Zambians in the Eyes of PF’s Leaders: Lazy, Irresponsible, Criminals

Sylvia Masebo

By Hjoe Moono

On Tuesday 23rd October 2012, while in Livingstone, Hon. Sylvia Masebo, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture said she does not believe that Zambians are working hard enough and has questioned some people’s purpose on earth.

Ms. Masebo correctly lamented that we still have Zambians living on less than one dollar a day and children are dying out of preventable diseases, yet blamed all this on Zambians she argued are not working hard enough, calling them criminals.

Obvious Mwaliteta

Earlier last week, Central Province Minister in the PF regime, Mr. Obvious Mwaliteta said Zambian youths are very lazy and only prefer trading in Tutembas (makeshift stores). Mr. Mwaliteta’s words echo very well Madam Masebo’s of 2012. This seems to be the view of our leaders: That we, the people of Zambia not holding any political office are lazy, and our purpose on earth is questioned in the light of the poverty we live in.

Specifically, Madam Masebo has the audacity to question our existence, the existence of millions of Zambian who live in abject poverty, poverty perpetrated by her regime, just because she can afford, through our taxes, to live in a 5 star hotel from which she draws such courage to mock the Zambians, who in the majority, live in poverty.

Suddenly, our leaders have the moral compass to determine which life is valuable. Yet, Madam Masebo was in government from 2001 to 2011 when she changed camps to the PF. Madam Masebo, with respect to her followers has changed three political parties in three elections, moving wherever the wind blows. We all know what became of her when she lost the elections in 2011. We know what she engineered to get back into Parliament, and when she did and is rewarded a Ministerial position, she calls us lazy, and questions our purpose on earth. Why do you mock us?

Obvious Mwaliteta was until June 2011 the MMD Council Chairman for Kafue. But today, in 2014, a Minister in the PF, he has the courage and confidence to stand tall and call us the Zambians youths lazy, who only trade in Tutembas. He says our trading in Tutembas has not taken us anywhere. Indeed, it hasn’t, not when we have leaders like him.

But while these two PF Ministers say all this about us, the Zambians, I wonder which nationality they are. It seems PF leaders are a different kind of species, or some elite citizenry charged with affairs of ‘Zambians’ whom they can, at ease, at will, mock, humiliate, and hope to get away with it.

While Madam Masebo stood strong in her flowery hat in Livingstone in October 2012 calling Zambians lazy and questioning their purpose on earth, nine people, including a nine months old baby had been crushed to death in Mpulungu during a stampede while lining up from 4am in the morning for casual work at Great Lakes Products (GLP) in Mpulungu.

This was a few months before Madam Masebo called Zambians, including these people, mostly women like her, lazy, not hard working, and questioned their existence on earth. She seemed not aware of this, if she did, she did not care. Such lack of empathy from our leaders leaves a youth wonder what wrong we did to deserve this. I guess in the light of Madam Masebo’s words, these women deserved to die, because they were lazy, because they lived on less than a dollar a day, and as such, as per her definition, are criminals.

I break down for Elizebeth Nakazwe of Musende village, Doris Nalungwe of Mupata village, Purity Chansa of Muzabwera village and Ruth Nanyangwe of Mupata village, seven months old baby Kapembwa Mwimanzi, Lizzie Mwimanzi of Mupata village, Mary Namwinga of Makola village and LuseNgaona of Muzabwera village who died working hard for their families, for our country. They died trying. They died looking for a decent living. May their souls rest in peace.

Such courage. Such commitment to a belief of a better life should be eulogized by all. In my view, they deserved to be mourned in a special way, they deserved a national funeral, for they reflected what our society is made of: Hard working women even in the face of misfortune. We too, should carry on trying, and if we can, make jobs, and if need be, die trying as they have shown us. We should be unmoved by the negative perception our leaders have of us.

I break down for my sisters, my mothers and aunties who dedicate their lives to sustain their families in the midst of hardship and unsympathetic leadership. Contrary to the PF Ministers’ assertion, I have seen in Zambia some of the most hard working people whose lives depend on nothing but themselves.

I have seen people break stones for a living. I have seen people walk from Chilanga to Soweto market every morning in the darkness of the night to conduct trade. They cannot afford a bus. Yet, they do it every day for their survival, their families’ survival. They do this day in day out, year after year. Government after government, and pass on the spirit of hard work from generation to generation. But why don’t they ‘graduate’? Why are they ‘trapped’? Well, when you have Ministers that question their existence and call them lazy, when you have a government that does not care about their well-being, how can they?

Every compound I go to in Lusaka, every city or town of Zambia, I see the thirst for business among our people: Tutembas. There are Tutembas on every house. These are sources of income for our people. Emwakulishiliaabanaumumwine. Homes survive on these. There are no jobs. There is no capital for meaningful business. People live within their means. Yet Mr. Mwaliteta mocks us, calls our mode of survival lazy and not progressive. He does this without providing a good market for us to conduct business. Such lack of empathy from our leaders. Suck mockery.

Our leaders are not with us. They are not empathetic. They are disconnected from our needs.

On September 21st 2011, youths woke up early in the morning to vote for the likes of these Members of Parliament (MPs) who now call us lazy. MPs and Ministers who now call us irresponsible. MPs and Ministers who now question the purpose of our existence as if they are now our makers. Yet, we voted for them to go to Manda Hill and represent us.

However, it strikes me that our MPs behave completely different when in Parliament. At Manda Hill, our MPs are constantly trying to gain the upper hand, taking every opportunity to bring their opponents down. Our MPs too often are obsessed with the process of politics, rather than the outcome we want to achieve, what our people want to achieve, what our society seeks. It seems at Manda Hill, the obsession derails from the promises made at election time to better the lives of our constituents, to pursuant of some mysterious goals unknown to the people governed.

In our constituencies, I had expected that our MPs would be proper public servants. MPs, whatever their party, should work for their constituents. In our constituencies, I had expected that our MPs would be sympathetic of our suffering, be calm and reasonable. That they will help solve people’s problems. That they will try to understand what’s going wrong, and how it can be put right. That they will bring people together to tackle issues, irrespective of their affiliation, scale or status in society.

Alas, we have made gods in our MPs. We the governed are at the mercy of our MPs. We are mocked, insulted, arrested, punished and sentenced to permanent poverty, ill health and poverty by their policies.

As a youth, I take extreme dissatisfaction from these Ministers’ sentiments that we are not hard working. I grew up selling on a katemba, it’s the only way I could pay for my school, my medical care, my food. It’s the only way I could survive, and I believe I have a purpose that Madam Masebo may not comprehend now, but she will soon. And I know that many youths out there still live in these harsh conditions which our Ministers and MPs are mocking us with.

We the youths of this country, irrespective of our party affiliation and status in society want so many things, but among them, supreme, we want a decent society that gives people the freedom to live the lives they want, but which supports families and cares for the vulnerable. Injustices be they economic and legal cannot be ignored any more nor should they be sustained. We want an active society where the freedoms and liberties of society are protected and allowed to flourish.

I believe in Zambia, I believe in the youths of this country. I believe in its people.

The youths of Zambia have come of age.

Long live the republic.