By Prince Bill M. Kaping’a Political/Social Analyst
Last week, President Hichilema made a foray into the scenic mountainous town of Mbala to officiate at the graduation ceremony of the Special Forces (Commandos), aboard a chopper. He had just concluded a tour of the Copperbelt province where he had a series of engagements commissioning or inspecting projects, meeting the clergy and captains of the industry and, of course interacting with ordinary members of the public, among other things.
To borrow the cliched idiom, it was raining cats and dogs! The president had two options available on his plate……call off the event and reschedule it to another day, or make use of the umbrella which was graciously hoisted for him outside the chopper by one of his faithful officials. He waved the umbrella aside and stepped into the heavy downpour and waddled into the mud as the Commandos proudly brought up the rear, very much like troops escorting their heroic commander from a victorious war!
What do we make of this?
The president has sent a strong message to the public, particularly the ministers, technocrats, MPs and councilors alike that being in government is all about service to the people as opposed to self-benefit. He has clearly demonstrated that leadership is all about stepping out of the comfort zone to jump into the ‘thick of things,’ circumstances notwithstanding, and get things done, promptly!
Ministers……are you regularly rolling-up your sleeves and getting soiled as the president demonstrated and helping address a myriad of challenges our people may be grappling with day in and out or you are merely lounging around, if not frequenting boutique hotels to wine and dine? We can’t help noticing that some of you are already accumulating extra layers of fat within a record time!
What about you, the technocrats; are you religiously clearing the backlog of work requiring your express attention on your desks, or indeed swiftly attending to people calling on your offices every day? Would we be wrong to suggest your minds are probably preoccupied with cutting deals and figuring out ways of how best to defraud government as your peers have wilfully done in the past?
The New Dawn Administration has done a sterling job increasing the Constituency Development Fund (CDF)! Are our MPs working around the clock to enhance service delivery in their jurisdictions? Are they embarking on any community projects – fixing feeder roads, constructing classroom blocks and police posts or putting up health facilities?
We would like to believe councilors are domiciled in the wards that they duly represent and are therefore, in constant touch with our people. What are they doing to ensure that residents are regularly being enlightened about waste disposal and that garbage is collected, timeously? Are they mobilizing members of the community to clear the blocked drainages or ensuring that vulnerable people in society are accessing grants or bursaries?
Unless our leaders take a cue from the president and get into action immediately, we shall simply conclude that they don’t deserve to occupy some of those offices. And when the time of reckoning draws nigh, we shall be quick to discard them pronto!