. Tribalism
He
made a statement about tribalism and the need for us to do away with it. He
said that he embarked on a crusade to promote unity in the nation. He called on
opposition and traditional leaders to help him in this cause. We all know what
tribalism can do to countries that do not squash it, so it was good that he
mentioned this. I would have loved though if he added a lit bit of a threat in
there as well. The consequences to people caught practising tribalism.
2. E-Government
The
recognition that the internet can be used to provide an efficient service is
very welcome. This can be a first step towards not only making processes faster
but also reducing corruption. I hope that this will be the impetus needed for
the ministries that do not have websites to start developing them.
3. Creatives
There
is some hope for people in the creative industry. Especially with the digital
migration that took place this year. The president did say that through the
production of television local content it could be an avenue for job creation.
And I absolutely agree with him. I just hope that the necessary support will be
provided to see this come into fruition.
4. Mental Health
I
have always been concerned at the way mental illness is treated in Zambia. It
is often something that has not taken centre stage in health debates. It has
been pushed under the carpet. It is good that the president addressed it in his
speech. He said there was need to promote and protect the rights of people with
mental disorders. I give him a thumbs up on this.
5. Zedupad
By
2017 half of school going children in the country will have a Zedupad. This is
the right kind of thinking. This should provide more children access to
learning resources that is currently lacking. The challenge now is how to make
this feasible.
I
now hope that the bright spots that were in this speech will actually become a
reality. All we can do at this moment is watch and wait.
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ReplyDeleteFrustrated Brotha,
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with you on the first point - Tribalism. I have heard the president mention tribalism and regionalism in a lot of speeches now starting with his inauguration speech but at all times such speeches have lacked in profundity and abstruseness. He always seems to me he wants to mention this point to disadvantage his political competitors and put his followers into motion of assault targeted at the political competitors. For instance during his speech today when he spoke of building a dam in southern province, he had to repeat "southern province, i repeat southern province".
However I'd substitute that first point with the president mentioning that 18th October would be a national prayer and fasting day for national reconciliation. The country needs reconciliation. We almost seem like we are in perpetual election mode where we no longer identify as Zambian or even human beings but by the political parties we support. Any utterance will be met by a response, "imwe ba UPND or imwe ba PF". We can no longer say anything without being labeled PF or UPND.
This politicking on party lines can come at election time in 2016. Between 2016 and 2021 we should just all be Zambian.
On the other points i agree with you.
I agree with you Patrice to an extent. The challenge is if he had not mentioned anything on tribalism them people would have accused that he did not mention it. Tackling tribalism is complex and there really isnt one way to do it, we need to figure a way to solve the problem. Part of the people who fuel this is the leaders because they use it as a politicking tool.
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